IELTS General Task 1: Letter of Complaint About a Hotel Stay

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Writing Prompt

You recently stayed at a hotel for a short holiday and were very unhappy with the service you received.

Write a letter to the manager of the hotel. In your letter:

explain why you were staying at the hotel and when
describe the problems you experienced during your stay
say what you would like the manager to do about it

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses. Begin your letter as follows: Dear Sir or Madam,

Show Band 8–9 model answer

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the service I received during my recent three-night stay at your hotel from 3rd to 6th July. I had chosen your establishment to celebrate my 10th wedding anniversary with my wife, expecting a comfortable and memorable short break.

Unfortunately, a number of issues spoilt the occasion. Firstly, although I had booked a deluxe double room with a sea view, we were initially given a twin room overlooking the car park. It took almost two hours and several phone calls to reception before this was corrected. Secondly, the air conditioning in our final room was not working properly, leaving the room uncomfortably warm at night despite two complaints to the front desk. Finally, the breakfast service was chaotic: on two mornings many items had run out by 9 a.m., and we had to wait over thirty minutes for basic replacements like bread and juice.

Given the inconvenience and the special nature of our stay, I would appreciate a partial refund and a written explanation of how you intend to prevent such problems in future. I would also welcome a discount voucher should we decide to give your hotel another chance.

Yours faithfully,
[Your Name]

Why this response works

This letter would score highly across all four criteria. For Task Achievement, it fully addresses all bullet points with clear explanations of the stay, specific problems, and a realistic request for redress. Coherence and Cohesion are strong: ideas follow a logical sequence, each paragraph has a clear purpose, and linking expressions ("Firstly", "Secondly", "Finally", "Given the inconvenience") guide the reader smoothly. Lexical Resource is demonstrated through precise, topic-appropriate vocabulary ("deluxe double room", "sea view", "uncomfortably warm", "partial refund", "discount voucher"). Grammatical Range and Accuracy are strong, with a variety of complex sentences, generally error-free structures, and appropriate use of formal tone throughout.