Your city council is planning to pull down one of the historic buildings in your town because they do not have funds to renovate it. As a citizen, you do not want it to happen. Write a letter to the city council. In your letter: - say what the importance of this historic building is - mention why it should be renovated rather than pull down - suggest a plan to raise funds and maintain the building in the future
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing this letter to draw your attention to an issue which is rather important for preserving the historical importance of this old city.
I am referring to a decision of our city council to pull down a historic building on Forest Creek Street, right across the town. As far as I know, the building has been standing there for over two centuries. Some legends about this historic building say that it was erected by a renowned military leader of our country who led a revolt against the oppressive feudal leaders back in the days. Some also say that the marble, used in this building, was actually sourced from Medieval Europe. But, whatever the case, this historic building should be renovated, simply because it has some astonishing design and structure, connecting us to our glorious past.
I understand that availability of funds is an issue here, but if we can convince the local businessmen here, profiting from the visitors who are coming to see this historic building, to contribute some funds to maintain the building, I am sure that we will not have to pull down the building.
I hope you will take initiates to preserve this important historic building in our town.
Yours faithfully,
Nathan Astle
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Clarify location phrase Original: right across the town Suggested revision: in our town Why it matters: 'Right across the town' does not identify the building's location naturally.
- 2. Use formal wording Original: back in the days Suggested revision: in the past Why it matters: The original expression is too conversational for a formal council letter.
- 3. Remove incorrect commas Original: marble, used in this building, Suggested revision: marble used in this building Why it matters: The essential modifier should not be separated from its noun by commas.
- 4. Use formal transition Original: But, whatever the case, Suggested revision: Whatever the exact history, Why it matters: The replacement removes an unnecessary comma after 'But' and creates a more formal transition.
- 5. Use concise architecture term Original: astonishing design and structure Suggested revision: remarkable architecture Why it matters: The replacement is more precise and avoids the vague pairing of design and structure.
- 6. Use inclusive business term Original: local businessmen here Suggested revision: local business owners Why it matters: The replacement is concise, neutral, and avoids the unnecessary location adverb.
- 7. Tighten visitor clause Original: profiting from the visitors who are coming to see this historic building Suggested revision: who benefit from visitors to this historic building Why it matters: The replacement conveys the same relationship more concisely and naturally.
- 8. Correct fixed expression Original: take initiates Suggested revision: take the initiative Why it matters: 'Take the initiative' is the required noun phrase.
- 9. Sentence rewrite Original: I am writing this letter to draw your attention to an issue which is rather important for preserving the historical importance of this old city. Suggested revision: I am writing to draw attention to the importance of preserving this historic building as part of our city's heritage. Why it matters: The rewrite removes repetition and states the letter's purpose more directly.
- 10. Plan future maintenance Suggested revision: Explain how business contributions would be collected regularly and who would oversee maintenance after the initial renovation. Why it matters: The proposal identifies a funding source but does not provide the requested long-term maintenance plan.
Suggested Rewrites
- right across the town in our town
- back in the days in the past
- marble, used in this building, marble used in this building
- But, whatever the case, Whatever the exact history,
- astonishing design and structure remarkable architecture
- local businessmen here local business owners
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter presents a clear objection and supports the building's importance with vivid historical and architectural detail, while maintaining an appropriately formal tone. The funding proposal is relevant but underdeveloped because it relies only on local business contributions and does not explain a sustainable maintenance arrangement. Prioritise a practical, recurring plan—such as donations, visitor fees, and council oversight—and remove occasional wording errors to strengthen the request.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Achievement
The building's significance and the case for renovation are well explained, while the proposed business funding addresses the final point but lacks a detailed long-term maintenance plan.
Explain how contributions would be collected regularly and who would manage ongoing repairs after the initial renovation.
Coherence and Cohesion
Clear paragraphing and a logical progression from historical value to funding make the letter easy to follow, despite some repetition of 'historic building'.
Use pronouns or concise substitutes where the reference is clear, and give the funding proposal slightly more space than the background legends.
Lexical Resource
The response uses flexible, topic-specific vocabulary such as 'renowned', 'oppressive', 'sourced', and 'preserve', with only occasional inappropriate wording.
Replace expressions such as 'right across the town' and 'take initiates' with precise forms such as 'in the town centre' and 'take the initiative'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A good range of complex sentences is generally accurate, though unnecessary commas and a few article or phrase-level errors remain.
Remove commas that separate essential modifiers, as in 'the marble used in this building', and proofread noun phrases for complete grammatical form.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
Your city council is planning to pull down one of the historic buildings in your town because they do not have funds to renovate it. As a citizen, you do not want it to happen. Write a letter to the city council. In your letter:
- say what the importance of this historic building is
- mention why it should be renovated rather than pull down
- suggest a plan to raise funds and maintain the building in the future
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.