Formal complaint to airline regarding lost luggage

The task

You traveled by plane last week and your suitcase was lost. You have still heard nothing from the airline company.

Write a letter to the airline. In your letter:

→explain what happened
→describe your suitcase and tell them what was in it
→find out what they are going to do about it

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

Model answer

Band 8 sample letter

Band 8181 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Dear Customer Service Team,

I am writing to formally report that my checked luggage failed to arrive following my flight, BA247, from London Heathrow to Dubai on 12 October. Despite filing a Property Irregularity Report at the airport, I have received no updates regarding the status of my belongings over the past week.

The missing item is a large, hard-shelled charcoal grey Samsonite suitcase with a distinctive neon-orange luggage tag attached to the handle. Internally, the case contains several items of professional business attire, including two navy suits, as well as a collection of essential toiletries and a pair of leather dress shoes.

Could you please provide an immediate update on the current location of my suitcase? I have been forced to incur significant costs replacing these necessary items for my work trip. I would like to know what steps the airline is taking to expedite the retrieval process and how I should proceed with a claim for the compensation I am entitled to for these losses.

I look forward to your prompt response regarding this matter.

Yours faithfully,

Julian Thorne

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.

Write a letter, get a band free →

Examiner's view

Why this scores well

This response achieves Band 8 by addressing all three bullet points with specific, relevant details while maintaining a professional and firm tone throughout. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to provide a clear description of the luggage, which prevents the airline from actually assisting, or adopting an overly aggressive tone that lacks formal cohesion.

→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

checked luggage
Bags handed over to the airline for transport
Property Irregularity Report
Official document used to track lost baggage items
hard-shelled
Made of a rigid and durable outer material
incur
To become subject to or experience financial costs
expedite
To make a process happen much more quickly
entitled to
Having the legal right to receive something specific

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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