Complaint About Invalid Train Tickets and Unhelpful Staff

You recently bought some train tickets for a journey a week in advance. When you went to the station to catch the train, you were told you could not use the tickets and the staff were very unhelpful to you. Write a letter to the train company. In your letter: Describe the problem you had with the tickets Say why you were unhappy with the staff Suggest what action the train company should take

Annotated response

8 correction notes

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the service I received

A week before the journey, I purchased train tickets online for my travel. However, upon arriving at the station on the day of departure, I was informed by your staff that the tickets I had Moreover, the manner in which your staff handled the situation only exacerbated my dissatisfaction. Despite my attempts to explain the situation and seek assistance, they were unhelpful and dismissive, failing to offer any viable solutions.

In light of this experience, I strongly immediate corrective action. Firstly, there is a clear need for improved coordination between the online booking system and station staff to prevent such discrepancies in ticket validity. Additionally, I recommend to enhance their customer service skills and ability to handle similar situations with empathy and efficiency.

I trust that you will address these concerns promptly to ensure a more satisfactory experience for your customers in the future.

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 7.5

The letter is a well-organised formal complaint that addresses all three bullet points with a consistently appropriate register and a good range of precise vocabulary. Its main limitation is the lack of concrete detail, such as specific dates, journey details, or examples of staff behaviour, which makes some content feel generalized.

IELTS criteria

How each score was decided

Task Achievement

7.0

The letter clearly achieves its complaint purpose, covers all three bullet points, and maintains a suitably formal tone, though the description of the ticket problem and staff behaviour relies on generalized statements rather than specific detail.

Coherence and Cohesion

7.5

Ideas are logically sequenced across well-formed paragraphs with effective cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Firstly', and 'Additionally', producing a clear and fluent progression.

Lexical Resource

7.5

The vocabulary is flexible and precise, including items like 'exacerbated', 'discrepancies', and 'viable solutions', with only a mildly formulaic closing affecting an otherwise strong resource.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

8.0

Sentence structures are varied and controlled, using complex forms such as participial and relative clauses accurately, with errors rare and non-impeding.