Use the greeting, sign-off and paragraph plan below for this semi-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.
The heating in your rented flat has not worked for two weeks and it is now very cold.
Write a letter to your landlady, Mrs Ahmed. In your letter
Write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Mrs Ahmed,
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 Mrs Ahmed,
I am writing to let you know that the heating in my flat has not worked for the past two weeks. It stopped suddenly on 3 November and has not come on since, and as the weather has turned very cold, the situation is becoming difficult.
When I checked, the radiators stay cold even when the thermostat is turned to its highest setting, and the boiler shows an error code. I have tried to fix the problem myself. I bled the radiators, checked that the pilot light was on and restarted the boiler according to the instructions, but nothing has changed. I also called the number on the boiler for advice, but the line was always engaged.
Because the rooms are so cold, I am using electric heaters, which are expensive. The bathroom is the worst, and I am worried that the pipes could freeze.
I would be very grateful if you could arrange for an engineer to come as soon as possible. I am at home most afternoons and will gladly let him in.
Thank you for your help.
Yours sincerely,
Layla Hamdan
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| I'm afraid I have to raise a concern about | polite way to introduce a complaint |
| I was rather disappointed to find that | mild, polite expression of annoyance |
| I'm sure you'll agree that | invite the reader to share your view |
| I would really appreciate your help with this. | polite request for support |
| Thank you for looking into it. | polite closing |
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.