This is an IELTS writing task 1 sample answer essay from the general training exam on the topic of writing a letter to a friend about an apartment.

Please consider supporting my efforts to creative high quality IELTS materials for students around the world by signing up for my Patreon (and so you won’t miss out on any of my exclusive IELTS Ebooks)!

Dave

IELTS Essay: Letter to a Friend about your Apartment

Your friend is going to stay in your apartment while you are away. Write a letter to your friend and include:

Where the key is

Instructions to look after the apartment

What should he/ she do on the day of your return

Hey Billy,

I’m writing to give you all the details about my (yours for a week!) apartment. Thanks for agreeing to this mutually beneficial arrangement.

So, you can find the key taped up above the doorframe. Not the safest system, I know, but the best I could think up. If it’s not there for any reason, give me a call and I can ask a neighbor to hand you the spare key. Hope the police won’t need a ring as well in that case…

Also, I didn’t want to mention this before but you’ve got quite a few chores to take care of. First of all, I left the place an absolute mess. I had a big party the other night (sorry, forgot to invite you…) and I just left all the beer bottles, pizza boxes, etc. lying around because I know how much you enjoy cleaning up after me. There are also a few pets somewhere in the apartment so make sure you feed and walk them regularly. If you can’t locate them, don’t worry about it.

Finally, sorry to burden you with this but on the day I return I’ll need you to do a couple of things. Make sure everything is cleaner than how I left it and you can tape the key back up above the doorframe (might be tough for you, being so short…) or give it to one of my neighbors. Not on good terms with the apartment to the left but on the right, it’s a new neighbor, so they should be friendly enough.

Enjoy your stay and big thanks!

Dave

Analysis

1. Hey Billy,

2. I’m writing to give you all the details about my (yours for a week!) apartment. 3. Thanks for agreeing to this mutually beneficial arrangement.

  1. Address the letter to someone.
  2. Include your purpose for writing.
  3. Add in some more detail if you want.

1. So, you can find the key taped up above the doorframe. 2. Not the safest system, I know, but the best I could think up. 3. If it’s not there for any reason, give me a call and I can ask a neighbor to hand you the spare key. 4. Hope the police won’t need a ring as well in that case…

  1. Begin to develop the first point.
  2. Add more detail to it.
  3. Keep developing it.
  4. Make sure there are 3 sentences or more for each point.

1. Also, I didn’t want to mention this before but you’ve got quite a few chores to take care of. 2. First of all, I left the place an absolute mess. 3. I had a big party the other night (sorry, forgot to invite you…) and I just left all the beer bottles, pizza boxes, etc. lying around because I know how much you enjoy cleaning up after me. 4. There are also a few pets somewhere in the apartment so make sure you feed and walk them regularly. 5. If you can’t locate them, don’t worry about it.

  1. Move on to the second point.
  2. Begin developing it.
  3. Keep developing it.
  4. Finish developing it.

1. Finally, sorry to burden you with this but on the day I return I’ll need you to do a couple of things. 2. Make sure everything is cleaner than how I left it and you can tape the key back up above the doorframe (might be tough for you, being so short…) or give it to one of my neighbors. 3. Not on good terms with the apartment to the left but on the right, it’s a new neighbor, so they should be friendly enough.

4. Enjoy your stay and big thanks!

5. Dave

  1. Develop the last point.
  2. Keep developing it.
  3. Finish developing it.
  4. Write a goodbye statement.
  5. Write your name at the end.

Vocabulary

What do the words in bold below mean?

Hey Billy,

I’m writing to give you all the details about my (yours for a week!) apartment. Thanks for agreeing to this mutually beneficial arrangement.

So, you can find the key taped up above the doorframe. Not the safest system, I know, but the best I could think up. If it’s not there for any reason, give me a call and I can ask a neighbor to hand you the spare key. Hope the police won’t need a ring as well in that case

Also, I didn’t want to mention this before but you’ve got quite a few chores to take care of. First of all, I left the place an absolute mess. I had a big party the other night (sorry, forgot to invite you…) and I just left all the beer bottles, pizza boxes, etc. lying around because I know how much you enjoy cleaning up after me. There are also a few pets somewhere in the apartment so make sure you feed and walk them regularly. If you can’t locate them, don’t worry about it.

