# Letter to a landlord about broken heating: IELTS Writing Task 1 samples

Writing Task 1 - General Training - Home

The heating in the flat that you rent has stopped working.

Write a letter to your landlord. In your letter

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses. Begin your letter as follows: Dear Mr Harris,

You should say:
- describe the problem with the heating
- explain how the problem is affecting you
- say what you would like your landlord to do

Source: Sample answers and examiner notes are written by Testmigo.

## Band 7 sample

Dear Mr Harris,

I am writing to let you know that there is a problem with the heating in my flat.

Since last Monday the boiler is not working properly. Sometimes it turns on for a few minutes, but then it stops and the radiators become cold again. I tried to restart it few times and checked the instructions, but nothing changed.

This is causing a lot of problems for me and my flatmate. It has been very cold recently, especially at night, and we have to use blankets all the time, even when we are studying. Also, the hot water is not reliable, so sometimes we can't take a shower before college.

Could you please send someone to repair the boiler as soon as possible? I would prefer if the engineer could come in the afternoon, because we are at college until 1 p.m. on weekdays. Please let me know when they can come, so that one of us is at home.

Thanks a lot for your help.

Kind regards,

Ahmed Hassan

**Examiner notes.** This Band 7 letter covers all three bullets and strikes a mostly suitable semi-formal tone, with a polite request and a useful detail about when the writer is at home. However, "Thanks a lot" is rather casual for a landlord. Errors such as "Since last Monday the boiler is not working" and "few times" are noticeable. A Band 8 letter would describe the fault more precisely and show the effect on daily life with more vivid, specific examples.

The Band 8 sample is free with an account on the [topic page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/writing/topics/task-1/letter-to-landlord-about-broken-heating).

## Common questions

### How many words should I write?

At least 150 words for Task 1 and 250 for Task 2. Writing a little more is fine; an answer under the minimum loses marks.

### Can I use these sample answers in my test?

No. Memorised material is marked down and you will not get this exact question. Use the samples to see what each band does with the same task.