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 Annie, Hope you're doing fine. It’s been a while since we've written to each other. You'll be glad to hear that I'll move to London soon to take a job that I've been offered at Liberty Global. I'll reach London in a few weeks. As you know, I've never been to London, and I am hoping you could help me in finding suitable accommodation. Though my company has arranged a studio apartment for the first two weeks, I'll have to vacate the place after that. My preference would be to live close to my workplace, which is in central London, as it would save a lot of time. If I could get something near the tube station and the marketplace, that would be great. I'm mostly looking for a furnished studio apartment. If the studio apartment is not available, I would not mind sharing a flat with a girl. But the apartment should be spacious with a good ventilation facility. My budget is around $1000 pounds for the studio apartment and half of that for the shared room. Do you think I will get something in that budget? I know you have a wide social circle there, and I would really appreciate your time to find me suitable accommodation. Looking forward to meeting you soon. Warm wishes, Preeti
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Add explicit subject Original: Hope you're doing fine Suggested revision: I hope you're doing fine Why it matters: Adding the subject makes the greeting a complete sentence.
- 2. Correct since clause Original: since we've written to each other Suggested revision: since we wrote to each other Why it matters: The simple past is natural after since when referring to the last exchange.
- 3. Use planned future form Original: I'll move to London soon Suggested revision: I'll be moving to London soon Why it matters: The future continuous sounds natural for an already arranged move.
- 4. Use arrival collocation Original: I'll reach London Suggested revision: I'll arrive in London Why it matters: Arrive in is the natural collocation for reaching a city.
- 5. Correct help pattern Original: help me in finding Suggested revision: help me find Why it matters: Help can be followed directly by the object and base verb.
- 6. Use indefinite article Original: the Suggested revision: a Why it matters: No specific studio apartment has been identified, so the indefinite article is appropriate.
- 7. Use natural collocation Original: a good ventilation facility Suggested revision: good ventilation Why it matters: Ventilation is normally expressed directly without facility in this context.
- 8. Use one currency marker Original: $1000 pounds Suggested revision: £1,000 Why it matters: The dollar sign and pounds name two different currency formats and should not be combined.
- 9. Correct appreciate pattern Original: appreciate your time to find me suitable accommodation Suggested revision: appreciate your taking the time to help me find suitable accommodation Why it matters: Appreciate takes a noun or gerund phrase, and help me find expresses the request naturally.
- 10. Use polite request tense Original: am Suggested revision: was Why it matters: The past progressive is a natural polite form for a request to a friend.
- 11. Match friendly register Original: vacate the place Suggested revision: move out Why it matters: Move out is more natural in an informal letter to a friend.
- 12. Use nonspecific locations Original: near the tube station and the marketplace Suggested revision: near a tube station and local shops Why it matters: No particular station or market has been identified, so the revised phrase is clearer.
Suggested Rewrites
- Hope you're doing fine I hope you're doing fine
- since we've written to each other since we wrote to each other
- I'll move to London soon I'll be moving to London soon
- I'll reach London I'll arrive in London
- help me in finding help me find
- the a
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter clearly asks for accommodation help and gives useful detail about the preferred area, property type, alternatives, and budget in a friendly tone. Its main limitation is imprecise phrasing, including “ventilation facility,” “$1000 pounds,” and an awkward request for the friend’s time. Prioritise natural housing vocabulary and accurate currency expression while retaining the effective level of practical detail.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All three bullet points are fully addressed with relevant detail about location, accommodation type, alternatives, facilities, and budget.
Clarify whether the stated budget is monthly and use one currency so the friend can search more effectively.
Coherence and Cohesion
The ideas progress logically from the move to location preferences, property requirements, budget, and the final request, despite limited paragraphing.
Divide the message into short functional paragraphs so the request, preferences, and budget can be found immediately.
Lexical Resource
There is a good range of practical housing vocabulary, but several collocations and expressions are imprecise or unnatural.
Use phrases such as “well ventilated,” “flat-share,” and “help me find accommodation,” and remove the mixed currency expression.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Varied sentence structures and conditionals are generally well controlled, with a few article, preposition, and fragment errors.
Revise fragments such as “Hope you’re doing fine” and “Looking forward to meeting you” into complete sentences and check article use.
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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.