Letter to local council regarding new airport project
The government plans to construct an airport in your locality.
Write a letter to the authority. In your letter:
- explain where you came to know about the news
- describe the negative effects of airport construction
- ask to consider the alternate site for airport construction
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 Planning Committee,
I am writing to express my profound concern regarding the recently announced proposal to construct a regional airport in the Meadowbrook district. My attention was first drawn to this development through a public notice published in the local gazette last Tuesday, which outlined the government's intention to commence site preparation by early next year.
The construction of an airport in this residential area would inevitably result in severe negative impacts. The persistent noise pollution from aircraft, coupled with the increased volume of heavy traffic on our narrow local roads, would drastically diminish the quality of life for all residents. Furthermore, the environmental degradation caused by clearing the nearby protected woodland would be irreversible, destroying essential habitats for local wildlife.
In light of these significant drawbacks, I strongly urge the committee to reconsider the proposed location. There are several industrial zones to the west of the city that remain underutilised and possess the necessary infrastructure to support such a facility without displacing a community. I trust you will take this feedback into account when finalising your decision.
Yours faithfully,
Arthur Pendelton
186 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 coherent, logical flow and a consistently formal tone. A common Band 6 error is failing to suggest the alternative location specifically, or using overly emotive, colloquial language that breaks the formal register.
- 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
- profound
- very great or intense in feeling or degree
- inevitably
- in a way that cannot be avoided
- diminish
- to make or become less in intensity
- irreversible
- that cannot be changed back to before
- underutilised
- not used to its full potential capacity
- finalising
- completing the last steps of a plan
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 writingOn your phone? Get the BandLadder app.
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.
What does the examiner look for?
A Band 8 response clearly addresses all three bullet points with a coherent, logical flow and a consistently formal tone. A common Band 6 error is failing to suggest the alternative location specifically, or using overly emotive, colloquial language that breaks the formal register.
More complaint letters
- Formal complaint letter regarding a faulty camera repair
- Formal complaint letter regarding a faulty television purchase
- Formal complaint letter regarding damaged household goods
- Formal complaint letter regarding faulty office equipment
- Formal complaint letter regarding poor hotel service
- Formal complaint letter to head office regarding faulty laptop
- All 483 letter samples · Task 2 sample essays