Formal Letter Requesting a Pedestrian Crossing
A complete IELTS General Training Writing Task 1 question with a model answer of 239 words, plus a breakdown of the sentence structures, cohesive devices and vocabulary that answer uses. Write your own version first, then compare.
Written by Manish Sharma · CELTA and DELTA qualified · 8 years teaching IELTS
Score my answer to this questionThe question
You have 20 minutes. Write at least 150 words.
A busy road near your home has no safe pedestrian crossing, and you are concerned about the danger to local residents. Write a letter to your local council. In your letter: - explain where you live and which road you are writing about - describe the problems caused by the lack of a crossing - suggest what the council should do and where exactly the crossing should be installed Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses. Begin your letter as follows: Dear Sir or Madam,
How to approach it
- 01Use 'Dear Sir or Madam' with 'Yours faithfully' — this is a formal letter to an institution
- 02Cover all three bullet points clearly, ideally one per paragraph in the body
- 03State the location and your standing (resident, parent, neighbourhood association) early
- 04Use formal vocabulary: 'I am writing to raise', 'I would be grateful', 'investigate this matter'
- 05Make your proposed solution specific (type of crossing, exact location, speed limit)
- 06Avoid contractions and emotive language — keep the tone polite but firm
Model answer
239 words in 6 paragraphs. Read it after you have written your own, not before: the point of a model answer is to show you what you missed, and you cannot miss anything you have not attempted.
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing on behalf of the residents of Beechwood Lane to raise an urgent concern about pedestrian safety on Carlton Road, which runs directly past our estate in the Eastfield ward.
Carlton Road has become significantly busier since the new retail park opened last year, with traffic volumes rising particularly during morning and evening peak hours. Despite this, there is no controlled pedestrian crossing along the half-mile stretch between Beechwood Lane and the Eastfield primary school. As a result, children, elderly residents and parents with pushchairs are forced to cross four lanes of fast-moving traffic without any signals or refuge island. In the past six months alone, I am aware of two near-misses involving local schoolchildren, and several neighbours have written to the residents' association expressing similar fears.
I would like to request that the council install a signal-controlled pedestrian crossing directly opposite the entrance to Beechwood Lane, where pedestrian footfall is heaviest. A pelican or puffin crossing at this exact point would provide a safe route to both the school and the bus stop on the opposite side. Lowering the speed limit on this section of Carlton Road to 30 mph would further enhance safety.
I would be grateful if you could investigate this matter and confirm what action will be taken. I am happy to attend a site meeting or provide further details on behalf of my neighbours.
Yours faithfully, Daniel Whitfield
What this answer actually does
Measured from the text above, and compared against the other 31 answers of the same type in this library. These are counts, not band scores: they describe what the writing does, which is the part you can copy.
15 more than the median answer for this task type
4 words at the shortest, 36 at the longest
1 more than the median answer for this task type
carry a subordinate or relative clause
Sentence rhythm
Sentences average 21.7 words and vary by 7.8 words either side of that, running from 4 words to 36. Variation is the point. Grammatical Range and Accuracy rewards a mix of simple and complex sentences, and an answer where every sentence is the same length reads as flat no matter how correct it is. 4 of the 11 sentences here carry a subordinate or relative clause.
The cohesive devices it uses
3 in total, spread across 2 different functions. Range matters more than count: an answer that opens every paragraph with a sequencer signals its structure but never signals a relationship between ideas, and Coherence and Cohesion is marked on both.
despite
as a result, since
Vocabulary and repetition
Ignoring grammar words, 81 per cent of the content words in this answer are distinct, and 69 per cent appear exactly once. Lexical Resource is where repetition costs the most marks, and the usual cause is not a small vocabulary but reaching for the same noun every time the topic is named.
The longest run of words copied straight from the question is 4 words. Examiners discount wording lifted from the question, so a short run here is the right outcome: the answer restates the topic in its own words rather than borrowing the question's.
What you are marked on
All four criteria carry equal weight, and your Writing band is their average rounded to the nearest half band.
Task Achievement
Address all three bullet points fully with appropriate detail and a clear purpose
Coherence & Cohesion
Logical paragraphing matching the bullets, with formal opening and closing
Lexical Resource
Consistent formal register and accurate topic vocabulary
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Range of structures including conditionals and modal verbs, used accurately
You have read one model answer. Now get one marked.
Paste your own attempt at this question and get a band for each criterion, with the exact sentences costing you marks.
Score my answer