The classic GT opener: a firm but polite repair request. The band is won on tone — annoyed but civil — and on covering all three bullets with specifics.
20 min·≥ 150 words·Classic GT scenario
You rent a flat and the heating system stopped working several days ago. You have already told your landlord once, but nothing has happened. Write a letter to your landlord. In your letter: • remind them of the problem and when it started • explain how the situation is affecting you • say what you want the landlord to do and by when You do NOT need to write any addresses. Begin your letter as follows: Dear Mr Davies,
How to crack it
A 4-step plan for the letter
Fix the register first.
Who is the reader — stranger, acquaintance, or friend? That decides every word from "Dear…" to the sign-off. Register is half of Task Achievement here.
One bullet = one paragraph.
Three bullets, three body paragraphs, in the same order. The examiner literally ticks them off — a missed or thin bullet caps the band.
Open with the purpose.
"I am writing to…" (formal) or "Just wanted to tell you…" (informal). The reader should know why you're writing by the end of line one.
Close in the same voice.
"Yours faithfully" after Dear Sir or Madam; "Yours sincerely" after a name; "Best wishes" to a friend. A mismatched sign-off is a register error in the last line they read.
What loses you the band
The four traps this question sets
Mixed register
"I am writing to inform you" next to "gonna" — pick one voice and hold it.
A skipped bullet
All three bullet points must be covered AND developed. Two done well is still a penalty.
Copying the prompt
Paraphrase the situation in your own words — lifted lines don't count toward 150.
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“A letter asking your neighbour to look after your flat while you are away”
20 min · ≥150 words
No invented detail
Letters need specifics: names, dates, model numbers. "The product" all the way through reads as memorised.