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 Barbara, I am very sorryshocked to learn from your letter that the noise from my flat has been a disturbancesource of disturbance for you and it has been spoiling your evening and causing distress. I am truly sorryutterly regretful about that. I had no idea that the noise would reach your flat and cause you trouble. Please accept my sincere apology, and I assure youPlease accept my sincere apology and I assure you that I will make sure no noisy work is done in the eveningI will be more careful from now on. As you may have guessed, I am trying to refit my kitchen in the evening when I get back from my office. Unfortunately, it is taking longer than expected and I have been having problems with getting things to fit properly. The banging and hammering must have created a lot of noiseThe banging and hammering must have created the cacophony and I should have been more cautious. As the kitchen work is still not finished, I have decided to call a professional after reading your letter. I will instruct him to keep the noise level to a minimumkeep the noise level as minimum as possible and the work should be finisheddone in the next two or three days. I will make sure he works only during the daydaytime, so you will not be disturbed again in the eveningsso you will not be disturbed in the evening again. I am really sorry to have caused you thisthe problem. Yours sincerely, Gorner Brek
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response fully explains the kitchen work, offers a sincere apology, and gives a clear, credible plan to limit further disturbance. Its effectiveness is weakened by being presented as one long block, repeating the apology, and occasionally choosing unnatural or overly dramatic language; divide the message into purposeful paragraphs and use plainer wording, then proofread article, preposition, and comparison phrases.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The response fully covers the noise reason, apology, and action plan. It gives enough detail about kitchen refitting and daytime professional work, though the apology could be less repetitive.
Keep the clear action plan and reduce repeated apology language so the letter feels more concise.
Coherence and Cohesion
The ideas progress logically, but the whole response is presented in one block, which weakens readability for a letter.
Use paragraph breaks after the apology, after the explanation, and before the action plan.
Lexical Resource
Lexical range is good, with precise words such as 'refit' and 'professional', but a few choices are too strong or unnatural for a neighbourly apology.
Use plain, sincere wording for apology and noise, and avoid dramatic words such as 'cacophony'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Grammar is mostly accurate, but several phrases need article, preposition, or comparative correction.
Check adjective phrases after 'as' and use natural expressions such as 'to a minimum'.
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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.