General Writing Sample Task 1 #5

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The Local Council in the area where you live has decided to demolish an old historical building to build a shopping centre.

Write a letter to the head of the Council. In your letter:

  • explain why it is important to preserve the old building
  • suggest how the building can be used to benefit the local community
  • suggest another place for the shopping centre

Write at least 150 words.

Model answer

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the Local Council's decision to demolish the Castlemaine Market building in the Old Town where I have lived for six years.

Although the building is in a very poor condition, I do not think it is beyond repair. I believe that the Castlemaine Market can be restored and put to good use for the local community.

It can be used to house a tourist information centre or a community centre for the people living in the area. I am convinced that you would have no shortage of people who would gladly volunteer to organise a fund-raising campaign for the cause.

I understand that the proposed shopping centre is going to bring business and jobs to the area, but I do not think this should be done at the expense of losing one of the oldest and most interesting historical landmarks in Old Town. I wonder if the Council has considered the abandoned cement factory on the corner of the Victoria Street and Kingsway Lane as a possible site for the construction project.

I hope the Council reconsiders the decision to demolish the Castlemaine Market and finds a different site for building the shopping centre.

Yours faithfully,
Myles Gray

(210 words)


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