General Training Writing Task 1 · semi-formal · complaint

Letter to a neighbour regarding persistent dog noise

Your next-door neighbour owns a small dog that barks throughout the day and the night.

Write a letter to your neighbour requesting that something be done about the dog. Include. In your letter:

your reason for writing
what you would like to happen
a nice, respectful style

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 your dog, Buster, who has been barking quite incessantly over the past few days.

While I am certainly an animal lover and understand that dogs can occasionally be vocal, the noise has become rather disruptive. Unfortunately, the barking persists throughout the day and often continues late into the night, which has made it very difficult for me to get a restful sleep or focus on my work from home.

I would be very grateful if you could look into why Buster is so distressed or perhaps consider keeping him indoors during the late evening hours. I am sure there is a simple solution to help him settle down, and I would be happy to discuss this further if it might be helpful.

Thank you for your understanding and for taking the time to address this matter. I look forward to things returning to a peaceful state for both of us.

Best wishes,

Arthur Pringle

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

Why this scores well

A Band 8 response maintains a polite, firm, and consistent semi-formal tone while addressing all bullet points with specific, natural details. A common Band 6 mistake is adopting an aggressive, overly demanding, or informal tone that fails to acknowledge the neighborly relationship.

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
disruptive: causing trouble and preventing something from continuing properly
persists: continues to exist or happen despite difficulties
restful: providing a feeling of peace and quiet relaxation
distressed: upset, anxious, or suffering from emotional pain
address: to deal with or give attention to something

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

On your phone? Get the BandLadder app.

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.