Your neighbours have recently written to you to complain about the noise from your houselflat. Write a letter to your neighbours. In your letter: - explain the reasons for the noise - apologise - describe what action you will take
Sample Response
Dear James, I was very shocked to get your letter saying that the noise from my flat has been spoiling your evenings and causing you some distress. I am really, really sorry about that. I had no idea that you would be able to hear so much, so I hope you will accept my apologies. As you may have guessed, I am trying to refit my kitchen in the evenings when I get home from work. Unfortunately it is all getting longer than expected and I have been having problems with getting things to fit properly. This has meant to a lot of banging and hammering. As the kitchen is still not finished, I have decided to call in a professional builder who will finish the work in the next day or two. He’ll work only during daytime hours, so you won’t be disturbed in the evenings again, I promise. Sorry to have caused these problems, Bill.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use measured wording Original: shocked Suggested revision: surprised Why it matters: “Very surprised” conveys the reaction naturally without overstating it.
- 2. Avoid repetition Original: really, really sorry Suggested revision: genuinely sorry Why it matters: “Genuinely sorry” keeps the sincere informal tone while avoiding repetition.
- 3. Make reference specific Original: hear so much Suggested revision: hear so much noise Why it matters: Adding “noise” makes the reference explicit and more precise.
- 4. Use natural phrase Original: during daytime hours Suggested revision: during the day Why it matters: “During the day” is the natural and concise expression here.
- 5. Format the sign-off Original: , Bill. Suggested revision: . Best wishes, Bill Why it matters: Separate the final apology from the writer's name and add an appropriate informal sign-off.
- 6. Sentence rewrite Original: Unfortunately it is all getting longer than expected and I have been having problems with getting things to fit properly. Suggested revision: Unfortunately, the work is taking longer than expected, and I have been having problems getting everything to fit properly. Why it matters: This rewrite clarifies what is taking longer and punctuates the opening adverb correctly.
- 7. Sentence rewrite Original: This has meant to a lot of banging and hammering. Suggested revision: This has resulted in a lot of banging and hammering. Why it matters: “Has resulted in” correctly expresses the consequence of the fitting problems.
- 8. Group the three purposes Suggested revision: Use separate paragraphs for the apology, the explanation of the noise, and the action being taken. Why it matters: Paragraphing the three communicative functions would make the letter easier for the neighbour to follow.
Suggested Rewrites
- shocked surprised
- really, really sorry genuinely sorry
- hear so much hear so much noise
- during daytime hours during the day
- , Bill. . Best wishes, Bill
- Unfortunately it is all getting longer than expected and I have been having problems with getting things to fit properly. Unfortunately, the work is taking longer than expected, and I have been having problems getting everything to fit properly.
Why this response received Band 8.0
The letter is highly effective because it directly addresses the complaint, offers a sincere apology, explains the renovation noise, and gives a specific, reassuring solution in a warm neighbourly tone. The main limitation is a small grammatical slip in an otherwise fluent response. The highest-priority improvement is careful final proofreading to remove isolated errors while preserving the natural, concise development.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The letter fully addresses every bullet point with a clear purpose, sincere apology, relevant explanation, and convincing remedial action.
Add a brief invitation for the neighbour to contact you if any daytime disturbance remains.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas progress naturally from acknowledgement and apology through explanation to a specific solution, with cohesive links used unobtrusively.
Present the apology, explanation, and solution as distinct paragraphs to make the structure even easier to scan.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is precise and natural throughout, with effective choices such as 'distress,' 'refit,' and 'call in a professional builder.'
Maintain this precision while checking every phrase for small slips before submitting.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of sentence forms is used fluently and accurately, with only an isolated construction error.
Correct 'This has meant to a lot of banging' to 'This has meant a lot of banging' during final proofreading.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
Your neighbours have recently written to you to complain about the noise from your houselflat. Write a letter to your neighbours. In your letter:
- explain the reasons for the noise
- apologise
- describe what action you will take
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.