Writing Task - 1 (General)

1. You are studying a short course in another country. Your accommodation was arranged by the course provider. There is a major problem with the accommodation.
Write a letter to the course provider. In your letter:

• Say what the problem is.
• Describe the accommodation you thought you were getting.
• Ask the provider to solve the problem.

Write at least 150 words.

Model answer

Dear Mr Watterson,

My name is Andrew Fish, and I am taking an eight-week intensive English course at Oxford House College. My company is paying for my tuition, and I am using my summer vacation to study. It is expected I will pass an English Proficiency Test as a result, and be transferred abroad. Therefore, it is rather important to me that I am able to study in the best environment.

I am staying in Phoenix Hostel on campus. While my room is pleasant and the facilities are very good, the hostel is extremely noisy. When I organised my accommodation, I was assured I would be staying only with post-graduate or intensive-course students. However, most of the people in this hostel are doing summer-school courses due to academic failure, and they are all under 22. It seems to me they are enjoying one long party: certainly no one observes light out or turns down music despite being asked to.

I wonder if I may be moved to a hostel which is more conducive to serious study, or I may use the remainder of my accommodation fee to go towards payment for a hotel.
I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,
Andrew Fish

(204 words)

2. You have seen an advertisement in an English newspaper for a job working in the City Museum shop during the holidays.
You decide to apply for the job. Write a letter to the director of the Museum. In your letter:

• introduce yourself
• explain what experience and special skills you have
• explain why you are interested in the job

Write at least 150 words.

Model answer

Dear Sir/Madam,

I’m writing to apply for the holiday job which you advertised recently in the newspaper. I am a twenty-one-year-old student and I speak English quite well. At present I am in my second year studying History at Lincoln College and I am very keen to have a holiday job this summer. I am extremely good at adding up, so I think I would be an asset to your shop.

My term finishes on 5th July and I am free until 20th September. Last year I worked in a restaurant serving tourists from all over the world and I enjoyed it very much. I would like to have the opportunity to meet people and practise my English again.

I enjoy going to museums and am particularly keen on history. Last year I went to an exhibition of Ancient Greek objects which was held in London. I have often been in your museum and am familiar with the items you have. I do hope you will be interested in my application.

I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.

Yours faithfully,

Dimitris Boudramis

(186 words)

3. You are looking for a part-time job at a football club.
Write a letter to the manager of the football club. In your letter:

• introduce yourself
• explain what experience and special skills you have
• tell him/her when you think you could start

Write at least 150 words.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Test Tip

Remember in the IELTS Writing Task 1 (General Training) you are assessed on:

- Task Achievement (how well you answer the question)
- Coherence and Cohesion (the layout, and ordering and linking of ideas in your letter)
- Lexical Resource (use of appropriate vocabulary)
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy (the accuracy and range of the grammar you use)

Model answer

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am a 21-year-old student and I am studying Sports Coaching Science at St Mary's University. I have been studying there for the past three years. I am writing to ask if there are any part-time job vacancies at your football club.

I really enjoy sport, and my areas of particular interest and experience are Football, Rugby and Cricket. I have had some experience of coaching for these sports over the past three years that I have been at the University. Last year, I worked in the holidays at a football club in my own country. I will be able to provide references from this summer job and also from my teachers at the university.

I would prefer to work in the evenings and at the weekends, as I have classes during the daytime, and I can start from the beginning of November.

I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.

Yours faithfully,

Adam Lawerence

(160 words)

4. You saw an advertisement for a tennis course in England but you have one or two problems and can’t stay the whole course.

Write a letter to the course director. In your letter:

• explain your interest in the course
• describe your problems
• find out if a refund is possible

Write at least 150 words.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Test Tip

If you do not know the name of the person you are writing to, begin with Dear Sir or Dear Sir or Madam or Dear Madam and end your letter with Yours faithfully, followed by your full name.

