You are unhappy about a plan to make your local airport bigger and increase the number of flights. You live near the airport. Write a letter to your local newspaper. In your letter: - Explain where you live - Describe the problem - Give reasons why you do not want this development.
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam,Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing with regard to the article in your newspaper dated 7th September. My house is situated within a 20-minute walk20 minutes walk of the airport. Please allow me to point out the problems which have caused serious damage toon the residential area. I am certainfully sure that the problems will worsenproblems must be aggravated if the plan goes aheadplan is carried out to expand the airport and increaseIncrease the number of flights.
First of all, the low-flying aeroplanes are extremely disruptiveutterly distractive. They make so much noisesuch a big noise that I cannot concentrate on housework at all. What is worse, I am woken up by the late-night flightslate hour flights at midnight; I was diagnosed with insomniadiagnosed as Insomnia recentlythe other day. I should call this situation noise pollution.
Secondly, I am afraid that the expansion of the airport may reduce the amount of land available for the playgroundreduce the plot of land for the playground which is under construction near the airport Deleteat the moment. To sum up, I strongly disagree with the plan. I would appreciate it ifI would appreciate if you could possibly write anthe article about the problems and local oppositionproblems and disagreement outlined aboveas I said above.
Yours faithfully,Yours faithfully
Why this response received Band 6.5
The letter is strongest in its clear progression from the writer's location to specific concerns about aircraft noise, health, and loss of playground land, ending with a relevant request to the newspaper. The main weakness is inaccurate word choice and grammar in several prominent phrases, which makes the formal message less natural. The priority is to use standard collocations and correct request structures while preserving this focused organisation.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is clear, all bullet points are addressed, and the reasons for opposing the development are relevant and adequately explained.
Develop the likely impact of losing playground land more specifically so the second objection is as convincing as the noise complaint.
Coherence and Cohesion
The ideas are arranged in a clear logical sequence, with effective paragraphing and easy-to-follow progression between the two main objections.
Use less mechanical signposting and connect the concluding request more smoothly to the evidence presented.
Lexical Resource
The response uses some less common vocabulary, but several choices, including utterly distractive and diagnosed as Insomnia, are inaccurate or unnatural.
Prefer established combinations such as extremely distracting, diagnosed with insomnia, and publish an article about residents' concerns.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A mix of simple and complex sentences conveys the message clearly, although grammatical errors appear regularly.
Correct possessives and request patterns, especially within twenty minutes' walk and I would appreciate it if you could.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You are unhappy about a plan to make your local airport bigger and increase the number of flights. You live near the airport. Write a letter to your local newspaper. In your letter:
- Explain where you live
- Describe the problem
- Give reasons why you do not want this development.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.