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Too much homework for your child

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.

WRITING TASK 1

Semi-formalComplaint

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

Your child's class has been given far more homework than usual and your child is exhausted.

Write a letter to your child's teacher, Mr Lewis. In your letter

  • describe the amount of homework
  • explain how it is affecting your child
  • suggest a change

Write at least 150 words.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Mr Lewis,

GoPrep wrote this practice question in the style of the exam. It is not an official IELTS question.

Plan your letter

Start with
Dear Mr Lewis,
End with
Kind regards,

A letter to someone you know but not closely can end Kind regards or Best wishes as well as Yours sincerely, followed by your name.

  1. 1OpeningSay who you are, if needed, and why you are writing.
  2. 2Paragraph 1Describe the amount of homework
  3. 3Paragraph 2Explain how it is affecting your child
  4. 4Paragraph 3Suggest a change
  5. 5ClosingSay what you would like to happen next, then sign off.

Write it on the clock

Spend the first few minutes planning, then write.

20:00

0 words of 150 minimum

Your answer stays on this page only. Copy it before you leave.

Band-8 model letter

Write your own answer first, then compare: how it answers the exact question, what each paragraph does, and which phrases you could borrow.

Show model letter (170 words)

Dear Mr Lewis,

I hope you are well. I am writing about the amount of homework that Sara's class has been given recently, which I am worried is too much.

Over the past month, she has been getting two or three hours of homework every evening, including maths exercises, a long reading task and a science report each week. Last weekend she worked almost all of Saturday and Sunday.

The effect on her has been quite noticeable. She goes to bed late and wakes up tired, she has lost interest in some of the things she normally enjoys, such as swimming and drawing, and she has recently complained of headaches. She is conscientious and will not stop until everything is finished.

I know that practice is important and I fully support your high standards. However, I wonder whether it would be possible to spread the tasks more evenly through the week, or to set a limit of about one hour a night.

Thank you for listening.

Kind regards,
Fatima Rahman

Key phrases

PhraseMeaning
I'm afraid I have to raise a concern aboutpolite way to introduce a complaint
I was rather disappointed to find thatmild, polite expression of annoyance
Could you please sort this out as soon as possible?ask for a quick solution
I would really appreciate your help with this.polite request for support
Thank you for looking into it.polite closing

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