General Training Task 1 letter

IELTS General Training Letter: Repairs to a rented flat

Question type: General Training Task 1: formal letter

The question

You are renting a flat and there are some problems with it that have not been fixed.

Write a letter to your landlord. In your letter: - describe the problems - explain how they are affecting you - say what you want the landlord to do

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses. Begin your letter as follows: Dear ...

Write your own answer first. Then get an estimated band and corrections from our AI marker.

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How to approach it

You know the landlord's name, so begin 'Dear Mr …' and end 'Yours sincerely,'.
Be polite but firm: describe the facts, then make a clear request with a time limit.
Give practical details, such as when you are at home, so the landlord can act on the letter.

Sample letter

205 words (minimum 150). Written to show the features of a Band 8-level answer.

Dear Mr Ahmed,

I am the tenant of Flat 4, 12 Mill Road, and I am writing about two problems that I first reported by phone three weeks ago and that have still not been dealt with.

The first is the heating. The boiler stopped working at the beginning of the month, so there has been no heating or hot water since then. The second is a leak under the kitchen sink. Water is dripping steadily into the cupboard below, and the wood has started to swell.

Both problems are making the flat very difficult to live in. With the temperature close to freezing at night, my children have been sleeping in their coats, and we have to boil a kettle to wash. I have also had to throw away the food stored in the cupboard, and I am worried that damp will spread to the floor.

I would therefore be grateful if you could send a plumber within the next seven days. I am at home every day after four o'clock, or I can leave a key with my neighbour in Flat 3. If the repairs cannot be done quickly, I would ask you to provide electric heaters in the meantime.

I look forward to your reply.

Yours sincerely,

Tomasz Nowak

Useful language from this answer

I am writing about…: stating the purpose of a formal letter
have still not been dealt with: saying a problem remains unsolved
I would therefore be grateful if you could…: making a polite, firm request
in the meantime: asking for a temporary solution
I look forward to your reply: closing a formal letter

Common mistakes with this question

Sounding angry or rude, for example 'You must fix this now'. A firm, polite tone scores higher.
Describing the problems but not saying how they affect you, which is the second bullet point.
Making a vague request such as 'please do something'. Say exactly what you want and by when.

Now write your own answer

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This model answer was written by TestWise Prep to show the features of a high-scoring answer. It is not official IELTS material. Use it for ideas and language, not to memorise.