General Writing Sample Task 1 #87

IELTS Exam Tip

  • Read the question below and try to imagine the situation. Think about what additional information you will include. Underline the keywords in the question.
  • Plan your letter in three paragraphs, with each paragraph addressing one of the points in the question.

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You recently took a trip with a taxi company. The driver behaved in an unacceptable way and you had a lot of problems. You complained to the company but no-one has replied to your complaint.

Write a letter to the taxi company. In your letter

  • say why you are writing and how you feel
  • explain what happened
  • tell them what you would like them to do.

Write at least 150 words.

Model answer

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the service I have received from your taxi company both during my ride and in dealing with my subsequent complaint.

Last Thursday (3rd of March), I took one of your taxis to go to an important business meeting in the city. Although the driver said he knew the address I wanted to go to, he took me to the wrong address. This made me late for my appointment. When I complained about his mistake, he became angry and shouted at me. I refused to pay the fare and he then started to threaten me. I took down his information and left the taxi while he was shouting, and I immediately wrote a letter of complaint to your company. However, I am very disappointed to find that I haven't a letter of apology for the driver's behaviour. As a representative of your company, he should behave in a courteous manner; particularly because it was the driver who had made the mistake.

I would like to recommend that you train your staff to behave in a polite manner to customers. I also expect an apology for your employee's behaviour towards me.

Yours sincerely,
Jimmy Perez

(203 words)


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