Your friend has asked for advice about a visit that his/her parents will make to your area. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: - recommend a place where they can stay - suggest places they can visit - offer to do something with them
Sample Response
Dear Jessica,
I'm so glad to hear from you after such a long timeafter a long time. I'm also very happy that your parents are planning to visit my areathe area where I live. So, any idea as to exactly what time of the year your parents are planning to visit? But if I were themBut, if I were them, I'd visit the areaI'd visit it in springduring the spring because that’s when the area comes aliveit becomes alive and more enjoyable due to the arrival of a bird colonyformation of some “bird colony”.
They can also visit the large shopping mall during the daydaytime and visit the small restaurantswhile visiting the small restaurants near the river induring the evening. They can enjoy some affordable, fresh foodaffordable but fresh food, in addition to visiting a famous old olive gardenfamous but old olive garden there. But, if they are not into any of these things, I'd be more than happy to accompany them to some temples, the museum, and also perhaps meet some very generous local residents.
By the way, when they arriveonce they visit here, they can stay at one of the hotels on Northnorth Rupel Street since they are not only affordable but also close to downtownthe downtown.
Hope to meet them soon. Talk to you again!
Best wishes,
Emma
Why this response received Band 7.0
The friendly letter covers all three practical points and gives the parents several concrete options, with an appropriate offer to accompany them. Its main limitation is occasional imprecision and awkward linking, especially in descriptions such as the bird colony and the sequence of suggested activities. Prioritise clearer, more natural descriptions and organise the advice in a smoother order from accommodation to sightseeing and shared plans.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All three bullet points are addressed with relevant recommendations, and the warm informal tone is consistently suitable for a friend.
Make the seasonal recommendation more concrete by explaining what visitors can see or do during spring rather than referring vaguely to a bird colony.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter is clearly paragraphed and easy to follow, though the accommodation advice arrives after the sightseeing details and some links are repetitive.
Group the advice in a more natural sequence—where to stay, what to visit, and what you can do together—while varying the transitions.
Lexical Resource
There is enough range to describe accommodation, food, and attractions, but several combinations such as "affordable but fresh food" are imprecise or unnatural.
Choose more exact collocations, for example "affordable, freshly prepared food" and "close to downtown," and avoid unnecessary contrast markers.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A good variety of sentence forms is generally controlled, and the few awkward constructions do not impede meaning.
Review reference words and parallel structures so expressions such as "that’s when it becomes alive" have a clear subject and activity lists remain balanced.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
Your friend has asked for advice about a visit that his/her parents will make to your area. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:
- recommend a place where they can stay
- suggest places they can visit
- offer to do something with them
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.