Model answer

Dear Sir or Madam,

I’m writing ........ response to your advertisement on your website ........ a tennis course in Bath, England.

I have always wanted ........ play tennis so I’m very interested ........ joining the course; however, I do not have my own racquets and don’t wish ........ buy racquets at this time. Is it possible ........ me to hire racquets and balls ........ the duration ........ the course? Also I have poor eyesight and have to wear glasses all the time. I would like to know if your course is suitable ........ someone like me.

I’m afraid that I have to be back ........ Malaysia ........ 31st December so I am unable to stay ........ England for the whole three weeks. Is it possible for me ........ get a partial refund if I want ........ leave one week before the end ........ the course?

I’m looking forward ........ hearing ........ you.

Yours faithfully,

Philip Wong

(156 words)

5. You are due to move into a rented apartment next month but you will not be able to because you have some problems.

Write a letter to the landlord. In your letter:

• explain your situation
• describe your problems
• tell him/her when you think you can move in

Write at least 150 words.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Exam Tip

Make sure that you address all the points in the question. Organise your ideas before you start to write and when you have finished, check your spelling and the number of words you have used.

Model answer

Dear Miss Berry,

As you know, I have rented 41 George Roche Road from you for six months from 15th August. However, I am afraid I will no longer be able to move in on that date, as my plans have had to change because of illness.

During the summer vacation, I was working in a company as a Project Manager. Towards the end of my shift, I slipped and fell on a wet floor and broke my wrist. Luckily, it was a clean break and didn't require surgery. However, it is my right wrist, and so I am unable to write for the time being.

At present, I am at home in Kuala Lumpur until the plaster can be taken off – I think this should be in the last week of September. I will then return to my course in Canterbury and take up residence at 41 George Roche Road.

I hope this will not cause you any difficulties.

Yours sincerely,

Rachel Yu

(164 words)

Vocabulary Tip

The word staff refers to all the people working for an organisation. To talk about one person, you need to say member of staff or employee: I recently had a problem with a member of staff in your company (or an employee in your company or one of your staff). NOT I recently had a problem with a staff in your company

Prepositions

6. The sample letter contains 14 gaps. Complete it by putting a preposition in each space.

Dear Mr. Peter,

Thank you for your letter of 20 September. I was very saddened .......... your account of what happened in our hotel last month, and I am writing to express my apologies .......... this. I can understand that you were shocked .......... the way the receptionist behaved. There can be no excuse .......... such behaviour and I fully understand why you felt you needed to complain .......... the situation. I can provide no explanation .......... the way the employee spoke to you.

As a member of Darius Hotels Group, we have a reputation .......... being perfect .......... looking after our customers, and I am very sorry that your experience .......... our service did not confirm this. I intend to deal .......... staff member appropriately and I will ensure that he does not repeat this behaviour .......... sending him on a retraining course next week. I would like to assure you that the behaviour you encountered is not typical .......... our staff.

As the guest service manager, I am responsible .......... all of our employees so please accept my apologies again and this voucher worth $100 to spend in any .......... our hotels.

Yours sincerely,

John Norman
Guest Service Manager

7. Marina has just started a new course at college and her tutor has asked her to write him a letter telling him something about herself. She has made ten mistakes in verb tenses in her letter. Find and correct them.

Dear Tutor,

I am coming to Brighton College from Singapore, where I was a student for ten years. I did already take examinations in Singapore in English, Biology, Computer and Maths. My highest score is for Computer: I got grade A.

When I was a student in Singapore I also have a part-time job in a shop. My uncle owns a supermarket and so I helped him in the evenings. I used to worked there four nights a week and I think this was very good experience for me.

At the weekends, I usually played volleyball with friends or, if the weather's bad, we have been to the theatre, which is very popular in Singapore. Because of my part-time job, I also did spend a lot of time studying at the weekend.

I didn’t go to many other places. My father took me to Thailand once. Three weeks after we had returned he also went to Malaysia and took the whole family.

