General Writing Task 1 is a part of the test where many marks are lost. The problem for many candidates is that they have not built up enough vocabulary for the kind of situations you encounter in General Task 1 questions.
Reading the model answer below will help you on the way to better success. The answer is likely to score band 8.5-9.0 on test day. It follows this general structure…
Salutation
1st Paragraph – answering the first bullet point
2nd Paragraph – answering the second bullet point
3rd Paragraph – answering the third bullet point
Sign off
The Question
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. Write at least 150 words.
There is a problem with a leaking roof in the house that you rent. You must contact your landlord about this.
Write a letter to your landlord. In your letter
- give details of the leaking roof
- describe how the problem is affecting your family
- explain what you would like the landlord to do
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear ………… ,
The Answer
Dear Mr. Tate,
As you know, we’ve had a number of issues at 8 Buckingham Gardens recently. As well as the problems I described when you previously inspected the property, we woke this morning to discover that the roof appears to be leaking and, as a result, moisture has been rapidly building on the spare bedroom wall.
This is, of course, both a health hazard for our family and highly inconvenient. Being unable to use the room as my office has forced me to run my business from the kitchen table, in a house with two home-schooled children – a situation far from ideal.
We’ve managed to temporarily contain the leak to the loft, by positioning a tarpaulin directly underneath the source, but this isn’t a sustainable solution. I’d like us to get the issue fixed as soon as possible, so I’d appreciate if you could send a roofer, today or tomorrow, to investigate before further damage occurs.
Thanks,
David Taylor