General Writing Sample Task 1 Part 2

1. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You recently spent a night in a hotel and had to put up with a great deal of noise very early in the morning because of a faulty central heating system. The manager promised to contact you regarding compensation but you still haven't heard from him.

Write a letter to the hotel. In the letter

• describe the problem at the hotel
• explain what the manager had said at the time
• say what you want the manager to do.

Write at least 150 words.

2. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You work for a company. You have seen some information online about a training course that would be useful for your work.

Write a letter to your manager. In your letter

• give details of the course
• say how the course would be useful 
• explain how the company could help you do this course.

Write at least 150 words.

3. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You are planning to go and study English at a school overseas. You would like some information about their courses.

Write a letter to the school. In your letter

• ask about the school
• say what kind of accommodation you want
• mention any special requests you have (for example diet).

Write at least 150 words.

4. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You have heard that a developer plans to build a shopping centre near your home.

Write a letter to the council. In your letter

• say how you heard about the plan
• explain how you feel about it
• ask for more information about it

Write at least 150 words.

5. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You recently bought a camera while travelling overseas. When you got to your destination you discovered that some important items were missing from the box.

Write a letter to the local representative of the company. In your letter

• give details of the camera and where you bought it
• explain what has happened
• say what you want him/her to do about it

Write at least 150 words.

6. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. 

You paid a refundable deposit when you rented an apartment. You left the apartment in good condition but the Landlord won't return your deposit.

Write a letter to the landlord. In your letter

• explain why you are writing
• ask for the return of your deposit
• inform the landlord of possible legal action

Write at least 150 words. 

7. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. 

You are currently taking a course at a college but you will need to have a week off during this course.

Write a letter to the college Principal. In the letter

• give details of your course
• explain why you need a week off
• say what you want the Principal to do.

Write at least 150 words. 

8. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. 

You are renting a flat from an agency. Your contract was for one year but you need to leave the flat two months early.

Write a letter to the agency. In your letter

• introduce yourself
• ask to leave the flat before the contract finishes
• explain why you need to break the contract.

Write at least 150 words. 

9. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. 

There is a public park near where you live. You have heard that the local council wants to sell this park.

Write a letter to a local newspaper. In your letter:

• introduce yourself
• describe the importance of the park
• say what action you will take if the council continues with its plan

Write at least 150 words. 

10. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. 

You arranged to visit a friend in Canada but an important event at home now means that you must change the dates of the visit.

Write a letter to your friend. In your letter

• explain the important event
• apologise for the situation
• suggest a new arrangement

Write at least 150 words. 

Model answer

Question1 

Dear Sir,

I am writing with regards to the complaint I made to you on 25th October concerning the stay I had at your hotel the previous night.

You may remember that on the day in question, you had a serious problem with your central heating system and that there was a great deal of noise, which started as early as 5 o'clock in the morning. Not surprisingly, this resulted in a very poor night's sleep for my wife and me. We complained about this to you when we checked out. You agreed that we had a cause to complain and assured me that you would be contacting us regarding compensation.

It has now been three weeks since that conversation and we have yet to hear from you. Could you please confirm that this issue is being dealt with? I would also be grateful if you could let me know when we can expect to be told the amount of compensation we will be receiving.

I look forward to hearing from you very soon.

Yours faithfully,
Nick Brewer

(178 words)

Question 2

Dear Martin

I have recently become aware of a course called Social Media Marketing Essentials and I am writing to ask for your support in taking this course. It is a five-day intensive program being offered by the Business Leadership Association and it starts on Monday 15 February. I believe the course would be of great benefit to our company as we have been recently considering how to build up our social media presence and attract more customers online. After reading reviews by former participants, I think this Social Media course will help me professionally in my capacity as Communications Manager and make a real difference to our company.

For these reasons, I am requesting paid leave from 15-20 February to attend the course. It would be helpful if other team members did not take leave at this time; so far nobody else has applied. I believe this will not be a particularly busy time at work, but I am prepared to spend some time working on those evenings if needed.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Best wishes
Neil MacFarlane

Question 3

Dear Sir/Madam,

My name is Renata Pereira from Sao Paolo in Brazil. I have recently registered as a student at your college to follow a four-week course in Advanced Computer Programming starting at the end of November this year.

I am writing to you to try to decide on my accommodation while I'm in Manchester. Ideally, I would like to stay with a host family because I think that this will also help me to improve my English. If possible, I would like to stay very close to the College so I don't heed to spend a lot of time travelling. Last year, I studied on a Business English course in San Diego, USA and stayed with a host family and really enjoyed it very much. I am hoping for the same experience in Manchester.

I'd really appreciate it if you could send me any information you have regarding the different accumulation options (particularly host families). In particular, I'd like to know where the accommodation is and how much it costs.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours faithfully,
Renata Pereira

(183 words)

Question 4

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am a resident of Boundary Road and I have recently read in the local newspaper that a shopping centre is going to be built near where I live.

