You are unhappy about a plan to make your local airport bigger and increase the number of flights. You live near the airport. Write a letter to your local newspaper. In your letter: - Explain where you live - Describe the problem - Give reasons why you do not want this development
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing with regard to an article published in your newspaper on 18th October that outlined the local administration’s plan to make the local airport bigger and add more flights to the schedule. I believe if this plan is carried out, the problems which local residents already face would be aggravated. My house is located within 15 minutes walk from the airport and life here is already tough due to frequent flights, noise created from those flights and traffic congestion as an indirect result. The low-flying aeroplanes are utterly noisy and disruptive. They create harsh noise and we have a hard time concentrating on our work or sleep peacefully at night. Sadly, I often woke up by the late night flights and many children and elderly citizens in our area are suffering from high-stress levels, tinnitus, hearing loss, sleep disturbances, and other harmful effects. I am afraid that the expansion of the airport would reduce the area for the playground and a park which is under construction near the airport. The traffic condition would deteriorate with more people using the airport and that would decline the standard of living in this area. Considering all the negative consequences, I strongly disagree with the plan to expand the airport area and increase the flight number. I would really appreciate if you could possibly write an article about the problems this initiative is likely to cause. Thank you in advance. Yours faithfully, Andrew Heywood
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Add the reporting link Original: I believe if this plan is carried out Suggested revision: I believe that if this plan is carried out Why it matters: Adding that makes the relationship between the reporting clause and condition clearer.
- 2. Use a concise relative Original: which Suggested revision: that Why it matters: That is a concise choice for this defining relative clause.
- 3. Form the distance phrase Original: within 15 minutes walk Suggested revision: within a 15-minute walk Why it matters: The phrase needs an article and a hyphenated compound modifier.
- 4. Correct the collocation Original: noise created from those flights Suggested revision: noise from those flights Why it matters: Noise from flights is the natural collocation in this context.
- 5. Show the causal link Original: traffic congestion as an indirect result Suggested revision: the resulting traffic congestion Why it matters: The revision expresses the stated consequence more directly.
- 6. Use natural emphasis Original: utterly Suggested revision: extremely Why it matters: Extremely collocates more naturally with noisy in this formal complaint.
- 7. Improve the collocation Original: harsh Suggested revision: excessive Why it matters: Excessive noise is a more natural description of disruptive airport sound.
- 8. Keep forms parallel Original: sleep Suggested revision: sleeping Why it matters: The coordinated activities require parallel gerund forms.
- 9. Correct tense and voice Original: I often woke up by Suggested revision: I am often woken up by Why it matters: The present passive describes an ongoing effect caused by the flights.
- 10. Hyphenate the modifier Original: late night flights Suggested revision: late-night flights Why it matters: Late-night is a compound modifier before the noun flights.
- 11. Remove the wrong hyphen Original: high-stress levels Suggested revision: high stress levels Why it matters: High modifies stress levels here, so the hyphen incorrectly joins high and stress.
- 12. Clarify the affected space Original: the area for the playground and a park Suggested revision: the space available for the playground and the park Why it matters: The revision clearly identifies the land that the expansion could reduce.
Suggested Rewrites
- I believe if this plan is carried out I believe that if this plan is carried out
- which that
- within 15 minutes walk within a 15-minute walk
- noise created from those flights noise from those flights
- traffic congestion as an indirect result the resulting traffic congestion
- utterly extremely
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter presents a clear objection, supports it with specific effects on nearby residents, and uses a suitably formal, persuasive tone. Its main limitation is that the entire response is presented as one block, while several grammatical and collocational slips reduce precision. Prioritize paragraphing the letter by purpose and correcting verb patterns such as 'wake up because of' and 'lower the standard of living.'
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The letter fully covers the writer's location, the existing problems, and well-developed reasons for opposing the expansion in an appropriate formal register.
Make the requested newspaper action slightly more prominent by placing it in a distinct concluding paragraph.
Coherence and Cohesion
The argument follows a clear sequence and uses cohesive links effectively, but the lack of paragraph breaks weakens the visible organization.
Divide the response into clear paragraphs for the purpose and location, present problems, future consequences, and requested action.
Lexical Resource
There is a strong range of topic-specific and persuasive vocabulary, though several collocations are imprecise or unnatural.
Replace phrases such as 'harsh noise,' 'traffic condition,' and 'decline the standard of living' with more natural combinations.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses varied complex structures effectively, but several errors in tense, parallelism, possession, and verb patterns remain noticeable.
Correct forms such as 'a 15-minute walk,' 'I am often woken,' and 'make it difficult to concentrate or sleep.'
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You are unhappy about a plan to make your local airport bigger and increase the number of flights. You live near the airport. Write a letter to your local newspaper. In your letter:
- Explain where you live
- Describe the problem
- Give reasons why you do not want this development
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.