You have invited a friend to come to your house next holiday. He/she has asked you how to get to your house from the airport. However, you are going to the airport to receive him/her. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: explain that you will meet him/her at the airport say what you have planned for your friend write some important things that he/she might find useful
Sample Response
Dear Alison, I am quite excited about your visit to my house during the coming summer holidays. If there is no change in your flight schedule, I take it that you will come to visit me on 18th August. I also understand that you want the direction to my house from the airport. But, I think that it would be better if I come to the airport and pick you up instead. Just to let you know a little about my plans, I will take you to a nice restaurant for dinner, after your arrival, where we will enjoy Italian food. The next morning, we will hit the road to travel to the most popular sea beach in my country which you have always wanted to visit. We will also visit a theatre to enjoy a movie, go to the museum and try some local food. Also, please don’t forget to bring some clothes suitable for the summer season since summers in my country are really hot unlike the summer weather in your country. Also, bring your prescription if you want to buy any medicine from here. Take care. Can't wait to meet you. Warm wishes, Adam Spencer
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Natural time phrase Original: during the coming summer holidays Suggested revision: during the summer holidays Why it matters: The simpler phrase is more natural.
- 2. Future plan Original: I take it that you will come Suggested revision: I understand that you will come Why it matters: This sounds clearer and more natural in a friendly letter.
- 3. Plural noun Original: the direction to my house Suggested revision: directions to my house Why it matters: Use “directions” when explaining how to get somewhere.
- 4. Offer clearly Original: I come to the airport and pick you up Suggested revision: I come to the airport to pick you up Why it matters: The infinitive makes the purpose clearer.
- 5. Concise transition Original: Just to let you know a little about my plans Suggested revision: Here is what I have planned Why it matters: This introduces the planned activities more directly.
- 6. Cleaner clauses Original: for dinner, after your arrival, where we will enjoy Suggested revision: for dinner after your arrival, where we can enjoy Why it matters: The commas interrupt the sentence unnecessarily.
- 7. Natural trip phrase Original: hit the road to travel to Suggested revision: set off for Why it matters: This is shorter and more natural.
- 8. Beach phrase Original: the most popular sea beach Suggested revision: the most popular beach Why it matters: “Sea beach” is not a natural collocation in standard English.
- 9. Personal detail Original: which you have always wanted to visit Suggested revision: which you have always wanted to see Why it matters: “See” sounds more natural for a beach destination.
- 10. Vary link Original: Also, please don’t forget Suggested revision: One important thing: please don’t forget Why it matters: This highlights the practical advice and avoids repeating “Also”.
- 11. Concise clothing phrase Original: some clothes suitable for the summer season Suggested revision: some light summer clothes Why it matters: This is more natural and specific.
- 12. Comparison comma Original: really hot unlike the summer weather Suggested revision: really hot, unlike the summer weather Why it matters: A comma helps mark the comparison.
Suggested Rewrites
- during the coming summer holidays during the summer holidays
- I take it that you will come I understand that you will come
- the direction to my house directions to my house
- I come to the airport and pick you up I come to the airport to pick you up
- Just to let you know a little about my plans Here is what I have planned
- for dinner, after your arrival, where we will enjoy for dinner after your arrival, where we can enjoy
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Achievement
The letter fully covers the airport pickup, planned activities, and useful advice about clothes and prescriptions. The tone is warm and appropriate for a friend, with relevant detail throughout.
Add one or two practical arrival details, such as where exactly you will wait at the airport or how to contact you if the flight changes.
Coherence and Cohesion
The ideas are easy to follow and the sequence from arrival to plans and practical advice is logical. The main limitation is that everything is compressed into one paragraph, with repeated “Also” links.
Use paragraph breaks and vary linking phrases so the plan and useful information stand out.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is flexible enough for an informal invitation letter, including “flight schedule”, “hit the road”, and “prescription”. A few collocations are inaccurate, such as “the direction” and “summer season”.
Keep the friendly idioms but choose more natural travel phrases such as “directions” and “summer clothes”.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Grammar is mostly accurate, with a range of simple and complex sentences. Minor problems include article choice, plural forms, and some long sentences that need punctuation.
Check plural nouns and article use, especially “directions”, “a theatre”, and “the summer weather”.