IELTS Writing: Complaint Letter

The IELTS writing component seems to bother a large number of students. Today, I
am going to focus on writing complaint letters, since that seems to cause issues. The
aim of this tutorial is to help you feel more comfortable with writing letters of this
kind.

You probably hear this over and over again, but having a good structure is vital for a
successful essay/letter. Consider part 1 of the IELTS general training component, in
which you are asked to write a letter. The structure of the letter depends on the type of
letter you are writing. For a complaint letter where you do not know the person you
are writing to, the following structure is useful:

Dear Sir/Madam,
Introduction: I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with…
Paragraph 1: [Explain why you are unhappy]
Paragraph 2: [Explain what needs to be done]
Ending: I thank you for your consideration….

Yours faithfully,
John Smith
(Signature)

Note: Since you do not know the person in question, you should use ‘Yours
Faithfully’ rather than ‘Yours Sincerely.’ The latter should be employed if you know
the person you are writing to.

Below are some phrases that you may find useful while writing a complaint letter:
1. I am writing in regard to…
2. I am writing to you because….
3. I am writing to inform you about my dissatisfaction with…
4. I have recently purchased…from your website. Unfortunately….
5. I am writing to complain….

These are all ways you can commence a complaint letter. Below is an example of one:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Introduction:
I recently purchased IELTS practice books from your website (order number: XYZ).
Unfortunately, I noted several issues with the parcel that arrived this morning.

Paragraph 1:
To begin with, the delivery is a week late, and this has substantially delayed my
preparation time for the exam. Furthermore, the CD’s that accompany the books are
not the correct ones. I have actually received the CD’s for another IELTS series.
Finally, I have ordered 5 books and have only received 4 of them. You can understand
how disappointed I am with this situation.

Paragraph 2:
My exam is approaching quickly, and I desperately need the correct books for my
preparation. Instinctively, I am getting very frustrated, and need a solution as soon as
possible. I would like you to respond quickly by either giving me a full refund, or by
sending out the correct books immediately. Please make sure that they arrive within
three days.
Ending:
I have no doubt that you will take this matter seriously and will react quickly. Thank
you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your service.

Yours faithfully,
Your Name
(Signature)