Life Skills: Making Complaints Politely
Making complaints politely is the B1–B2 high-stakes social skill — registering dissatisfaction in shops, hotels, restaurants, or services without damaging the relationship. The worksheet covers polite-firmness phrases (I’m afraid there’s a problem, I’d like to register a complaint, This isn’t what I was expecting), specific-evidence requirements (I ordered the medium, not the large, the receipt shows X), and remedy-requesting language (Could you arrange a replacement, I’d like to speak to the manager).
This worksheet builds B1–B2 fluency with polite-complaint language.
Worksheet preview
What’s inside:
- A phrase bank organised by complaint phase (issue, evidence, request, escalation)
- Role-play scenarios: restaurant, hotel, shop, service
- Tone-calibration task: avoid both aggression and apology
- Dialogue completion: build effective complaint exchanges
- Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes
Common challenges: Polite firmness at B1–B2 — too soft and the complaint isn’t addressed; too harsh and the relationship breaks down. Specific evidence beats vague frustration. Escalation language: I’d like to speak to your supervisor signals stakes without yet damaging.
For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B1–B2, in intermediate and upper-intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. Maps onto Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET) and B2 First (FCE) Speaking. Part of the Social Situations collection — the natural next step is Asking for Help: Polite Requests.
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