IELTS Formal Letter: Letter to Customer Service regarding a damaged order

The task

You recently ordered a small item online but when it arrived, it was damaged.

Write a letter to the company that sold you the item. In your letter:

→give details about the order you made
→explain what was wrong with the item
→tell the company what you want them 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 8187 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Dear Customer Service Team,

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction regarding an order I placed on your website on 12 October, reference number #AX-99281. The package containing a ceramic desk lamp arrived at my home earlier today.

Upon opening the parcel, I was disappointed to discover that the item was severely damaged. Although the outer cardboard box appeared intact, the lamp base has a significant crack running down the centre, and the glass shade is completely shattered. It is clear that the item was not sufficiently protected with bubble wrap or packing paper during the transit process.

Given the current state of the product, it is unusable. I would appreciate it if you could arrange for a full refund of the purchase price to be credited back to my original payment method. Alternatively, if a replacement can be dispatched immediately, I would be happy to accept that, provided it is packaged with extra care.

Please advise on the process for returning the broken item, as I do not wish to keep it. 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

A Band 8 response clearly addresses all three bullet points with specific, logical details and maintains a consistently professional tone throughout. A common Band 6 error is failing to specify exactly what the customer wants as a resolution, instead providing a vague statement about wanting the company to fix the issue.

→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

dissatisfaction
a feeling of unhappiness with a service provided
intact
not damaged or broken in any way
shattered
broken into many very small pieces
transit
the process of moving goods from one place
credited
added back to a bank account balance
dispatched
sent off to a destination for delivery

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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