Lesson overview:
In this practical lesson, students learn how to make complaints politely and clearly in English. They discuss different complaint styles, learn useful language for refunds, replacements, vouchers, upgrades, and compensation, then analyse and write a structured email of complaint.
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
- describe common product and service problems;
- ask for a refund, replacement, voucher, or compensation;
- organise a complaint email into clear paragraphs;
- role-play online support chats with a customer and an agent.
Lead-in:
Start with the quiz What Type of Complainer Are You? Students choose what they would do in situations such as receiving the wrong restaurant order, having a faulty laptop, or dealing with a delayed flight. Then they compare results and use the second conditional to explain their choices.
Teaching Tips
We've added a few helpful tips where they're most needed—just little nudges to make your lessons run more smoothly. Whether it's setting up a task or tackling a tricky grammar point, these suggestions are here to make your teaching life easier.
