IELTS General Writing Task 1: Apology Letter to Neighbours (Band 9)
This General Training Task 1 asks for an informal apology letter to your neighbours after they complained about noise from your home. A band-9 answer covers all three requirements fully — it explains why the noise happened, offers a genuine, warm apology, and describes concrete steps you will take. Because you know your neighbours personally, the tone should be friendly and first-name, not stiff or formal. The model below is about 190 words.
Get your own IELTS essay graded by AI
Band scores on all four criteria, line-by-line corrections and a model rewrite — free to start.
1The task
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. Your neighbours have recently written to you to complain about the noise from your house/flat. Write a letter to your neighbours. In your letter, you should explain the reasons for the noise, apologise to them and describe what action you will take. Write at least 150 words.
2Band 9 sample answer
188 words · Band 9Dear Sarah and Tom,
Thank you for your note, and I am so sorry that the noise from our flat has been disturbing you over the past couple of weeks. I had no idea it was carrying through the walls so badly, and I feel awful that it has affected your evenings.
The truth is that we have been renovating the spare room to turn it into a nursery, as our first baby is due in August. The drilling and hammering have run later into the evening than I would have liked, and last weekend we also had a small family gathering that got livelier than we expected.
Please accept my sincere apologies — the last thing we want is to be difficult neighbours, especially as you have always been so kind to us.
To put things right, I have asked the builders to finish all the loud work by six o’clock from now on, and we will lay down rugs to soften the sound. I would also love to have you round for coffee once the room is done, so please do knock any time.
Best wishes, Mai
3Why this scores Band 9
1Task Achievement
All three requirements are fully developed: the reasons for the noise are concrete (renovating a nursery for a baby due in August, plus a family gathering), the apology is genuine and repeated ("I am so sorry", "Please accept my sincere apologies"), and the action is specific — finishing loud work by six o’clock and laying down rugs.
2Coherence & Cohesion
The letter moves logically from acknowledgement to explanation to apology to remedy, one idea per paragraph. Cohesion is natural and informal ("The truth is that", "To put things right"), so the message flows like a real note to a friend rather than a list of connectors.
3Lexical Resource
Vocabulary suits a warm, personal register precisely: "I feel awful", "got livelier than we expected", "put things right", "have you round for coffee". The phrasing is idiomatic and sincere, never memorised or over-formal for neighbours you know.
4Grammatical Range & Accuracy
A range of accurate structures appears: present perfect continuous for the ongoing cause ("we have been renovating"), a passive-flavoured concern ("it was carrying through the walls"), and future forms for the promised action ("we will lay down rugs"). The letter is error-free.
4Useful collocations for this task
Tap a phrase to see what it means and how to use it. Natural collocations like these lift your Lexical Resource score.
5Frequently asked questions
How should I open and close an informal IELTS letter to neighbours?
Because you know them, use their first names — "Dear Sarah and Tom," — and close warmly with "Best wishes," or "All the best," followed by your first name. Avoid formal openings like "Dear Sir or Madam,", which would sound cold and lose marks for register.
How long should General Training Task 1 be?
At least 150 words. A band-9 letter usually runs 170–200 words, enough to develop each requirement fully without padding. This model is 188 words, and both the greeting and sign-off count toward the total.
Do I have to cover every part of the prompt?
Yes. This prompt has three tasks — explain the reasons, apologise, and describe your action. Missing or barely touching any one of them caps your Task Achievement score, so give each its own developed paragraph.
Can I invent details like the baby, the builders and the neighbours’ names?
Absolutely — you are expected to. Inventing a specific cause (a nursery renovation), a named remedy (rugs, a six o’clock cut-off) and real names makes the letter concrete and believable, which strengthens Task Achievement.
Want feedback on your own answer?
Toey grades your essay on Task, Coherence, Lexical Resource and Grammar, then shows exactly how to reach the next band — free to start.
Try the free IELTS Writing grader