Your neighbours have a dog that is noisy at night. You can’t sleep due to this. Write a letter to your neighbours. In your letter: - describe the problem with the dog - explain why it is important for you to sleep outline - what your neighbours could do about the situation
Sample Response
Dear Mr and Mrs Hagel, Hope this letter finds you in good health and spirit. I am sorry that it has come to this, but I had no other choice but to write this letter to you. In fact, we have a situation with your dog here which keeps barking at night just when I try hard to go to sleep after a long and tiring day at work. Now, please don’t get me wrong as I really have nothing against dogs. In fact, I like spending time with a good and friendly dog. But, as for your dog, I am having a hard time dealing with the noise made by it. By the way, it is really important for me to have a good sleep because if I don’t, it becomes difficult for me to perform well at the hospital where I have to treat elderly people. So, I think, I have got my point across. So, I would like to request you to spend some more time with the dog and train him better, or alternatively, take him to a pet hospital to do something about his abrupt barking at night. But, if that doesn’t work, please try to take it to another room so that I can take some sleep at night. Yours sincerely, Freddie John
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use standard greeting Original: good health and spirit Suggested revision: good health and high spirits Why it matters: This is the conventional expression in a friendly greeting.
- 2. Soften the tone Original: had no other choice but to write this letter to you Suggested revision: felt it was best to write to you Why it matters: The original wording sounds unnecessarily confrontational for a request to neighbours.
- 3. Name the problem Original: a situation with your dog here Suggested revision: an issue with your dog's barking Why it matters: This identifies the problem directly and naturally.
- 4. Clarify the timing Original: just when I try hard to go to sleep Suggested revision: when I am trying to sleep Why it matters: The continuous form fits the recurring night-time situation.
- 5. Use direct phrasing Original: noise made by it Suggested revision: noise it makes Why it matters: The active phrasing is more concise and natural.
- 6. Use natural collocation Original: have a good sleep Suggested revision: get a good night's sleep Why it matters: This is the standard expression for adequate sleep.
- 7. Keep tone conciliatory Original: So, I think, I have got my point across Suggested revision: I hope this explains the problem clearly Why it matters: The original phrase may sound dismissive or confrontational.
- 8. Use accurate adjective Original: abrupt Suggested revision: persistent Why it matters: Abrupt describes something sudden, not repeated barking through the night.
- 9. Fix collocation Original: take Suggested revision: get Why it matters: English uses get, not take, with sleep in this context.
- 10. Organise the request Suggested revision: Use separate paragraphs for the barking problem, its effect on your hospital work, and the proposed solutions. Why it matters: The single block makes the three requested purposes less distinct.
Suggested Rewrites
- good health and spirit good health and high spirits
- had no other choice but to write this letter to you felt it was best to write to you
- a situation with your dog here an issue with your dog's barking
- just when I try hard to go to sleep when I am trying to sleep
- noise made by it noise it makes
- have a good sleep get a good night's sleep
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter clearly explains the night-time barking, its effect on hospital work, and several possible solutions, with a generally appropriate neighbourly tone. Its main limitation is unnecessary repetition and occasional confrontational or awkward phrasing, which makes the request less concise and tactful. Prioritise a calmer, more direct structure that presents the problem, personal impact, and preferred solution once each.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All bullet points are fully addressed with relevant detail, though some remarks sound more confrontational than is ideal for a request to neighbours.
Keep the request conciliatory by removing comments such as I have got my point across and leading with the preferred practical solution.
Coherence and Cohesion
The message has a clear overall sequence, but repeated discourse markers and the absence of body paragraphs make the progression feel loose.
Divide the letter into three focused paragraphs and reduce repeated openings with In fact, So, and But.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary is flexible enough to describe the problem and solutions, but several collocations, including abrupt barking and take some sleep, are awkward.
Use natural phrases such as persistent barking, get enough sleep, consult a vet, and keep the dog in another room.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Most sentences are accurate and varied, with occasional punctuation issues and minor awkwardness in clause construction.
Remove unnecessary commas after conjunctions and revise the opening fragment and longer request sentence into fully controlled clauses.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
Your neighbours have a dog that is noisy at night. You can’t sleep due to this. Write a letter to your neighbours. In your letter:
- describe the problem with the dog
- explain why it is important for you to sleep outline
- what your neighbours could do about the situation
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.