IELTS General Writing Task 1: Complaint Letter About a Faulty Product (Band 9 Sample)
This General Training Task 1 asks you to write a formal letter of complaint about a faulty product. A band-9 letter covers all three bullet points, keeps a firm but polite tone, and makes a clear request. Below is a model letter of roughly 190 words, followed by a breakdown of why it scores 9 on all four criteria.
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01 · The task
You recently bought a piece of electronic equipment, but it does not work properly. Write a letter to the shop where you bought it. In your letter: give details of the item and when you bought it, explain what is wrong with it, and say what you would like the shop to do.
02 · Band 9 sample answer
193 words · Band 9Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with a laptop I purchased from your store on the 3rd of May. The item is a Nexus Pro 14, and I have enclosed a copy of the receipt for your reference.
Unfortunately, the laptop has developed a serious fault. Within a week of buying it, the screen began flickering and switching off without warning, and it now shuts down completely whenever I try to run more than one program at once. As you can imagine, this has made the computer virtually unusable for my studies, despite the fact that it is only a few weeks old and has been handled with great care.
Given that the laptop is clearly faulty and still well within its warranty period, I would like a full refund or, failing that, a replacement of the same model in proper working order. I would be grateful if this could be resolved within the next fortnight.
I look forward to your prompt response.
Yours faithfully, David Chen
03 · Why this scores Band 9
All three bullet points are fully covered — the details of the item and purchase date (a Nexus Pro 14 bought on 3 May, with receipt enclosed), a clear account of the fault (flickering screen, shutdowns), and a specific request (a refund or replacement within a fortnight). Every point is developed, not merely mentioned.
The letter follows a logical complaint structure — the purchase, the problem, the request, the close — one idea per paragraph. Cohesion is smooth and appropriate — "Unfortunately...", "As you can imagine...", "Given that... I would like..." — and the formal opening and closing are correctly matched.
The vocabulary is precise and firm-but-polite — "express my dissatisfaction", "developed a serious fault", "virtually unusable", "within its warranty period", "failing that" — striking exactly the assertive yet courteous tone a complaint requires, with no lapses into rudeness or slang.
A range of structures is used accurately: a relative clause ("a laptop I purchased..."), a concessive ("despite the fact that it is only a few weeks old"), and a polite conditional ("I would be grateful if this could be resolved..."). The register stays formal, with no contractions, and the letter is error-free.
04 · Useful collocations for this task
Tap a phrase to see what it means and how to use it. Natural collocations like these lift your Lexical Resource score.
05 · Frequently asked questions
What tone should a complaint letter use?
Firm but polite. You are unhappy, so state the problem clearly and make a definite request, but stay courteous ("I would be grateful if...") rather than angry. A rude or aggressive tone lowers the score, even when the complaint is justified.
Should a complaint letter be formal?
Yes — you are writing to a business you do not know personally. Use "Dear Sir or Madam,", avoid contractions, and close with "Yours faithfully,". Keep the register consistent from opening to sign-off.
How specific should the details be?
Quite specific. Naming the product, the purchase date and the exact fault ("the screen began flickering") makes the complaint credible and covers the bullet points fully, which is central to Task Achievement.
How long should the letter be?
At least 150 words; a band-9 letter is usually 170–200. This model is 193 words, enough to cover all three bullets firmly and politely without padding.
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