Band 7 Example
Topic: Describe a bad service you received in a restaurant/shop
Example
Recently, when I was out having dinner with my colleagues, I met a really rude waitress. It happened a few months ago when my entire team was out celebrating the fact that we had hit our targets for the quarter. It was a big deal, and the company founder came along too. We were so happy and relieved to be out together celebrating after months of hard work. However, once the waitress came in to take our orders, it was clear that she had a really bad attitude. She seemed unhappy to be serving such a large group and mixed up our orders. When the wrong food came, she refused to fix the problem. In the end, the company founder had to go and find the manager himself and explain the situation, and we got a different waitress. At the time, we were all really upset and annoyed that the incident had ruined our big night out. However, I think it was particularly upsetting for the founder of the company, as he places great emphasis on good customer service within his own team. He always insists that all staff, no matter what business function they work in, attend regular training on customer service. This is to ensure that we treat our customers with respect at all times, even when their expectations might seem unrealistic or they are dissatisfied with our service. Although people don't often break this rule, I have heard of a few incidents where customers have complained about poor service. When this happens, the founder of the company gets personally involved and makes a big effort to smooth things over. The incident in the restaurant really reinforced the importance of courtesy and good customer service to me, and I don't think I'll ever forget it.
Vocabulary
  • rude waitress
  • celebrating the fact that we had hit our targets
  • a big deal
  • mixed up our orders
  • refused to fix the problem
  • ruin our big night out
  • the company founder
  • great emphasis on good customer service
  • regular training on customer service
  • treat our customers with respect at all times
  • smooth things over
  • reinforced the importance of courtesy
Example
A couple of months ago, I had an unfortunate dining experience at a highly-rated Italian restaurant downtown. My friends and I were looking forward to a pleasant evening, but things took a nosedive as soon as we arrived. First, the hostess seemed disinterested and barely greeted us. It was as if we were an afterthought. Then came the long wait. Despite having made reservations, we were left standing awkwardly near the entrance for almost 30 minutes. When we were finally seated, the waiter was inattentive, often disappearing for long stretches, which further soured the atmosphere. The pinnacle of poor service, however, came when our food arrived cold, and my pasta dish was undercooked. We decided to address the situation head-on and spoke with the manager. He seemed genuinely concerned and immediately took steps to remedy the issue. He offered to replace our meals and took a percentage off our bill as a goodwill gesture. While this did mitigate the damage to some extent, it couldn't entirely erase the tarnish from the experience. In retrospect, I felt disappointed and irritated. Dining out is not just about food; it's an experience, a form of social engagement. Service glitches can significantly mar the experience and leave a lasting impression. Despite the manager's efforts to make amends, the initial disappointments cast a long shadow over the evening.
Grammar Analysis
- Combining complex and simple sentences: For example, "Despite having made reservations, we were left standing awkwardly near the entrance for almost 30 minutes," this sentence uses "despite" to introduce a concessive adverbial clause. - Proper use of tenses: The answer uses the simple past tense to describe past events, such as "I felt disappointed and irritated." - Expressing hierarchy: Phrases like "however," "then," and "in retrospect" are used to express hierarchy and depth. - Logical coherence and chronological order: By using "then," "when," and "despite," the answer ensures coherence in time and logic. - Advanced vocabulary and accuracy: Using words like "nosedive," "tarnish," and "remedy" demonstrates advanced and accurate vocabulary.
Vocabulary
  • Nosedive
  • Disinterested
  • Afterthought
  • Inattentive
  • Pinnacle
  • Remedy
  • Goodwill gesture
  • Tarnish
  • Retrospect
  • Cast a long shadow