IELTS Formal Letter: Letter to bank manager regarding incorrect account deduction

The task

You Have Received a Bank Statement Showing that The Bank Has Deducted Some Money from Your Account. You Think That They Have Made a Mistake.

Write a Letter to the bank, including the following information. In your letter:

→your Account Details and The Possible Problem with The Statement
→what Do You Think May Have Happened to Cause the Mistake?
→what You Would Like the Bank to Do?
→and Any Other Relevant Information

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

Model answer

Band 8 sample letter

Band 8175 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Dear Bank Manager,

I am contacting you regarding a discrepancy I noticed on my most recent monthly statement for my current account, number 88492011, dated 15 October. A sum of £145.00 was deducted on 12 October, which I do not recognise.

After reviewing my records, I suspect this may be a processing error. I have not made any purchases of this amount, nor have I authorised any direct debits that correspond to this figure. It is possible that my transaction was confused with another client’s account due to a technical glitch during the recent system update.

I would appreciate it if you could investigate this matter urgently and reverse the transaction if it is indeed an error. Please provide written confirmation once the funds have been restored to my account.

For your reference, I have attached a copy of the statement with the transaction highlighted. Please let me know if you require any further information to assist with your internal audit. I look forward to your prompt response regarding this matter.

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.

Write a letter, get a band free →

Examiner's view

Why this scores well

A Band 8 response clearly addresses every bullet point with specific details while maintaining a consistently professional and firm tone. The most common mistake for Band 6 candidates is failing to provide a logical explanation for the error, resulting in an underdeveloped argument.

→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

discrepancy
a difference between two things that should match
recognise
to identify something as being previously known
authorised
given official permission for something to happen
glitch
a sudden, usually temporary, fault in equipment
reverse
to change something to the opposite state
audit
an official inspection of an organisation's financial accounts

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

© 2026 BandLadder. Written and checked by the BandLadder team. You may quote or cite this page with credit to BandLadder and a link to it; republishing it in full needs our written permission. Content use policy