Finally, sorry to burden you with this but on the day I return I’ll need you to do a couple of things. Make sure everything is cleaner than how I left it and you can tape the key back up above the doorframe (might be tough for you, being so short…) or give it to one of my neighbors. Not on good terms with the apartment to the left but on the right, it’s a new neighbor, so they should be friendly enough.

Enjoy your stay and big thanks!

Dave

Answers

I’m writing to my purpose is

details describes

agreeing to accepting

mutually beneficial arrangement works for both people

taped up above put over

doorframe the wooden part over the door

safest system dangerous way

think up device

for any reason with a justification

give me a call call me

neighbor person living next to you

hand you give you

spare key extra key

a ring a call

in that case in this situation

mention talk about

quite a few chores some household work

take care of look after

first of all firstly

left the place an absolute mess it is very messy

the other night some time back

invite ask to come over

etc. and so on

cleaning up after me tidying up for me

somewhere a place in the apartment

regularly often

locate find

burden make your responsibility

couple of two or more things

tough difficult

not on good terms not friendly with each other

to the left on the left side

friendly enough kind of nice with each other

stay time living there

big thanks very grateful

Pronunciation

aɪm ˈraɪtɪŋ tuː
ˈdiːteɪlz
əˈgriːɪŋ tuː
ˈmjuːtjʊəli ˌbɛnɪˈfɪʃəl əˈreɪnʤmənt
teɪpt ʌp əˈbʌv
ˈdɔːfreɪm
ˈseɪfɪst ˈsɪstɪm
θɪŋk ʌp
fɔːr ˈɛni ˈriːzn
gɪv miː ə kɔːl
ˈneɪbə
hænd juː
speə kiː
ə rɪŋ
ɪn ðæt keɪs
ˈmɛnʃən
kwaɪt ə fjuː ʧɔːz
teɪk keər ɒv
fɜːst ɒv ɔːl
lɛft ðə pleɪs ən ˈæbsəluːt mɛs
ði ˈʌðə naɪt
ɪnˈvaɪt
ɪtˈsɛtrə.
ˈkliːnɪŋ ʌp ˈɑːftə miː
ˈsʌmweə
ˈrɛgjʊləli
ləʊˈkeɪt
ˈbɜːdn
ˈkʌpl ɒv
tʌf
nɒt ɒn gʊd tɜːmz
tuː ðə lɛft
ˈfrɛndli ɪˈnʌf
steɪ
bɪg θæŋks

Vocabulary Practice

Remember and fill in the blanks:

Hey Billy,

I_____________o give you all the d_______s about my (yours for a week!) apartment. Thanks for a___________o this m__________________________t.

So, you can find the key t__________________e the d______________e. Not the s_______________m, I know, but the best I could t___________p. If it’s not there f_______________n, g_________________l and I can ask a n__________r to h________________u the s_____________y. Hope the police won’t need a__________g as well i______________e

Also, I didn’t want to m___________n this before but you’ve got q_______________s to t________________f. F___________l, I l____________________________s. I had a big party t________________t (sorry, forgot to i________e you…) and I just left all the beer bottles, pizza boxes, e___. lying around because I know how much you enjoy c__________________________e. There are also a few pets s_____________e in the apartment so make sure you feed and walk them r____________y. If you can’t l_________e them, don’t worry about it.

Finally, sorry to b________n you with this but on the day I return I’ll need you to do a_____________f things. Make sure everything is cleaner than how I left it and you can tape the key back up above the doorframe (might be t_______h for you, being so short…) or give it to one of my neighbors. N_________________s with the apartment t____________t but on the right, it’s a new neighbor, so they should be f_________________h.

Enjoy your s____y and b____________s!

Dave

Listening Practice

Learn more about this topic in the video below and practice with these activities:

Reading Practice

Read more about this topic and use these ideas to practice:

https://www.triplecrowncorp.com/happy-apartment/

Speaking Practice

Practice with the following speaking questions from the real IELTS speaking exam:

Friends

  1. Do you talk about yourself to your friends?
  2. Do you like to listen or talk with your friends?
  3. Do you often change your mind about your friends?
  4. Is it important to have friends?

Writing Practice

Practice with the related topic below and then check with my sample answer:

Write a letter to friend to inform them of a celebration you are having for a recent job promotion. Include information about

The promotion

The celebration

Their accommodation

Recommended For You