This news was rather a surprise to me. I have been living in Boundary Road for five years now and it has always been a very quiet street with very few tall buildings. I think a construction like this will change the atmosphere of the area considerably and, like many other residents I have spoken to, I am not at all happy about it.

I think people who live in the area have a right to know more about the plan before it goes ahead, so I would like to request further details regarding the dates of the planned building work and the size of the centre. Also, I sincerely hope you are planning to provide a car park, as otherwise parking will become very difficult for everyone in the area.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,
John Carlson

(175 words)

Question 5

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing in the hope that you can help me with a problem regarding a camera that I recently bought.

On 27 June, I purchased a Canon DSLR camera from the 'Heinemann Duty Free' store at Frankfurt Airport on my way from Moscow to Toronto. The camera cost $799 and I paid for it on my Visa credit card.

When I arrived at my hotel in Toronto almost 24 hours later I discovered, to my horror, that the box which contained the camera did not include the battery charger. The space in the box for the charger was empty.

I am now in Toronto and I am not returning to Frankfurt, so I need to get the missing parts here. As you are the representative of the company in this country I would be grateful if you could arrange for the parts to be sent to me. I attach a copy of the receipt with this letter for your information.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,
Ulrich Nielsen

(176 words)

Question 6

Dear Mr. Coleman,

I am writing to request the return of the £800 deposit  I paid to you  I rented No. 21, Britannia Court for the month of April.  I telephoned your office I was told  you are not intending to repay this money  I am unable to understand the reason for this.

 I signed the rental agreement it was my understanding  the deposit would be returned  the apartment was vacated dean and undamaged. This was the condition of the flat  I returned the keys. I cleaned the whole apartment and there were no breakages and no damage to fittings or furniture.

I believe  I have kept to the terms of the agreement and  I respectfully request  my deposit be repaid in full. I shall have no alternative  to seek legal advice  we are unable to resolve this matter in a satisfactory manner.

Yours sincerely,
Steve Chapman

(161 words)

Question 7

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am an international student in my second year of the Computer Science course at the college. My tutor is Mr Johnson, and I am a full-time student, living in the college residence.

I am writing to request a week's leave from the college next month. My cousin's wedding is taking place in my home country and my family expect me to be there. Although this will mean that I have to miss lectures for a week, I can arrange for one of my friends on the course to give me any notes concerning what I have missed.

I would be grateful if you would give me permission to be absent for the week beginning 25th May. If you are kind enough to allow me to do this, I will speak to Mr Johnson and arrange to make up for any work that I did not do while I was away.

Yours faithfully,
Jonah Smith

(157 words)

Question 8

Dear Sir or Madam,

My name is John Nordstrom and I have been renting the flat on Parkway Boulevard from you for the past six months. As I'm sure you are aware I have been a good tenant during this period. I always pay my rent on time and look after the flat.

My rental agreement with you was for one year and the contract ends in January. Unfortunately, I have just heard that I will need to leave the flat in November, which is, in fact, two months early. The reason for this is that my manager has asked me to go back to Germany earlier than planned and I am afraid this is beyond my control.

As I am now unable to stay here until the end of the contract, I would be extremely grateful if you could release me from it early. I'm aware that this is not normally allowed but I hope you can understand my situation and still return my deposit.

Yours faithfully,
John Nordstrom

(170 words)

Question 9

To the Editor,

My name is John Smith – a resident of Coquitlam .......... five years. My family moved here due to .......... affordability, and .......... to the city. We also enjoy several small parks in which our sons and their friends play. One of .......... parks is Lafarge Park, .......... Guilford Street. It is not large, but it is well-used, clean, and ...........

Recently, I learnt that Coquitlam Council .......... decided to sell this .......... amenity for development. The land has already been .......... residential, so I assume as many dwellings as possible – perhaps even twenty apartments – could be .......... here.

While I am not a .........., and do not know by which legal process this land could be .........., as a resident, I was neither informed nor .......... about it. All my neighbors say the same thing. We have .......... the council, and I hope this letter .......... a wider public.

.......... website, SaveLafargePark.com lists a number of protest activities in which we .......... your readers may join us. .......... few green and tranquil public spaces remain in this overdeveloped city. Save Lafarge Park before .......... be too late.

John Smith

(187 words)

Question 10.

Dear Ana,

How are things with you? I'm afraid something  come up here which  probably  my visit to Canada. Last week I   to play tennis for my regional team in a national tournament. It was completely unexpected. I'm sorry but this probably means that I  be able to visit you for the first week of January, as we planned. I must stay here and practise until the tournament , later that month.

I wonder if it  possible for me to visit you later in the year. I can take some time off in early March and my air ticket can be  with no problem. Is March a possibility for you?

Please  and  me know what your reaction . I'm sure you realise that it's an honour to be selected to represent your region and so I   to miss this great opportunity. I hope you  .

I'm  forward to hearing from you,

Best wishes,
Fernanda

(174 words)