You have been living in an apartment for the last three years. A few problems have emerged in your apartment since the last repair. Write a letter to your landlord. In your letter: - give details of the last repair work - what the problems are now - how you would like the landlord to solve these problems
Sample Response
Dear Mr Daniel, I am writing this letter to remind you about some emergency repair works that need to be carried out at the flat I am living in. The last time you did the repair work in the kitchen, one of the bathrooms and two windows was almost two years ago. The repair work was done very professionally, and except for the kitchen, other works still look new. However, this time, other problems have emerged, and I have detected a few leaks in the kitchen which need to be fixed immediately. The paint has started to come off, and I am not sure when was the last time the flat was painted. Besides, there is water logging in the drain pipes and it is causing great inconvenience for me. I would greatly appreciate it if you could arrange for these repairs and paint works as soon as possible by hiring a professional service as you did before. Please contact me on my mobile phone to make arrangements for the work to start. Thank you in advance for your support. Yours sincerely, Maria Garcia
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use natural collocation Original: some emergency repair works Suggested revision: some urgent repair work Why it matters: “Repair work” is uncountable here, and “urgent” is the natural modifier.
- 2. Fix location phrase Original: at the flat I am living in Suggested revision: in the flat where I live Why it matters: The revised phrase uses the correct preposition and a clearer relative clause.
- 3. Name the repairs Original: other works still look new Suggested revision: the other repairs still look new Why it matters: “Repairs” is the appropriate countable noun for the completed jobs.
- 4. Specify the leaks Original: a few leaks in the kitchen Suggested revision: several water leaks in the kitchen Why it matters: Naming the type of leak makes the problem more precise for the landlord.
- 5. Use statement order Original: when was the last time the flat was painted Suggested revision: when the flat was last painted Why it matters: An embedded question requires statement word order rather than direct-question inversion.
- 6. Join compound word Original: water logging Suggested revision: waterlogging Why it matters: “Waterlogging” is written as one word.
- 7. Improve formal phrasing Original: great inconvenience for me Suggested revision: considerable inconvenience Why it matters: This collocation is more concise and natural in a formal request.
- 8. Correct work noun Original: repairs and paint works Suggested revision: repairs and painting work Why it matters: “Painting work” is the natural uncountable expression for this service.
- 9. State purpose directly Original: I am writing this letter to remind you about Suggested revision: I am writing to inform you of Why it matters: This phrasing states the purpose more directly and suits a formal landlord letter.
- 10. Use precise evaluation Original: very professionally Suggested revision: to a professional standard Why it matters: This phrase describes the quality of completed repair work more precisely.
- 11. Clarify the transition Original: However, this time, other problems have emerged Suggested revision: However, several new problems have emerged Why it matters: The revision removes the vague contrast between “this time” and “other problems.”
- 12. Use natural verb Original: detected Suggested revision: noticed Why it matters: “Noticed” is the natural verb for a tenant reporting faults in a home.
Suggested Rewrites
- some emergency repair works some urgent repair work
- at the flat I am living in in the flat where I live
- other works still look new the other repairs still look new
- a few leaks in the kitchen several water leaks in the kitchen
- when was the last time the flat was painted when the flat was last painted
- water logging waterlogging
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter fulfils its purpose effectively by covering the previous repairs, the current problems, and a clear request for professional action in a consistently polite tone. Its main limitation is language control: several awkward collocations and grammatical slips reduce precision, while presenting the whole message as one block weakens readability. The highest priority is to divide the content into purposeful paragraphs and proofread agreement and word-order errors.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Achievement
The purpose is clear, all three bullet points are fully covered, and the polite request is suitably developed.
Make the requested timing more specific to strengthen the practical outcome of the letter.
Coherence and Cohesion
The information progresses logically and linking words clarify relationships, but the single-block presentation limits paragraphing.
Use separate paragraphs for the previous work, current problems, and requested action.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary is sufficiently varied for the situation, though collocations such as “repair works” and “paint works” are awkward.
Use more natural combinations such as “repair work,” “repainting,” and “blocked drains.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A useful range of sentence structures communicates the message clearly, but agreement and word-order errors remain noticeable.
Proofread structures such as “two windows were” and “when the flat was last painted.”
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You have been living in an apartment for the last three years. A few problems have emerged in your apartment since the last repair. Write a letter to your landlord. In your letter:
- give details of the last repair work
- what the problems are now
- how you would like the landlord to solve these problems
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.