General Training Writing Task 1 · formal · complaint

Formal complaint to local council regarding construction noise

Some construction work is being done on the street where you live for the last couple of days. The noise from the work is loud and it disturbs you.

Write a letter to your local council complaining about the noise. In your letter:

introduce yourself
explain how the noise is causing problems to you
suggest solutions to the problem

Write at least 150 words. You do not need to write any addresses. Begin your letter: Dear ...,

Band 8 sample letter

Dear Members of the City Council,

I am writing to formally lodge a complaint regarding the ongoing construction work on Elm Street, where I have resided for the past five years. While I understand that infrastructure improvements are necessary, the current situation has become untenable.

The noise levels generated by the heavy machinery are excessive and persistent, starting as early as 7:00 am. As I work from home as a freelance consultant, this constant racket makes it impossible to conduct client meetings or maintain the concentration required for my professional duties. Furthermore, the disturbance has significantly impacted my quality of life, leading to severe sleep deprivation.

To mitigate this issue, I propose that the council mandates a restricted timeframe for the most disruptive activities, perhaps limiting heavy drilling to between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm. Additionally, installing temporary sound barriers around the perimeter of the site would greatly reduce the noise pollution reaching residential properties. I trust you will take these suggestions into consideration to ensure a more harmonious living environment for all residents.

I look forward to your prompt response regarding this matter.

Yours faithfully,

Jonathan Sterling

188 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Why this scores well

A Band 8 response clearly addresses all three bullet points with a consistent, respectful formal tone and sophisticated vocabulary. A common Band 6 error is failing to propose specific, actionable solutions, instead merely repeating that the noise is annoying.

Write to an organisation or someone you do not know: open with Dear Sir or Madam, close with Yours faithfully.
If you know the person's surname, use Dear Mr or Ms and close with Yours sincerely.
No contractions, no slang; polite indirect requests such as I would be grateful if you could.

Useful phrases from the letter

untenable: not able to be maintained or tolerated
racket: a loud and unpleasant noise
mitigate: to make something less severe or painful
mandates: to give official authority to do something
noise pollution: harmful or annoying levels of environmental noise
harmonious: forming a pleasing or consistent whole

Write your own and get a band

Answer this prompt in a timed General Training writing test and get a band for task achievement, coherence, vocabulary and grammar, with the sentences to fix.

Practise IELTS General writing

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Frequently asked questions

Is this letter formal or informal?

Formal. Write to an organisation or someone you do not know: open with Dear Sir or Madam, close with Yours faithfully.

How long should an IELTS General Training letter be?

At least 150 words, and 160 to 200 is the comfortable range. Spend about 20 minutes on it and leave 40 for Task 2, which carries twice the marks.