Band 8.0Expert

General Task 1: Letter to a landlord about broken heating

General Task 1 202 words 1 min read

Task

You are renting a flat and the heating has stopped working. Write a letter to your landlord. In your letter, explain the problem, say what you have already done, and tell him what you would like him to do. Write at least 150 words. Begin your letter as follows: Dear Mr Hughes,

Band 8.0 answer

Dear Mr Hughes,

I am writing about the heating in my flat at 8 Mill Lane, which stopped working on 3 November.

At first I assumed it was a minor fault, so I checked that the boiler was switched on and that the thermostat batteries were fresh. When the radiators remained cold, I contacted your office on 4 November and was told that someone would call within two days. Unfortunately, nobody has contacted me since, and the flat is now very cold in the evenings. I have a young child, so this is a serious concern.

I would be grateful if you could arrange for an engineer to visit as soon as possible, preferably within the next three days. Since I work during the day, a visit after 5 p.m. would be ideal, although I can leave a key with my neighbour if that is easier for you. In the meantime, could you let me know whether you are able to provide electric heaters?

I would like to resolve this quickly and am happy to discuss any questions by phone on 07700 900123.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,
Sam Whitfield

Topics:lettercomplaintlandlordformal

Why this scores 8.0

One note for each marking criterion.

Task achievement: All three bullet points are covered: the problem, what has been done, and the request, with the date, address and contact details a landlord needs.
Coherence and cohesion: Short paragraphs in a natural order: purpose, background, request, closing.
Lexical resource: Formal register without being stiff: 'I would be grateful if', 'in the meantime'.
Grammatical range and accuracy: Polite modal forms and correct tense choices for completed actions versus ongoing problems.
Note: Drafted by AI for study use and not examiner-marked. Treat the band as a target, not a guarantee.

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