IELTS Writing Task 1

Formal Complaint Letter About Deteriorating Bus Services

An IELTS Writing Task 1 General Training letter prompt. Read the scenario carefully, then respond with the required tone and three bullet points in a timed session.

General TrainingHard
Estimated time

20 min

Credits

2

Recommended length

150+ words

Question Prompt

Review the prompt carefully before you open the timed writing workspace.

The bus services in your area have noticeably deteriorated over the past few months. The frequency of buses has decreased, services are often delayed, and some routes have been cancelled without prior notice. This has caused serious inconvenience to your daily commute and routine. Write a formal letter to the local transport authority. In your letter: - describe the specific problems with the bus service - explain how these issues are affecting you and other residents - suggest what actions the authority should take to improve the service

How to Approach This Question

A quick, practical checklist for this specific task type.

  1. 1

    Use a formal salutation (Dear Sir/Madam) and sign-off (Yours faithfully) — no contractions, no casual tone.

  2. 2

    Address each of the three bullet points in its own paragraph with clear topic sentences.

  3. 3

    Request or state the action you expect explicitly in the closing paragraph before signing off.

  4. 4

    Aim for 160–180 words in 20 minutes while keeping sentence structure varied.

Formal Letter·Hard

Key Topic Vocabulary

Useful terms and concepts to weave into your answer for this prompt.

buspublic transportcomplaintservice deteriorationtransport authority

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Formal Complaint Letter About Deteriorating Bus Services | IELTS Writing Task 1 | PuanAI