Write a letter to the Mayor, the head of a municipal government, about a situation in which some adolescents let their dogs run wildly. In your letter: - describe how the adolescents let their dogs run wild - explain why this creates a dangerous situation - complain about the situation
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I am a resident inof Block ‘D’ of the housing society in Oregon, writing this letter to notify you of irresponsible behaviour by some adolescentsa certain callous attitude of some young children. I hope you will takeI am hoping you would take immediate action to curb the problem. In this letterBy virtue of this letter, it is to bring to your attention that certain adolescents who reside in our society are creating a dangerous situation by letting their dogs run loose throughout the housing societyrun wildly throughout society. These dogs are on the loose and not muzzled. Children are in constant fear ofabout the threat of possible encounters with the dogsa possible confrontation with a dog. Moreover, it is difficult for elderly residents to takehave an evening stroll in the park because of the same dangerdue to the same fear. In view of this, it is my requestmy humble request to issue a letter, from your officethrough the medium of your office, to make the parents of such adolescents aware of the dangerousgrim situation. Only a few teenagers’ irresponsibleteenagers irresponsible and careless behaviour isbehaviour and attitude are causing serious problemsbig trouble. I hope you willwould take appropriateproper action before a serious incident takes place. Yours faithfully, Neeraj Mehra
Why this response received Band 6.5
The letter clearly identifies the uncontrolled dogs, explains risks to children and older residents, and makes an appropriately formal request for municipal action. Its main limitation is that the complaint is expressed through several awkward or ungrammatical sentences and offers only a fairly general description of the incidents; the priority is to add one concrete example and present the requested enforcement measure in concise, accurate language.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All three bullet points are addressed in an appropriate formal register, with clear danger to children and older residents and a request for action.
Add a specific recent incident or location and ask for a concrete measure such as enforcing leashes and muzzles in shared areas.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter progresses from the complaint to the risks and requested action, but repeated framing and the single-block presentation reduce efficiency.
Use separate paragraphs for the observed behaviour, its consequences, and the action requested from the mayor.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary conveys concern and urgency, but several choices such as callous attitude, throughout society, and grim situation are imprecise or overstated.
Use direct civic-complaint language such as unleashed dogs, communal areas, risk to residents, and enforce local rules.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Most sentences are understandable, but awkward clause construction, possessive forms, agreement, and article use cause recurring errors.
Rewrite malformed sentences with clear subjects, for example A few teenagers' irresponsible behaviour is causing serious problems.
Write this task while it is fresh
Try the same task now. It helps you remember the feedback and write better next time.
IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
Write a letter to the Mayor, the head of a municipal government, about a situation in which some adolescents let their dogs run wildly. In your letter:
- describe how the adolescents let their dogs run wild
- explain why this creates a dangerous situation
- complain about the situation
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.