IELTS Formal Letter: Formal complaint regarding unprofessional taxi service and silence

The task

You recently took a trip with a taxi company. The driver behaved in an unacceptable way and you had a lot of problems. You complained to the company but no-one has replied to your complaint.

Write a letter to the taxi company. In your letter:

→say why you are writing and how you feel
→explain what happened
→tell them what you would like them to do

Write at least 150 words. You do not need to write any addresses. Begin your letter: Dear ...,

Model answer

Band 8 sample letter

Band 8183 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Dear Manager,

I am writing to express my profound dissatisfaction regarding a recent journey I took with your taxi service on 14th October, and my subsequent frustration at the lack of response to my initial formal complaint.

My booking, under reference TX-992, involved a journey from the central station to my residence. Throughout the trip, the driver displayed extremely unprofessional conduct, which included aggressive driving and making highly inappropriate personal comments. Upon arrival, he refused to assist with my heavy luggage and demanded a fare significantly higher than the rate quoted by your dispatch office.

I submitted a detailed account of this incident via your website last week, yet I have received no acknowledgement or follow-up. This complete lack of communication is unacceptable for a professional service provider.

I expect a full investigation into this matter and a written explanation regarding the driver's behaviour. Furthermore, I request a refund of the overcharged fare and a clear outline of how you intend to prevent such incidents in the future. I look forward to receiving your response within five working days.

Yours faithfully,

Jonathan Sterling

Write your own and get a band

Answer this prompt in a timed General Training writing test and get a band for task achievement, coherence, vocabulary and grammar, with the sentences to fix.

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Examiner's view

Why this scores well

A Band 8 response maintains a consistently formal register while clearly addressing all three bullet points with specific, logical details. The most common mistake in Band 6 answers is failing to mention the lack of response to the original complaint, which is a key part of the prompt's situation.

→Write to an organisation or someone you do not know: open with Dear Sir or Madam, close with Yours faithfully.
→If you know the person's surname, use Dear Mr or Ms and close with Yours sincerely.
→No contractions, no slang; polite indirect requests such as I would be grateful if you could.

6 phrases

Useful phrases from the letter

profound dissatisfaction
a very strong feeling of being unhappy or disappointed
subsequent
happening or coming after something else
inappropriate
not suitable or proper in the circumstances
dispatch office
the place where taxis are assigned to drivers
acknowledgement
a signal that something has been received
investigation
a formal inquiry to discover the truth

Frequently asked questions

Is this letter formal or informal?+

Formal. Write to an organisation or someone you do not know: open with Dear Sir or Madam, close with Yours faithfully.

How many words should an IELTS General Training letter be?+

At least 150 words, and 160 to 200 is the comfortable range. Spend about 20 minutes on it and leave 40 for Task 2, which carries twice the marks.

What does the examiner look for?+

Keep practising

More complaint letters

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