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, I am writing with regard to an article published in your newspaper on 18th October that outlined the local administration’s plan to make the local airport bigger and add more flights to the schedule. I believe that if this plan is carried outI believe if this plan is carried out, the problems thatwhich local residents already face would be aggravated. My house is located within a 15-minute walkwithin 15 minutes walk from the airport and life here is already tough due to frequent flights, noise from those flightsnoise created from those flights and the resulting traffic congestiontraffic congestion as an indirect result. The low-flying aeroplanes are extremelyutterly noisy and disruptive. They create excessiveharsh noise and we have a hard time concentrating on our work or sleepingsleep peacefully at night. Sadly, I am often woken up byI often woke up by the late-night flightslate night flights and many children and elderly citizens in our area are suffering from high stress levelshigh-stress levels, tinnitus, hearing loss, sleep disturbances, and other harmful effects. I am afraid that the expansion of the airport would reduce the space available for the playground and the parkthe area for the playground and a park which is under construction near the airport. Traffic conditionsThe traffic condition would deteriorate with more people using the airport and that would lowerdecline the standard of living in this area. Considering all the negative consequences, I strongly disagree with the plan to expand the airportexpand the airport area and increase the number of flightsincrease the flight number. I would really appreciate it ifappreciate if you could writecould possibly write an article about the problems this initiative is likely to cause. Thank you in advance. Yours faithfully, Andrew Heywood
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter presents a clear objection, supports it with specific effects on nearby residents, and uses a suitably formal, persuasive tone. Its main limitation is that the entire response is presented as one block, while several grammatical and collocational slips reduce precision. Prioritize paragraphing the letter by purpose and correcting verb patterns such as 'wake up because of' and 'lower the standard of living.'
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The letter fully covers the writer's location, the existing problems, and well-developed reasons for opposing the expansion in an appropriate formal register.
Make the requested newspaper action slightly more prominent by placing it in a distinct concluding paragraph.
Coherence and Cohesion
The argument follows a clear sequence and uses cohesive links effectively, but the lack of paragraph breaks weakens the visible organization.
Divide the response into clear paragraphs for the purpose and location, present problems, future consequences, and requested action.
Lexical Resource
There is a strong range of topic-specific and persuasive vocabulary, though several collocations are imprecise or unnatural.
Replace phrases such as 'harsh noise,' 'traffic condition,' and 'decline the standard of living' with more natural combinations.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses varied complex structures effectively, but several errors in tense, parallelism, possession, and verb patterns remain noticeable.
Correct forms such as 'a 15-minute walk,' 'I am often woken,' and 'make it difficult to concentrate or sleep.'
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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.