IELTS Band 8 Formal Complaint Letter

This Band 8 General Training complaint letter shows what strong Task Achievement, tone control, and precise vocabulary look like together. Annotations from IELTS AI Tutor by IELTSGRADER explain why it scores highly, and what you can borrow for your own practice.

Use the GT formal letter checklist alongside this model.

The prompt

You recently stayed at a hotel and were unhappy with the service.

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

• explain why you were staying at the hotel
• describe the problems you experienced
• say what you would like the hotel to do about the situation

Write at least 150 words. You do not need to write any addresses.

Full sample letter (Band 8)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to complain about the poor service I received during my stay at the Grand Harbour Hotel from 12 to 14 June, where I had booked a superior double room for a business trip.

I chose your hotel because it is close to the conference centre and because your website advertised a quiet room with reliable Wi-Fi, both essential for preparing presentations in the evening. Unfortunately, the room I was given faced a busy main road, and the internet connection dropped repeatedly, which made it impossible to upload documents on the first night.

In addition, housekeeping did not replace towels on the second day, and when I called reception, I was told that staff were short and that I should wait until the following morning. I also ordered a 6:30 a.m. taxi through the front desk, but it did not arrive, causing me to miss the opening session of my conference.

I would be grateful if you could provide a partial refund for the two-night stay and issue a written explanation of these service failures. I would also appreciate confirmation that feedback has been passed to the relevant departments so that other business guests do not face the same difficulties.

I look forward to your prompt response.

Yours faithfully,
Alex Morgan

(Word count: ~198)

Criterion scores (AI tutor view)

Criterion	Band	Feedback
Task Achievement	8	All three bullets fully covered with clear, relevant detail; purpose and desired outcome explicit
Coherence & Cohesion	8	Clean paragraphing by function; easy for the manager to follow
Lexical Resource	8	Precise formal collocations (superior double room, service failures, partial refund)
Grammatical Range & Accuracy	8	Flexible complex sentences with strong control

Overall impression: Band 8.

Bullet-by-bullet coverage map

Bullet	Where it is answered	Why it works
Why you were staying	Paragraph 2 opening	Business trip + location/Wi-Fi needs, not just “I stayed there”
Problems experienced	Paragraphs 2–3	Multiple concrete issues with consequences (missed conference session)
What you want done	Paragraph 4	Specific, polite requests (partial refund + written explanation + confirmation)

Nothing is left implied. That is high Task Achievement.

Tutor annotations (selected lines)

Purpose first

I am writing to complain about the poor service I received during my stay…

Strength: Immediate purpose. The reader knows the letter type in line one.

Formal, firm, not rude

The letter describes failures and consequences without insults. Band 8 tone is assertive and polite.

Consequence detail

causing me to miss the opening session of my conference.

Strength: Shows impact. Consequences make complaints feel complete and justify the request.

Clear ask

partial refund… written explanation… confirmation that feedback has been passed…

Strength: Actionable requests. Vague endings (Please do something) are weaker for Task Achievement.

Sign-off match

Dear Sir or Madam → Yours faithfully is conventionally consistent.

What Band 6–6.5 complaint letters often miss

• Purpose buried under long background
• One bullet answered in a single thin sentence
• Emotional language without facts (Everything was horrible)
• No specific requested action
• Informal phrases (Hey, kids were freaking out, totally unacceptable mate)
• Wrong or missing sign-off

If that sounds like your drafts, run the formal letter checklist before every timed practice.

Fix cards to move toward this level

Fix card 1: One paragraph, one job

Opening = purpose + stay dates.
Next = reason for stay + first problems.
Next = additional problems.
Next = requests.
Close = polite expectation of reply.

Fix card 2: Attach a consequence to each major problem

Problem → effect on you. This upgrades both Task Achievement and Lexical Resource.

Fix card 3: Make requests measurable

Prefer partial refund for two nights over some compensation. Prefer written explanation over tell me why.

Practice drill (30 minutes)

1. Cover the sample and write your own letter to the same prompt (20 minutes).
2. Uncover and tick bullets against the coverage map.
3. Rewrite only the request paragraph using more specific asks (5 minutes).
4. Submit your version to the essay checker and compare Task Achievement notes.

Transfer to other formal letter types

The same architecture works for:

• Lost luggage / airline complaints
• Course refund requests
• Noisy neighbour letters to a council (more formal civic tone)
• Incorrect bill disputes

Only the situation vocabulary changes. Tone and bullet discipline stay.

How IELTS AI Tutor helps GT letters

IELTS AI Tutor highlights missing bullet content, tone mismatches, and weak closings, issues that a grammar-only checker can miss. For mixed practice with essays, use a mock writing test if your exam format includes both tasks in one sitting.

Related reading

• Academic vs General Training writing
• How IELTS writing is scored
• Task Response vs Achievement

Try this yourself

Prompt: Write your own formal complaint letter on a similar prompt, then compare tone and bullet coverage to the sample.

1. Write under realistic time limits.
2. Check your essay free (or the Task 1/2 checker if relevant).
3. Rewrite only the lowest criterion once, then re-check.

Next steps

Band 8 GT letters are clear, complete, and controlled. Model the structure, then get feedback on your own complaints and requests.

Check a letter with the IELTS essay checker, explore pricing for regular practice, or signup to keep a portfolio of improved letters before test day.

Frequently asked questions

What makes a Band 8 GT letter?

Clear purpose, full bullet coverage, consistent formal tone, and controlled accurate language.

How long should the letter be?

At least 150 words; roughly 150–180 is a practical target under time.

Can I use contractions in a formal letter?

Avoid them in formal letters (write “I am”, not “I’m”).