You recently stayed at a hotel where a problem occurred during your stay. Write a letter to the manager you dealt with directly during your visit.
This letter follows up on a hotel stay with someone the writer already has a relationship with, which changes the tone from a formal complaint.
The question
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
You recently stayed at a hotel where a problem occurred during your stay. Write a letter to the manager you dealt with directly during your visit.
In your letter,
remind the manager who you are and when you stayed
explain what went wrong during your stay
say what you would like the manager to do about it
You do not need to write your own address. Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Ms Carver,
Write at least 150 words.
What this letter needs
The tricky part here is tone: because the letter is addressed to a manager who personally helped the writer during check-in, it needs to read as a direct, slightly more personal follow-up rather than a stiff, anonymous complaint letter, while still clearly stating what went wrong and what outcome, such as compensation, is being requested.
Structure
Salutation — Dear Mr/Ms [Surname], — the manager who personally checked you in, which is why you are writing to them directly.
Opening — Remind them who you are and exactly when you stayed, since they deal with many guests.
Body 1 — Describe the first problem (the wrong room) clearly and specifically.
Body 2 — Describe the second problem (the air conditioning) and mention that you already reported it at the time.
Body 3 — State clearly that you feel some compensation is fair, and why, without being aggressive about it.
Closing — End on a positive note about your overall opinion of the hotel, to keep the relationship goodwill intact.
Model answers
Band 6.0 model answer
170 words
Dear Ms Carver,
I hope you are well. My name is [Your Name], and I stayed at the Bayview Hotel from the 10th to the 13th of August. You helped me personally at the front desk when I checked in, so I thought I would write directly to you.
Unfortunately, my stay was not as good as I expected. I had booked and paid extra for a room with a sea view, but I was given a room that looked out onto the car park instead. Also, the air conditioning in my room did not work properly for the first two nights, even though I reported it to reception both times.
I understand that mistakes can happen, but since I paid extra money for the sea view and could not sleep well because of the heat, I feel that I should receive some money back.
I would be grateful if you could look into this and let me know if a partial refund would be possible.
Yours sincerely, [Your Name]
Why this is Band 6.0
Covers both problems but describes them plainly: 'I was given a room that looked out onto the car park instead' and 'the air conditioning in my room did not work properly'.
Vocabulary is basic, repeating simple words like 'good' ('not as good as I expected') rather than more precise alternatives.
The request for compensation is present but understated: 'I feel that I should receive some money back.'
Sentences are short and mostly separate rather than linked with more sophisticated connectors.
Band 7.0 model answer
190 words
Dear Ms Carver,
I hope you are keeping well. My name is [Your Name], and I stayed at the Bayview Hotel from the 10th to the 13th of August. As you checked me in personally and were extremely helpful at the time, I wanted to write to you directly about a couple of issues that came up during my stay.
Although I had booked and paid a supplement for a sea-view room, I was actually given one overlooking the car park, which I only realised once I had settled in. In addition, the air conditioning did not function properly for the first two nights, despite my reporting the fault to reception on both occasions.
I do appreciate that these things can occasionally go wrong, but given that I paid extra specifically for the view and struggled to sleep because of the heat, I do feel that some form of compensation would be reasonable.
I would be grateful if you could look into this and let me know whether a partial refund might be possible. I have always had excellent experiences at the Bayview in the past.
Yours sincerely, [Your Name]
Why this is Band 7.0
Content fully covered and logically ordered, with each problem given its own paragraph and clear supporting detail.
Uses less common vocabulary accurately, such as 'supplement' and 'compensation'.
Combines clauses naturally, e.g. 'which I only realised once I had settled in' adds detail without breaking the sentence's flow.
Register stays consistently polite, softened with 'I do appreciate that these things can occasionally go wrong' before raising the request.
Band 8.5 model answer
211 words
Dear Ms Carver,
I hope this finds you well. My name is [Your Name], and I stayed at the Bayview Hotel from the 10th to the 13th of August; you checked me in personally and were, as ever, extremely helpful, which is precisely why I wanted to raise this with you directly rather than through general reception.
Despite having booked and paid a supplement for a sea-view room, I was allocated one overlooking the car park, a discrepancy I only noticed once I had unpacked. Compounding matters, the air conditioning failed to work properly for the first two nights, a fault I reported to reception on both occasions without any real resolution.
I fully appreciate that isolated issues can arise even at a hotel with the Bayview's usual standards, but having paid specifically for a view I never received, and having lost sleep to the heat besides, I do feel that some form of compensation would be entirely fair.
I would be grateful if you could look into this and let me know whether a partial refund might be arranged. Having stayed with you several times before with nothing but praise, I would hate for this one visit to colour my opinion of an otherwise excellent hotel.
Yours sincerely, [Your Name]
Why this is Band 8.5
Content covered with real emphasis — the request for compensation is the most carefully argued section, weighing 'having paid specifically for a view I never received' against 'having lost sleep to the heat besides.'
Idiomatic, natural phrasing such as 'compounding matters' and 'colour my opinion of an otherwise excellent hotel.'
Handles complex grammar with no strain, e.g. the semicolon-linked opening sentence carries three separate pieces of information cleanly.
Precise vocabulary with no padding: 'discrepancy', 'allocated' and 'usual standards' are all used accurately.
Ends with a genuinely warm, well-judged closing line that protects the relationship rather than just restating the complaint.
Model answers written and reviewed by The English All-in-One IELTS team. They are teaching models showing what each band looks like, not real candidate scripts.
This is a semi-formal letter question. The answers above show you what each band looks like when it is finished. What they cannot show you is how to get there from a blank page in twenty minutes.
That is what our Writing Study Library is for: the structure we teach for this exact question type, the paragraph pattern that goes with it, and the sentence openers for each stage — so the letter is planned before you start writing rather than assembled as you go.
Answers checked here may be published on this page, without your name, to help other learners. Nothing else about you is stored.
Common questions
Since I'm writing to someone who helped me personally, should this be less formal than a typical complaint letter?
Slightly, yes — the letter should read as more personal than a complaint to an anonymous manager, for instance referencing that 'you checked me in personally and were extremely helpful', but it should still stay controlled and avoid becoming overly casual.
Do I need to mention that I've stayed at the hotel before?
It helps your case if true — a line like 'I have always had excellent experiences at the Bayview in the past' shows this is an exception rather than a pattern, which supports your request for compensation.
How do I ask for compensation without sounding demanding?
Frame it as a reasonable, shared conclusion rather than a demand — phrases like 'I do feel that some form of compensation would be entirely fair' are firm but leave room for the manager to respond constructively.
Should I end the letter on a negative note since I'm complaining?
No — ending positively, for example saying you'd 'hate for this one visit to colour my opinion of an otherwise excellent hotel', keeps the relationship goodwill intact and is typical of a well-judged semi-formal complaint.
