General Training Writing Task 1 · semi-formal · complaint

Letter to Landlord Regarding Damaged Rental Furniture

You and your family are living in rented accommodation in an English-speaking country. You are not satisfied with the condition of some of the furniture.

Write a letter to your landlord. In your letter:

introduce yourself
explain what is wrong with the furniture
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: Dear ...,

Band 8 sample letter

Dear Mr. Henderson,

I am writing to you as the current tenant of the apartment at 12 Oakwood Terrace, where my family and I have been residing for the past three months. We have greatly enjoyed settling into the neighbourhood, but I am concerned about the state of some of the furniture provided in our rental agreement.

Specifically, the dining room chairs are in a poor condition. Two of the four chairs have loose legs that wobble significantly, making them unsafe for my young children to use. Furthermore, the sofa in the living room has developed a noticeable tear in the upholstery, and the internal springs are protruding, which makes it increasingly uncomfortable to sit on.

I would appreciate it if you could arrange for these items to be repaired or replaced as soon as possible. I am happy to be home during the week to provide access to a repair person if you could let me know when they might be available to visit.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

David Thompson

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

Why this scores well

A Band 8 response clearly addresses all three bullet points with specific, relevant details while maintaining a consistently professional and polite tone. A common mistake in Band 6 answers is failing to provide specific descriptions of the defects, resulting in vague complaints that lack the necessary detail to achieve a high score.

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

residing: living in a particular place for some time
wobble: moving unsteadily from side to side or shaking
upholstery: the fabric and padding covering a piece of furniture
protruding: sticking out from a surface or main body
prompt attention: dealing with a situation quickly and without delay
rental agreement: the legal contract signed for renting a property

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.