A friend of yours has recently written to you asking for advice about a problem at work. You have had a similar problem at your workplace in the past. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: - tell your friend how you feel about the problem - explain how you faced a similar situation in the past - suggest possible solutions to the problem
Sample Response
Dear Sam, Hope you're doing great. I've got your recent letter and learned about the problem, which you seem to be currently facing at your work. Of course, I feel a bit frustrated about this issue of yours, but please understand that this kind of problem is not very unique. In fact, I also had to deal with this type of problem about a couple of years ago when I was also asked to visit our manufacturing plant to train some junior staff members in a different city almost every other day, even though it was never a part of my job description. But, I kept doing it as long as I could, but then went on to prove to my upper management how the quality of my regular tasks was being affected rather negatively as I was getting a bit too tired of the long travel to finish my regular tasks on time.
Luckily, the upper management understood my problem as I spoke to them very candidly. I suggest, you also talk to your superior about your problem with some facts, and I'm sure that they will listen. Wishing you all the best. Take care. Warm wishes, Gregory
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Show warmer empathy Original: a bit frustrated about this issue of yours Suggested revision: concerned about what you are going through Why it matters: This wording expresses support more naturally in an informal letter to a friend.
- 2. Avoid graded unique Original: not very unique Suggested revision: not unusual Why it matters: 'Unique' is normally absolute, while 'unusual' conveys the intended meaning accurately.
- 3. Remove redundancy Original: about a couple of years ago Suggested revision: a couple of years ago Why it matters: 'About' is redundant because 'a couple of years' already gives an approximate time.
- 4. Remove extra comma Original: But, Suggested revision: But Why it matters: A comma should not separate this coordinating conjunction from the clause it introduces.
- 5. Clarify cause of fatigue Original: too tired of the long travel Suggested revision: too tired from the frequent travel Why it matters: 'Tired from' correctly identifies travel as the cause of physical fatigue.
- 6. Fix suggest pattern Original: I suggest, you Suggested revision: I suggest that you Why it matters: The verb 'suggest' takes a that-clause here and should not be followed by a comma.
- 7. Use precise support Original: with some facts Suggested revision: with supporting evidence Why it matters: This phrase more clearly describes the information the friend should present.
- 8. Sentence rewrite Original: I've got your recent letter and learned about the problem, which you seem to be currently facing at your work. Suggested revision: I've received your recent letter and learned about the problem you are currently facing at work. Why it matters: The rewrite removes the awkward tense combination and unnecessary relative clause.
- 9. Clarify experience sequence Suggested revision: Break the account of your experience into shorter sentences and make the sequence of extra duties, their impact, and your response explicit. Why it matters: The long account currently makes the progression from problem to action difficult to follow.
Suggested Rewrites
- a bit frustrated about this issue of yours concerned about what you are going through
- not very unique not unusual
- about a couple of years ago a couple of years ago
- But, But
- too tired of the long travel too tired from the frequent travel
- I suggest, you I suggest that you
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter maintains a warm, supportive tone and uses a relevant personal example to make the advice convincing. Its main limitation is that the proposed solution is narrow and some ideas are packed into an overly long sentence with awkward phrasing. Offering one or two additional practical options and dividing the experience into clearer stages would strengthen both the usefulness and readability of the response.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The response addresses all three bullet points in an appropriate informal tone, with the past experience developed particularly well.
Develop the advice further by suggesting another practical option if speaking to the superior does not resolve the problem.
Coherence and Cohesion
The message progresses clearly from sympathy to personal experience and advice, although one long sentence carries too many linked ideas.
Break the account of the past situation into shorter stages and give the recommendation its own paragraph.
Lexical Resource
A flexible range of work-related vocabulary conveys the situation and advice clearly, despite several awkward collocations.
Replace unnatural phrases such as at your work and talk with some facts with more idiomatic alternatives.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The letter shows varied complex structures with generally good control, while punctuation and clause management cause occasional lapses.
Edit long sentences to remove repeated conjunctions and correct unnecessary commas after introductory verbs.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
A friend of yours has recently written to you asking for advice about a problem at work. You have had a similar problem at your workplace in the past. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:
- tell your friend how you feel about the problem
- explain how you faced a similar situation in the past
- suggest possible solutions to the problem
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.