IELTS General Writing Task 1: Complaint Letter About Bus Service (Band 9 Sample)
This General Training Task 1 asks you to write a formal letter of complaint to a bus company about a poor service. 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 why it scores 9 on all four criteria.
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01 · The task
You regularly use a local bus service that has recently become unreliable. Write a letter to the bus company. In your letter: explain which service you use and why, describe the problems you have experienced, and say what you would like the company to do about it.
02 · Band 9 sample answer
192 words · Band 9Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the number 47 bus service, which I rely on every weekday to commute from Elm Park to the city centre for work. As a daily passenger and season-ticket holder, I have found the recent decline in the service extremely frustrating.
Over the past month, the reliability of this route has deteriorated badly. Buses that are timetabled every fifteen minutes now frequently fail to turn up at all, and on several occasions I have waited over half an hour in the cold, only for two buses to arrive at once. As a result, I have been late for work three times in a fortnight, which has caused me considerable embarrassment with my employer.
I would therefore be grateful if you could investigate the cause of these delays and take urgent steps to restore the advertised timetable. Given the disruption, I also feel it would be reasonable to offer affected season-ticket holders some form of compensation.
I look forward to your prompt response.
Yours faithfully, Daniel Pham
03 · Why this scores Band 9
All three bullet points are fully covered — which service and why (the number 47, used daily to commute to work), the problems (buses failing to arrive, long waits, bunching, resulting lateness), and the desired action (investigate the delays, restore the timetable, offer compensation). Each point is developed with concrete, believable detail.
The letter follows the standard complaint structure — purpose, the problem, the requested resolution — one idea per paragraph. Cohesion is formal and smooth: "I am writing to express...", "Over the past month...", "As a result...", "I would therefore be grateful if...".
The vocabulary is precise and appropriately formal — "express my dissatisfaction", "a season-ticket holder", "the reliability has deteriorated", "fail to turn up", "considerable embarrassment", "take urgent steps", "some form of compensation" — the measured language a formal complaint requires.
A range of structures is used accurately: a relative clause ("the number 47 bus service, which I rely on every weekday"), a result structure ("only for two buses to arrive at once"), and a polite conditional request ("I would be grateful if you could investigate..."). The formal register avoids 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 register should a complaint letter to a company use?
Formal but firm. Use a formal greeting ("Dear Sir or Madam"), no contractions, and a formal sign-off ("Yours faithfully" when you do not know the name). Stay polite and measured — anger weakens a complaint; a calm, reasoned tone is more effective.
How do I open and close a formal complaint?
Open by stating your purpose clearly — "I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with...". Close by pointing to the action you want and a response — "I look forward to your prompt response". Match "Dear Sir or Madam" with "Yours faithfully".
How specific should the problems be?
Very specific — this is the heart of the letter. Concrete details ("waited over half an hour", "late for work three times in a fortnight") are far more persuasive and cover the bullet better than "the service is bad".
How long should the letter be?
At least 150 words; a band-9 letter is usually 170–200. This model is 192 words, enough to state the service, detail the problems and request a clear resolution without padding.
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