IELTS General Writing Task 1: Letter Asking a Neighbour a Favour (Band 9 Sample)
This General Training Task 1 asks you to write a friendly, semi-formal letter asking a neighbour for a favour while you are away. A band-9 letter covers all three bullet points, keeps a warm but polite tone, and makes the request clearly and considerately. Below is a model letter of roughly 190 words, followed by why it scores 9 on all four criteria.
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01 · The task
You are going to be away from home for a few weeks. Write a letter to your neighbour. In your letter: tell them you will be away and for how long, ask them to help with a few things while you are gone, and explain how they can reach you if necessary.
02 · Band 9 sample answer
190 words · Band 9Dear Mrs Nguyen,
I hope you are keeping well. I am writing to let you know that I will be away for about three weeks, from the 8th to the 29th of this month, as I am visiting family overseas. I wondered whether I could possibly ask you a small favour while I am gone.
There are just a couple of things I would be really grateful for. Firstly, if you could keep an eye on the house and perhaps collect any post or parcels that arrive, that would put my mind at ease. Secondly, my little balcony garden tends to suffer in the heat, so a quick watering every few days would be wonderful, if it is not too much trouble. I have left a spare key with the caretaker.
You can reach me any time on my mobile, or by email if it is easier — I have written both below. Please do call if anything comes up.
Thank you so much in advance — I really appreciate it.
Warm regards, Minh
03 · Why this scores Band 9
All three bullet points are fully covered — the absence and its length (three weeks, with dates), the favours requested (watching the house, collecting post, watering plants), and how to make contact (mobile or email, plus a spare key with the caretaker). Each point is developed considerately.
The letter flows logically — a friendly opening, the news and the request, the contact details, and a warm close — one idea per paragraph. Cohesion is natural — "I wondered whether I could...", "Firstly... Secondly...", "You can reach me..." — reading like a genuine message to a neighbour.
The vocabulary is warm and semi-formal — "keeping well", "ask you a small favour", "keep an eye on the house", "put my mind at ease", "if it is not too much trouble" — striking exactly the polite, neighbourly tone this task requires.
A range of structures is used accurately: a polite indirect request ("I wondered whether I could possibly ask you a small favour"), a first conditional ("if you could keep an eye on the house... that would put my mind at ease"), and sequencing with "Firstly/Secondly". The tone stays consistently courteous, and the letter is error-free.
04 · Useful 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.
05 · Frequently asked questions
What register should a letter to a neighbour use?
Semi-formal and warm. You know the person but not intimately, so use a first-name-or-surname greeting, polite requests ("I wondered whether I could..."), and a friendly sign-off like "Warm regards,". Neither stiffly formal nor as casual as a letter to a close friend.
How do I make a request sound polite?
Soften it with indirect phrasing and gratitude — "if it is not too much trouble", "I would be really grateful", "I wondered whether you could". Politeness markers like these are exactly what the examiner looks for in a favour request.
How many favours should I ask for?
Two or three is ideal — enough to develop the bullet point without seeming demanding. This letter asks the neighbour to watch the house, collect post and water plants, which covers the request fully.
How long should the letter be?
At least 150 words; a band-9 letter is usually 170–200. This model is 190 words, enough to cover all three bullets warmly and politely without padding.
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