You will move to a new city for work. You know some people who live there. Write a letter to someone you know who lives there. In your letter: - ask them for help in finding accommodation - tell them where you would like to live - tell them the type of place you are looking for
Sample Response
Dear Mr Khalid, Hope you are in the best of health. You would be glad to hear that I will be moving to Saudi Arabia for a new job in a private company that I have been offered recently. I will arrive in Riyadh city in two months and will require your help to find suitable accommodation as I have to join the company next March. I would like my living place to be near my office which is in the city centre as I do not want to commute a long distance daily. The location, if possible, should have a park and a supermarket nearby so that I can spend my free time jogging around and buy groceries easily. I would like to live in an apartment rather than a large house because it will be cheaper. A parking facility is a must as I plan to buy a car. Also, I would like access to a sports club to play sports during weekends. I am sure you can help me find a good place so that I can settle down quickly. Best regards, Mubashir Mehdi
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Complete the greeting Original: Dear Mr Khalid, Hope Suggested revision: Dear Mr Khalid, I hope Why it matters: The greeting should be followed by a complete sentence with the subject 'I'.
- 2. Use direct future form Original: would Suggested revision: will Why it matters: 'Will' is the natural form when announcing news that the recipient is expected to welcome.
- 3. Fix relative-clause attachment Original: a new job in a private company that I have been offered recently Suggested revision: a new job that I was recently offered by a private company Why it matters: The original relative clause incorrectly suggests that the company, rather than the job, was offered.
- 4. Use the city name Original: Riyadh city Suggested revision: Riyadh Why it matters: The proper name already identifies the city, so 'city' is unnecessary.
- 5. Use natural noun Original: my living place Suggested revision: my home Why it matters: 'My home' is the natural expression for the place where the writer will live.
- 6. Use natural time phrase Original: commute a long distance daily Suggested revision: commute a long distance every day Why it matters: 'Every day' is more natural than 'daily' after this verb phrase.
- 7. Remove vague particle Original: jogging around Suggested revision: jogging Why it matters: 'Around' is vague and unnecessary because the park already supplies the location.
- 8. Specify the requirement Original: facility Suggested revision: space Why it matters: 'Parking space' names the requested feature more precisely.
- 9. Correct time preposition Original: during Suggested revision: at Why it matters: 'At weekends' is the standard prepositional phrase in this context.
- 10. Organise the letter Suggested revision: Divide the letter into short paragraphs for the move and request, the preferred location, and the required property features. Why it matters: Clear paragraphing would make the sequence of information easier for the recipient to follow.
Suggested Rewrites
- Dear Mr Khalid, Hope Dear Mr Khalid, I hope
- would will
- a new job in a private company that I have been offered recently a new job that I was recently offered by a private company
- Riyadh city Riyadh
- my living place my home
- commute a long distance daily commute a long distance every day
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter fully covers the request, preferred location, and desired accommodation with relevant practical detail, and the language is consistently clear and appropriately friendly. Its main weakness is presentation as one continuous paragraph, alongside a few awkward expressions and sentence-boundary issues. The highest-priority improvement is to group the request, location preferences, and property requirements into separate paragraphs while refining collocations.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The letter achieves its purpose, addresses every bullet point, and develops the location and property preferences with relevant detail.
For even greater precision, add a practical constraint such as an approximate budget or preferred rental period.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas progress logically from the move to location and property requirements, but the entire letter is presented as one continuous paragraph.
Separate the opening request, preferred area, and accommodation features into clear functional paragraphs.
Lexical Resource
A flexible range of vocabulary communicates detailed preferences clearly, with only occasional awkward choices such as ‘my living place’.
Refine natural collocations by using expressions such as ‘a place to live’, ‘near my workplace’, and ‘at weekends’.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Varied complex sentences are mostly accurate and easy to understand, though a few modifier and sentence-boundary problems remain.
Correct constructions such as the company ‘that I have been offered’ and punctuate the greeting and opening sentence separately.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You will move to a new city for work. You know some people who live there. Write a letter to someone you know who lives there. In your letter:
- ask them for help in finding accommodation
- tell them where you would like to live
- tell them the type of place you are looking for
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.