Writing Task 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You have been living in a rental apartment for the past year. Recently a new neighbour moved in and has been making a lot of noise, which disturbs you.

Write a letter to the landlord. In your letter:

· explain the situation

· describe why it bothers you

· suggest a solution

Write at least 150 words.

You do NOT need to write any address.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear __________

Dear Mr Shah

I hope you and your family are all well. I am writing in connection with a problem I have with the new tenant, Jack, who has moved in downstairs. Unfortunately, his habits and needs appear to be quite different from my own.

The issue is that Jack is a professional musician who plays his electric guitar late into the night. I understand he is in a band and needs to practice; however, I think he cannot do so in a residential building such as ours. As I mentioned to you when I signed the lease to the apartment, I am a full-time writer who works from home. For me, it is essential to have silence so I can concentrate on my work. With Jack playing at all hours, I have been unable to get any of my writing done, except when he is out. In some cases, I have even been forced to leave the apartment and work at a nearby coffee shop or library as the guitar playing was causing such a disturbance.

I would appreciate it if you could speak to Jack and ask him to turn down the volume on his guitar or else to use headphones. I have spoken to him about it, but to no avail. I will let you know as soon as the situation improves.

Thank you kindly in advance and please give my best regards to your family,

Yours sincerely,

Meg Snyder

(234 words)

Below is a sample letter for Task 1 of the General IELTS Writing Section. It is an informal letter, which can be identified in several ways:

· the tone, which is warm, easy-going and conversational

· the use of first names (Ajay, Sunita, Carol)

· the use of contractions (I've, don't, can't)

· the use of informal expressions ("Thanks", instead of "Thank you")

· the closing salutation ("Warm wishes", instead of the more formal "Yours sincerely" or "Yours faithfully")