Reading and Writing Portfolio 7

Reading a letter of complaint

Writing to complain Writing useful words/phrases in formal
letters
Review Past Simple; travel; prefixes; opposites
1 Read advertisements A and B and fill in gaps 1–
5 in the table.
3 Read the letter quickly and answer the questions.
A B
1 Who wrote it? is for?
advert 1 cultural holidays
where? 2 4

the staff? 3 qualified teachers 2 Which advertisement is the writer complaining about?
price includes? breakfast 5

A
12 Ford St.
London
W2 5GE
11 Lewis
Rd. Brighton
BR12 7NH

B ●
2 Match complaints 1–8 to
phrases a–h in bold in the advertisements.
Seaview
1 It was 20 minutes from Brighton.
2 Toast and a terrible cup of coffee!
3 The only thing I could see was a car park!
4 They were rude and extremely unhelpful.
Shakespeare Tours
5 We missed the start of our play because they got
the time wrong!
Dear Sir/Madam,
1
I recently spent three days at your hotel and I was extremely
unhappy with the hotel, my room and the service.
2
The advertisement says that the hotel is in the centre
of Brighton. It is at least 20 minutes from the centre
of Brighton.
● The hotel is called Seaview and the advertisement says
all the rooms have a sea view. However, the only thing
I could see from my balcony was a car park!
● The breakfast at the hotel was the worst I have ever had –
a piece of toast and a terrible cup of coffee.
3
I complained about the situation to your staff. They were
rude and extremely unhelpful. I tried to speak to the manager,
but he was not available.
4
I would like a refund* for at least one of the nights I spent
at Seaview. For a three-star hotel, the room, service and
facilities were very poor.
I look forward to your explanation of the complaints in
this letter.
Yours faithfully,
M. Griffin
Martin Griffin

6 One of our ‘teachers’ asked us to pay him!

7 There was only one play and it was a disaster!

*refund = money returned to you because you are not happy
8 They were university students. with something you paid for

76
 HELP WITH WRITING b Match phrases 1–5 in Corinne Blake’s letter to
Organising a letter of complaint; useful phrases phrases a–e in 5a.
4 a The letter in 3 is organised into four main paragraphs. 1 3 5
Match descriptions a–d to paragraphs 1–4.
2 4
a The details of his complaint.
b What he tried to do. 7 a Look at the advertisement and questions 1–4. Then
complete the table with your complaints.
c Why he is writing.

d What he would like the company to do. 1 Was it 40 2 Were they experienced and
minutes qualified?
from London?
b Notice how the letter has separate bullet points ( ●) for
each complaint. UNIVERSITY STUDY TOURS
5 a Fill in the gaps in useful phrases a–e. Study English in Oxford
only 40 minutes from London.
advertisement about explanation ● Experienced and qualified teachers
extremely would ● A maximum class size of 12 students
● Excellent accommodation with local families
a The says …

b I was unhappy with … 3 How many students 4 What was the

c I complained the situation … were there in the class? accommodation like?
Oxford is at least 55 minutes from London
d I look forward to your of … 1
by train and over an hour by coach.
e I like a refund …

b Look at the letter in 3 again. Check your answers. 2

6 a Look at Corinne Blake’s letter of complaint below to

Shakespeare Tours. Write (X) where she should start a 3
paragraph and (●) where she should put a bullet point.

4
Dear Sir/Madam,
I recently had a week’s holiday with b Write a letter of complaint to University Study Tours.
Shakespeare Tours in Stratford. I’m writing ● Use your notes from 7a.
because I was 1very, very unhappy with my ● Organise your letter into paragraphs.
holiday. 2It says the talks are by qualified ● Use phrases from 5a in your letter.
university teachers. They were university ● Read and check for mistakes.
students. You also mention organised trips to see ● Give your letter to your teacher in your next class.
plays. We went to the theatre once and we even
missed the start because you got the time wrong.
Finally, you also say that prices include all talks
but one of our ‘teachers’ asked us to pay him. 3I
said some things about the situation to the staff
on the course, but they were as disorganised as
the trips to the theatre! I would like 4the money
back for part of the holiday. My week with
Shakespeare Tours was the worst experience
I’ve ever had. 5Please write to me soon.
Yours faithfully, Tick the things you can do in English in the
Corinne Blake Reading and Writing Progress Portfolio, p88.

77