General Training Writing Task 1 · semi-formal · complaint

Letter to a neighbor regarding nightly dog barking

Your neighbors have a dog that is noisy at night. You can't sleep due to this.

Write a letter to your neighbors. In your letter:

describe the problem with the dog
explain why it is important for you to sleep
outline what your neighbors could do about the situation

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

Band 8 sample letter

Dear Mr. Henderson,

I hope you are having a pleasant week. I am writing to you today regarding an issue that has been affecting my sleep recently.

Over the past two weeks, your dog has been barking incessantly throughout the night, often continuing until the early hours of the morning. As my bedroom window faces your garden, the sound carries directly into my home, making it nearly impossible to get a full night's rest.

This lack of sleep is beginning to impact my performance at work. I am currently involved in a demanding project that requires significant concentration and mental clarity, and the persistent sleep deprivation is making it increasingly difficult to meet my professional responsibilities effectively.

I would appreciate it if you could ensure your dog is kept indoors during the night or perhaps consider professional training to help manage this behavior. I am sure you were not aware of how much the noise travels, and I would be very grateful if we could resolve this quickly to restore some peace to the neighborhood.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation regarding this matter.

Best wishes,

Arthur Miller

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

Why this scores well

This response hits Band 8 by addressing all three bullet points with specific, plausible details and maintaining a polite, semi-formal tone throughout. A common Band 6 mistake is to become overly aggressive or informal, which fails to maintain the appropriate level of neighborly decorum required for this task.

Write to someone you know but not closely, such as a manager, landlord or neighbour, using their title and surname.
Polite and friendly at once: a few contractions are fine, slang is not. Close with Yours sincerely or Kind regards.
State the purpose in the first two sentences; small talk costs words you need for the bullets.

Useful phrases from the letter

incessantly: continuing for a long time without any pause
carries: travels through the air to a different place
sleep deprivation: the condition of not having enough restful sleep
demanding: requiring much effort, time, or intense focus
mental clarity: the state of being able to think clearly
cooperation: working together towards a common and helpful goal

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?

Semi-formal. Write to someone you know but not closely, such as a manager, landlord or neighbour, using their title and surname.

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.