General Writing Sample Task 1 #5
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The Local Council in the area where you live has decided to demolish an old historical building to build a shopping centre.
Write a letter to the head of the Council. In your letter:
- explain why it is important to preserve the old building
- suggest how the building can be used to benefit the local community
- suggest another place for the shopping centre
Write at least 150 words.
Model answer
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the Local Council's decision to demolish the Castlemaine Market building in the Old Town where I have lived for six years.
Although the building is in a very poor condition, I do not think it is beyond repair. I believe that the Castlemaine Market can be restored and put to good use for the local community.
It can be used to house a tourist information centre or a community centre for the people living in the area. I am convinced that you would have no shortage of people who would gladly volunteer to organise a fund-raising campaign for the cause.
I understand that the proposed shopping centre is going to bring business and jobs to the area, but I do not think this should be done at the expense of losing one of the oldest and most interesting historical landmarks in Old Town. I wonder if the Council has considered the abandoned cement factory on the corner of the Victoria Street and Kingsway Lane as a possible site for the construction project.
I hope the Council reconsiders the decision to demolish the Castlemaine Market and finds a different site for building the shopping centre.
Yours faithfully,
Myles Gray
(210 words)