This is a brief description of my background.

Best wishes,

Marina

8. You are a student at an English language school in Brighton and are living in private accommodation with other flat mates. You have not had hot water or heating for some time. The landlord’s workmen have tried to fix the problem but without success.

Write a letter to the landlord. In your letter:

• state your reason for writing
• describe the problems and explain how you feel
• propose a solution and risk the landlord to take action

Write at least 150 words.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Grammar Tip

Note that the phrasal verb to look forward is always followed by to + ing: I am looking forward to seeing you soon. In formal letters we use the simple present tense rather than the present continuous: We look forward to hearing from you.

Model answer

Dear Mr. Jones,

I am one of the tenants at your property in Upper Lewes Road, and am writing to complain about the fact that we do not have any hot water or heating in our house.

As you know, we have been living in this house since September and have always paid our rent on time. However, we have had no hot water for last two weeks. This is making our lives very difficult, especially as it is now the middle of winter. Last week you said you would send a workman to our house within 3 days, but no one came. After calling many times, the workman eventually arrived at the house 5 days later. Unfortunately, he said he could not fix the problem because the boiler was too old! We are now extremely unhappy about this solution.

We are prepared to continue to rent your house but please arrange for emergency repairs to be made. We also request a 40% discount on our rent for the period we have been without any hot water or heating.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Shannon Brown

(188 words)

9. You are going on a short course to a training college abroad. It is a college that you have not been to before.

Write a letter to the accommodation officer. In your letter

• give details of your course and your arrival/departure date
• explain your accommodation needs
• ask for information about getting to and from the college

Write at least 150 words.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ................. ,

Exam Tip

Be careful with the spelling of the following words: graceful, sincerely, faithfully. Register is important when writing a letter. Make sure the language you use is not too informal if the letter is a very formal one, or too formal if the letter is to someone you know well.

Model answer

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to inform you that I will be attending the Advanced Life Insurance course, being held from Tuesday 24th April until 27rd April, at the University of Hartford.

I will be arriving on the afternoon of Monday 23th and will be leaving on the morning of Saturday the 28th of April, so I will require a single room for this time. I would prefer my own bathroom, if this is possible, but do not mind sharing if I have to; however, as I am wheelchair bound, the room will have to be disability friendly. Could you please tell me how much this will cost and how I should make a payment? Do you accept VISA?

As I do not know the area, I would also be grateful if you could provide some information about getting to and from the University. Will I need to take public transport from the station or is there a University bus service? Any information on what to see and do in the area would also be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your assistance.
Alex Jones

(184 words)

10. You are looking for a part-time job.

Write a letter to an employment agency. In your letter

• introduce yourself
• explain what sort of job you would like
• and say what experience and skills you have

Write at least 150 words.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ................. ,

Writing Tip

1) Read the question carefully to make sure you have fully understood the function of the letter, i.e. the reason for writing it.
2) Look at the three points and think of something to write about each of them.
3) Write a plan along the lines of the notes you wrote earlier.
4) Expand your plan into a full answer.
5) Leave time at the end to check your answer for errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation.

Model answer

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am a German national from Heidelberg and at present I am studying for a Master’s degree in Commercial Law here, at the University of Bielefeld, where I have been for the last two months.

I am looking for a part-time job and I wonder if you can help me. Probably, I would like an office job, perhaps working as a secretary, office administrator or typist. I can only work during the afternoons and at weekends as my university studies occupy most of the day. I would be ready to start immediately.

I am a competent typist and I am computer-literate. In addition, I speak Polish and German fluently and I have been learning English for the past three years. While I studied for my degree, I worked as a part-time office manager for an import-export firm in Heidelberg. In recent years, I have also had temporary summer jobs as a hotel receptionist in Mannheim, Germany.

I am looking forward to hearing from you,

Yours faithfully,
Heinrich Bukowski

(170 words)