1. Identify what the complaint must achieve
A complaint letter needs more than a dissatisfied tone. The reader must understand what should have happened, what actually happened, why the difference matters and what you want done next. These connections distinguish a useful complaint from a list of negative adjectives. This lesson concentrates on that purpose; the formal-letter guide covers the broader choices of greeting, register and layout.
For General Training Writing Task 1, write at least 150 words and allow about 20 minutes. The recipient and situation determine the tone, and you do not need to include postal addresses. These format points come from official IELTS guidance. A complaint is not automatically aggressive or highly formal: a complaint to a friend would need a different relationship-sensitive style.
Original fictional practice task
The wrong bookcase arrives
You ordered a bookcase from a furniture shop for a small home office. The delivered item differs from your order, and parts are missing. Write to the shop manager, whom you have not met. In your letter:
- describe the item you ordered and what was delivered;
- explain the problems this has caused;
- say what you would like the shop to do.
Begin “Dear Sir or Madam,”. Write at least 150 words. Invent reasonable supporting details, keeping the order and delivery consistent.
Allow about 20 minutes including planning and checking. This timer counts up and does not submit your writing.
2. Plan the evidence, consequence and remedy
Start with a small fact record: a white bookcase with four adjustable shelves was ordered; a dark brown bookcase with only two shelves arrived. Give a plausible delivery date and order reference to help identify the transaction. These details are invented for the exercise, so there is no real receipt to reproduce. Their job is to make the explanation coherent, not to fill the page with numbers.
- Set the expectation. State the colour and number of shelves you selected. Without this baseline, the reader cannot see exactly how the delivery differs.
- Describe the mismatch neutrally. Say what you received. Avoid guessing whether a warehouse worker was careless or whether the business intended to mislead you.
- Develop the practical effect. Files remain in boxes, and the unused bookcase occupies limited floor space. Connect these effects to the incorrect delivery rather than adding unrelated complaints.
- Choose one main resolution. Ask the shop to collect the incorrect item and deliver the complete version you ordered. Give a workable collection window and request confirmation.
A replacement is the chosen remedy in this model because the writer still wants the product. A refund could also make sense, but asking for a replacement, a full refund and compensation without explanation would create competing demands. Keep the request consistent with the outcome you actually want. You do not need to invent a legal right, quote a consumer law or threaten a court case to make the letter persuasive.
The manager is unfamiliar, so use a respectful formal register. “I would appreciate…” introduces the remedy politely; “the item does not match my order” states the problem directly. Avoid softening every sentence until the complaint becomes uncertain. You can be confident about observable facts while remaining courteous about the solution.
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3. Compare the original model letter
This model uses four content paragraphs: purpose, delivery details, impact and remedy. It is an original teaching example, not an examiner-marked answer or an official past paper.
Read the model letter and explanation
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to complain about the bookcase delivered to my home on Tuesday, which does not match the item I ordered from your shop.
My order reference is B418. I selected a white bookcase with four adjustable shelves for my home office. However, the bookcase that arrived is dark brown, and the package contains only two shelves. I checked the remaining packaging carefully, but the other shelves are not there.
This has prevented me from organising the office as planned. My reference books and client folders are still in boxes, which makes finding documents difficult when I am working. The bookcase also takes up most of the available floor space, so I cannot simply leave it there while waiting indefinitely for the correct item.
I would appreciate it if you could arrange to collect this bookcase and deliver the complete white model that I ordered. I can be at home next Monday or Wednesday afternoon, and either day would be convenient for an exchange. Please confirm which date is possible and whether your delivery team will collect the incorrect item at the same time.
Yours faithfully,
Riley Morgan
Follow the complaint's chain of reasoning
- The opening identifies a delivery complaint immediately. It does not delay the purpose with general opinions about shopping.
- The order reference, colour and shelf count make the contrast between expectation and reality easy to follow.
- The office paragraph explains two specific consequences. Neither depends on an exaggerated claim that the writer's entire business has failed.
- The final paragraph requests a single practical exchange and supplies availability. The question about collection anticipates a detail needed to complete the solution.
The model does not repeat “I am disappointed” because the facts already communicate dissatisfaction. Emotion is not forbidden, but repeated statements of unhappiness add little once the effect is clear.
4. Solve three complaint-letter editing problems
Exercise A: separate observation from accusation
Rewrite this sentence using only facts supported by the task: “Your staff deliberately sent the wrong furniture because they do not care about customers.”
Show a factual revision
“The bookcase delivered on Tuesday is dark brown, although my order was for a white model.” The task supports a delivery mismatch; it does not establish anyone's motive. Naming the difference makes the complaint more precise without weakening it.
Exercise B: complete the missing link
A draft says: “Two shelves are missing. Please collect the bookcase.” Which sentence better develops the impact: “The furniture industry is very competitive” or “Without the remaining shelves, I cannot store the folders I bought it for”?
Check the useful development
The second sentence links the missing parts to the item's intended use. The industry comment does not explain this customer's difficulty. Add the useful sentence between the problem and the remedy so the request follows naturally from the evidence.
Exercise C: make the action unambiguous
Improve “Please do something about this soon” by naming the desired action and a practical arrangement. Do not introduce a different product or an unsupported demand for compensation.
Compare one workable request
“Please arrange an exchange for the complete white bookcase and confirm whether your team can collect the incorrect item next Monday afternoon.” This tells the shop what result the writer wants and asks it to confirm availability rather than assuming a delivery slot is guaranteed.
5. Review the complaint from the recipient's side
Read your final paragraph first. Could the manager tell whether you want replacement parts, an exchange or a refund? Then trace that request back through the letter. The described problem and consequence should justify the chosen remedy. If your draft suddenly requests a different item, revise the request or explain the change.
Check that quantities and colours remain stable. Review the difference between past events and present effects: the delivery arrived on Tuesday, but the files are still in boxes now. Remove personal insults, repeated intensifiers and unsupported claims about company policy. Keep a clear greeting and closing appropriate to an unknown manager.
For a second attempt, change only the remedy: request a refund because you have already bought a suitable bookcase elsewhere. Explain that new circumstance briefly and adjust the collection request. To practise asking for help before anything has gone wrong, continue with the request-letter lesson. That comparison shows why a complaint needs an account of a failed expectation, while an ordinary request may not.
Format checked on 15 October 2026 against official IELTS General Training Writing guidance. The practice task, model and explanations are original. This independent lesson is not an official IELTS test and does not provide a band score.