You use public transport and have been facing issues. Write a letter to the public transport authorities. In your letter include: - Why public transport is important to you - What problem you face - Suggest what can be done to improve public transport
Sample Response
To whom it may concern,
I am writing because there is a problem with the local city bus near my home. I live on Mulberry Avenue near to the train station and must take the bus each morning to get to the downtown where I work as a paralegal at the courthouse. I also take the bus back in the evening if my work is finished early.
The issue in question concerns the deteriorating sanitary conditions of the bus. Public buses have a reputation for uncleanliness but in recent months I have noticed several of the seats emit a foul odor and the windows are building up a thin layer of grime. The smell is noticeable and it is becoming difficult to even see out of the windows.
I suggest that you do an overhaul of the buses on this route. You could begin by removing the seats that are obviously no longer suitable for paying commuters. It would also make sense to regularly clean the windows. These changes should be implemented immediately or I will be forced to lodge an official complaint.
Thank you for your time,
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Clarify the service Original: local city bus near my home Suggested revision: local bus service near my home Why it matters: This wording refers more naturally to the route or service being discussed.
- 2. Remove extra preposition Original: near to the train station Suggested revision: near the train station Why it matters: 'Near' functions as the required preposition here without 'to'.
- 3. Remove the article Original: to get to the downtown Suggested revision: to get downtown Why it matters: 'Downtown' is used without an article when it functions as a destination.
- 4. Use active wording Original: if my work is finished early Suggested revision: when I finish work Why it matters: The active clause expresses the writer's regular evening journey more naturally.
- 5. Focus on this route Original: Public buses have a reputation for uncleanliness but in recent months Suggested revision: In recent months Why it matters: Removing the broad generalisation keeps the complaint focused on the observed conditions of this service.
- 6. Add clause marker Original: noticed several of the seats emit Suggested revision: noticed that several of the seats emit Why it matters: 'That' clearly introduces the finite clause following 'noticed'.
- 7. Fix subject choice Original: the windows are building up a thin layer of grime Suggested revision: a thin layer of grime is building up on the windows Why it matters: The grime, rather than the windows, is what accumulates.
- 8. Improve collocation Original: do an overhaul Suggested revision: carry out an overhaul Why it matters: 'Carry out an overhaul' is the natural formal collocation.
- 9. Sentence rewrite Original: These changes should be implemented immediately or I will be forced to lodge an official complaint. Suggested revision: I would appreciate these changes being implemented promptly; otherwise, I may need to lodge an official complaint. Why it matters: This version preserves the intended consequence while making the request more appropriately formal and measured.
- 10. Identify the route Suggested revision: Add the bus route number and usual travel times so the authority can identify the affected service. Why it matters: The location is given, but operational details would make the complaint easier to act on.
Suggested Rewrites
- local city bus near my home local bus service near my home
- near to the train station near the train station
- to get to the downtown to get downtown
- if my work is finished early when I finish work
- Public buses have a reputation for uncleanliness but in recent months In recent months
- noticed several of the seats emit noticed that several of the seats emit
Why this response received Band 8.0
This is a focused, well-organised formal letter with specific descriptions of the bus conditions and practical proposals for improvement. The main limitation is a small number of awkward grammatical and lexical choices in otherwise fluent writing; refining article and preposition use and choosing more idiomatic phrasing would make the response consistently precise.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The letter fully addresses the importance of transport, the cleanliness problem, and realistic improvements in an appropriate formal register.
Make the personal importance slightly more explicit by stating the consequence if the daily bus service becomes unusable.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information is sequenced naturally in purposeful paragraphs, and cohesive devices support clear progression without overuse.
Maintain this structure while tightening minor repetition around the smell and dirty windows.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and precise, with effective expressions such as deteriorating sanitary conditions and lodge an official complaint.
Use more idiomatic phrasing in places, such as arrange a thorough refurbishment instead of do an overhaul.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of sentence forms is handled accurately, with only occasional article, preposition, or construction errors.
Proofread phrases such as near to the train station and get to the downtown for natural article and preposition use.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You use public transport and have been facing issues. Write a letter to the public transport authorities. In your letter include:
- Why public transport is important to you
- What problem you face
- Suggest what can be done to improve public transport
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.