General Writing Sample Task 1 #86
Tip for IELTS
Some verbs can be followed by either a gerund or an infinitive. Be careful, as the meaning will often change depending on whether the gerund or infinitive is used. For example:
The woman stopped talking to her neighbour.
The woman stopped to talk to her neighbour.
In the first sentence, the woman finished talking to her neighbour. In the second sentence, the woman stopped what she was doing to go and talk to her neighbour.
Warning:
We use a gerund after enjoy but we don’t use an infinitive:
Not:
They enjoyed meeting people on their trip.
Not:
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
Your next-door neighbour likes to listen to music late at night. Because of the loud music, you often lose sleep.
Write a letter to the building manager. In your letter
- describe the situation
- explain the problems it is causing you
- offer at least one solution
Write at least 150 words.
Model answer
Dear Mr. Rockwell,
I have been living in this apartment building for six years now, and I have always been a responsible tenant. I am especially careful to be respectful of my neighbours in this building. I would like to bring your attention to a problem I am having with one of my neighbours.
Last month, Mrs. Somers moved into apartment 2A, right next door to me. She enjoys listening to music late at night, often after midnight. The music is very loud and I can easily hear it in my bedroom. It makes it very difficult for me to fall asleep. I have to get up at 6:00 A.M. in order to get to work on time, so this is a serious problem for me.
Since Mrs. Somers is new to the building, perhaps she isn't aware of the building rules about noise at night. I wonder if you would speak to her and remind her of this. Also, maybe you could post a notice in the lobby about the noise rule for all the tenants to see.
Thank you for your help.
Sincerely,
Calvin Harris
(187 words)