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 Neighbours,
I am writing this letter to not only apologise but also explain the reasons for the noise coming from my flatthe noises that I came from my flat
in the last few weeks. Please allow me to explain what really happened.
As some of you already know, my son is a musicianhas become a famous musician. He has been using my house over the last few dayswas using my house in the last few days to rehearse with his band.
I would like to apologise Deletein the first place as I believe that this was not appropriate behaviourthis is not an appropriate behavior. I really understand that most of you are looking for a quiet environment so that you can relax after your busy workingwork day.
However, I can assure you thatI can assure that measures are already being taken to solve this issue. My son will rent a professional studio for his band, therefore, he may not need to use my houseflat anymore.
I would like to thank you in advance for your patienceendless patience. I give you my word that this will never happen again.
Best wishesYours faithfully,
Rafael
Why this response received Band 6.5
The response addresses the complaint directly, develops all three requested points, and moves clearly from explanation and apology to a practical solution. Its main limitation is recurring grammatical and collocational awkwardness, most noticeably in the opening and in statements about the promised action. Prioritise clearer sentence construction and more natural semi-formal wording so that the reassurance sounds precise and fully credible.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The letter explains the noise, apologises sincerely, and proposes a relevant solution while maintaining a generally suitable neighbourly tone.
Make the action fully definite by saying the rehearsals will move to the studio rather than that they may no longer occur at home.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas are separated by purpose and progress logically from the cause of the problem to apology, remedy, and reassurance.
Remove the disruptive break in the opening sentence and connect the proposed remedy without a comma splice.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary is varied enough to express apology, understanding, and reassurance, though several word choices sound unnatural or imprecise.
Use natural combinations such as noise coming from the flat, considerable patience, and a quiet place to relax.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response attempts varied sentence structures, but errors with clause formation, verb patterns, and punctuation are noticeable throughout.
Check every complex sentence for a complete grammatical relationship, especially the opening relative clause and sentences using assure and therefore.
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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.