Use the greeting, sign-off and paragraph plan below for this formal letter, write it on a 20-minute timer, then compare it with a band-8 model letter.
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
A building site near your home has been very noisy early in the morning for the past month.
Write a letter to Ms Clarke, the local council officer responsible for planning. In your letter
Write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Ms Clarke,
GoPrep wrote this practice question in the style of the exam. It is not an official IELTS question.
A letter to a named person ends Yours sincerely, followed by your full name.
Spend the first few minutes planning, then write.
0 words of 150 minimum
Your answer stays on this page only. Copy it before you leave.
Write your own answer first, then compare: how it answers the exact question, what each paragraph does, and which phrases you could borrow.
Dear Ms Clarke,
I am writing on behalf of several residents of Orchard Road to complain about the building site next to the old market. For the past month, work has started at about 5.30 every morning, including Saturdays, with heavy machinery, loud drilling and lorries reversing with their alarms sounding.
The noise is seriously affecting the people who live nearby. Many of us are woken long before our usual time, and parents with small children and elderly neighbours who are unwell have found it especially difficult. Several residents have told me they are exhausted and are finding it hard to concentrate at work during the day.
I understand that the development is important for the area, but I believe the permitted working hours are not being respected. I would therefore be grateful if the council could check the conditions of the building permit and make sure that no noisy work begins before 8 am on weekdays. A Saturday ban would also be very welcome.
I look forward to hearing what action you plan to take.
Yours sincerely,
Elena Petrova
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with | say formally that you are unhappy about something |
| I would like to draw your attention to | make someone notice a problem |
| This is completely unacceptable. | state firmly that the situation is not good enough |
| I would be grateful if you could look into the matter. | politely ask someone to investigate |
| I expect a full refund / prompt resolution. | say clearly what you want to happen |
Answer random Part 1, 2 and 3 questions on an exam timer.
Average your four skill bands, rounded the way IELTS rounds them.
Compare an IELTS band with TOEFL, Duolingo and PTE scores and CEFR levels.
Look up the IELTS score a university asks for, with the source.