IELTS Writing Task 1

Formal Letter to the Environmental Protection Agency About Factory Water Pollution

An IELTS Writing Task 1 General Training letter prompt. Read the scenario carefully, then respond with the required tone and three bullet points in a timed session.

General TrainingHard
Estimated time

20 min

Credits

2

Recommended length

150+ words

Question Prompt

Review the prompt carefully before you open the timed writing workspace.

The river near your neighbourhood has changed colour and begun to smell foul over the past few months. An investigation has revealed that a chemical factory upstream has been discharging untreated wastewater into the river. Fish deaths have already been reported, and the river water is also used for irrigation of surrounding farmland, raising serious concerns about food safety. Write a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency. In your letter: - describe the current state of the river pollution and its cause in detail - explain the impact this pollution is having on residents' health and the local ecosystem - demand an immediate investigation and corrective measures

How to Approach This Question

A quick, practical checklist for this specific task type.

  1. 1

    Use a formal salutation (Dear Sir/Madam) and sign-off (Yours faithfully) — no contractions, no casual tone.

  2. 2

    Address each of the three bullet points in its own paragraph with clear topic sentences.

  3. 3

    Request or state the action you expect explicitly in the closing paragraph before signing off.

  4. 4

    Aim for 160–180 words in 20 minutes while keeping sentence structure varied.

Formal Letter·Hard

Key Topic Vocabulary

Useful terms and concepts to weave into your answer for this prompt.

water pollutionfactory wastewaterenvironmental protectionecosystem damagefood safety

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