Your neighbours have recently written to you to complain about the noise from your houseflat. Write a letter to your neighbours. In your letter: - explain the reasons for the noise - apologise - describe what action you will take
Sample Response
Dear Mrs MarthaDear Mrs. Martha,
I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing in response to your recent complaint about the noise from my flathouseflat. FirstFirst and foremost, please accept my sincere apologies for any disturbance the renovation may have causedmy actions may have caused you and your family.
I understand that Deletenoise can be disruptive and frustrating, and I want to assure you that I take your concerns seriously. The noise you have been hearing is primarily due to renovation work being carried out in the kitchen of my flat. I recently undertook a project to upgrade the kitchen, including installing new appliances, cabinets, and countertops. While these renovations are necessary to improve the function and appearancefunctionality and aesthetics of my home, I understand that the construction noisenoise generated from the construction activities may have been disruptive to you and other neighbours.
In light of your complaint, I am taking immediate action to address the noise issue. I will make every effort to minimiseminimize noise levels after 6 p.m. and before 9 a.m.during late hours and ensure that any future renovation workany future activities are conducted only during reasonable daytime hourswith greater consideration for our neighbours.
Once again, I apologize for any inconvenience caused and appreciate your understanding and patience. Please do not hesitate to contact mereach out if you have any further concerns or suggestions.
Yours sincerely,
Howard Daniel
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter responds fully and politely, with a clear progression from apology through the renovation explanation to a promise of action, supported by generally flexible and accurate language. Its main limitation is that the proposed remedy remains vague and some references to noise and disruption are repetitive. The highest priority is to give specific permitted working hours and a completion date, using warmer and more concise wording.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The letter clearly explains the renovation noise, apologises, and promises action. It could be stronger by giving a specific schedule or deadline for the noisy work.
Add concrete action details, such as working only between certain hours and telling neighbours when the renovation will finish.
Coherence and Cohesion
The response is well organised with clear paragraphs and polite progression from apology to explanation to solution. Some wording repeats noise and disruption unnecessarily.
Reduce repeated phrases and make the action paragraph more specific.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is flexible and appropriate, including disturbance, disruptive, renovation work, and immediate action. A few phrases are overly formal or less natural for a neighbour letter.
Use slightly warmer, more direct language and avoid heavy noun phrases where simple wording is enough.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Grammar is generally accurate, with only minor issues in prepositions, sentence economy, and American/British spelling consistency.
Proofread for concise clauses and consistent spelling such as minimise if using British English.
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
Your neighbours have recently written to you to complain about the noise from your houseflat. Write a letter to your neighbours. In your letter:
- explain the reasons for the noise
- apologise
- describe what action you will take
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.