GT Writing Task 1 (Letter Writing) Sample # 3
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
You are due to move into a rented apartment next month but you will not be able to because you have some problems.
Write a letter to the landlord. In your letter:
– explain your situation
– describe your problems
– tell him/her when you think you can move in
Write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear………,
Model Answer 1:
Dear Ms Ashley,
I hope you are enjoying the Autumn as it already feels splendid. I have rented your apartment 7D-3 for a duration of six months, from 1st January to 30th June. I am afraid I cannot move to your apartment on time due to the changing schedule of my training programme, for which I have primarily rented it.
As you have been informed, I have rented your apartment for the convenience of commuting to and from my training centre. All of a sudden, the provider of the training programme informed me that the routine has been changed. It was supposed to start from 7th January but would begin from 2nd February instead. Now I cannot move into your apartment at the beginning of January as I will not be allowed an early leave from my office. Besides, the extra expenditure, for moving early, would be burdensome for me.
Thank you for your understanding in this matter. It is my plan to move into your apartment during the last week of January. As a good gesture, I would like to pay you half a month’s rent at the beginning of February.
I look forward to hearing from you as early as possible. If you need me for anything, do not hesitate to contact me at 089427646.
Yours sincerely,
Paul Smith.
Sample Answer 2:
Dear Mr Hank,
I am Diana Lora, writing to inform you that I have recently agreed to rent your apartment 7B at Block: 4, Lane: 11, House: 28. I was supposed to shift there at the beginning of July, but unfortunately, I cannot move to your apartment before August 1st.
I am a teacher at a secondary school in Dartmouth and a mother of two children. Before agreeing to a lease contract with you, I was under the impression that my children will finish their term final by the end of June. However, their exam has been delayed for a couple of weeks and would not end before July 20th. I do not wish to change my living place while my children have academic exams. The process of shifting the home requires a great deal of effort and time and I am quite unable to do that all alone. This would hamper my children’s exam performance and this is something I do not want at all.
My sincere apology for the decision. I will, however, move to your flat during the first week of August and abide by the rental agreement’s clauses.
I hope you will consider my situation and allow me to move to your flat in August instead of July.
Yours truly,
Diana Lora.
Sample Answer 3:
Dear Mr Hanson,
I am Elina Martina, and I have rented your apartment on 27th Samuel Street for a year. I am supposed to move into it on the 1st of July this year. However, I am afraid, due to some unavoidable circumstances, I will not be able to do so. I will move into your apartment one month later.
A couple of days ago, my mother was diagnosed with a serious illness, and she needs immediate support from me. I will be travelling to my hometown next week and staying there for at least two weeks to take care of her.
As I am working remotely, I will stay in my hometown, work online and support my mother when she needs it the most. Since this is an emergency, and I will have to travel to my hometown, which is approximately 450 km away from here, I would not be able to vacate my current flat and move into your apartment as promised.
Nevertheless, I am positive that I will be able to get back one week before August and complete the procedure to move into your apartment on the 1st of August. I hope it will not cause you much trouble.
Yours sincerely,
Elina Martina
Tips:
Let’s thoroughly examine the question before we begin writing an answer to it.
The first line of the question says that “You should spend about 20 minutes on this task”.
This is because you have two tasks in your writing test and the second task is an essay writing which should take approximately 40 minutes. Since you are allowed one hour in total to finish your writing test, you should not spend more than 20 minutes to finish your letter.
Now read the letter topic and decide what to write in your letter. It says that “You are due to move into a rented apartment next month but you will not be able to because you have some problems.
Write a letter to the landlord. In your letter:
– explain your situation
– describe your problems
– tell him/her when you think you can move in”
Consider yourself in this situation and look at the three bullet points to finalise what to write in your letter and what not to. The question instruction clearly mentions that you need to write to your landlord, so it is going to be a semi-formal letter. We can also know the type of letters from the question instruction that says
“Begin your letter as follows:
Dear………,”.
Clearly answer to all three bullet-point questions and if you miss any of them, you score in ‘task achievements’ would be compromised.
Next, it says that “Write at least 150 words”. So in no circumstances write less than 150 words. If you do write fewer than 150 words, you will be penalised for that.
“You do NOT need to write any addresses.” clearly instructs that you must not write any address in your letter. So avoid writing a full address in a letter which can be used to determine where are you from. However, if it is absolutely necessary, you can make up a partial address like “21 North street, Yorkshire.”
The final part of the question mentions how you should start your letter. It instructs “Begin your letter as follows:
Dear………,”.
In your letter, you should replace “………” to a fictitious name. Since this is a semi-formal letter, you should add Mr/Mrs just before the name (i.e. Mr Robert/Mrs Molly).
Nice article, very informative.