Letter to Landlord About a Noisy Neighbour
A complete IELTS General Training Writing Task 1 question with a model answer of 231 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.
You have been disturbed for several weeks by a neighbour in the flat next to yours, who plays loud music late at night. You have spoken to the neighbour, but the situation has not improved. Write a letter to your landlord. In your letter: - Explain who you are and how long you have lived in the flat - Describe the problem and the effect it is having on you - Say what action you would like the landlord to take Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses. Begin your letter as follows: Dear Mr Henderson,
How to approach it
- 01Use 'Dear Mr Henderson' (named recipient) so close with 'Yours sincerely', not 'Yours faithfully'
- 02Adopt a polite but firm semi-formal register — you are complaining but want cooperation
- 03Show you have already tried to resolve the issue before escalating
- 04Cover all three bullet points clearly in separate paragraphs
- 05Include specific details (times, dates, frequency) to make the complaint concrete
- 06Suggest reasonable, proportionate actions rather than demanding extreme measures
Model answer
231 words in 7 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 Mr Henderson,
I hope you are well. I am writing in my capacity as the tenant of Flat 4B at 27 Acacia Court, which I have rented from you for just over two years under tenancy agreement HEN-22-014.
I am sorry to have to raise this with you, but I have been seriously disturbed for the past six weeks by the tenant in Flat 4C, the property immediately next to mine. They regularly play loud music — often with heavy bass — between approximately 11pm and 3am, several nights a week. The vibrations are so strong that the walls of my bedroom shake and sleep is virtually impossible.
I have already approached my neighbour twice in a friendly manner, and on the second occasion I left a polite note under their door. Unfortunately, there has been no improvement. As a result, I am suffering from significant fatigue, which is beginning to affect my performance at work.
I would be very grateful if you could speak directly with the tenant of Flat 4C, or issue a formal warning if appropriate, in line with the noise clauses in our tenancy agreements. If the disturbance continues, I would also appreciate your support in escalating the matter to the local council.
Please feel free to call me on 07825 660 412 to discuss this further. Thank you in advance for your assistance.
Yours sincerely, Daniel Okonkwo
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.
7 more than the median answer for this task type
4 words at the shortest, 33 at the longest
the same as the median answer for this task type
carry a subordinate or relative clause
Sentence rhythm
Sentences average 17.8 words and vary by 9.7 words either side of that, running from 4 words to 33. 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. 5 of the 13 sentences here carry a subordinate or relative clause.
The cohesive devices it uses
2 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.
as a result
next
Vocabulary and repetition
Ignoring grammar words, 81 per cent of the content words in this answer are distinct, and 74 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 3 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 and clearly
Coherence & Cohesion
Logical paragraphing with clear progression from context to request
Lexical Resource
Appropriate semi-formal vocabulary and complaint language
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Accurate use of present perfect and conditional structures
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