A family member is coming to stay with you. He/she will be arriving by train in the morning, but you won’t be home until the evening. Write a letter to your relative. In your letter: - explain the arrangements you have made for him/her to get keys - tell your relative how to get from the train station to your house - say when you will be home and suggest what you could do together that evening
Sample Response
Dear Ivan, Hope you are doing fine. I am so glad that you are coming to stay with me. But, unfortunately, I will not be able to pick you up from the train station since I will be staying out of the town on that morning for some important work. You know how the job of a Marketing Director goes. But, please don’t you worry because I have requested my landlady to hand you over the keys to my apartment as soon as you come. Besides, I will be back at my apartment on that same day during the evening time. And as soon as I arrive, we both will head to an upscale restaurant to eat our dinner. After that, we will go to a nearby lake which looks gorgeous at night. Anyway, before I end, let me give you the direction to my apartment from the train station. Just take a taxi and ask the driver to take you to “Oaktree village home” and the driver will take you there. It is a popular residential place in the town, and every taxi driver knows it. Warm wishes, Lance Jerry
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Add sentence subject Original: Hope you are doing fine Suggested revision: I hope you are doing well Why it matters: A complete sentence needs the subject I, and doing well is the standard expression.
- 2. Remove incorrect linker punctuation Original: But, unfortunately, Suggested revision: Unfortunately, Why it matters: But is unnecessary, and it should not be separated from its clause by a comma.
- 3. Correct fixed place phrase Original: staying out of the town Suggested revision: out of town Why it matters: Out of town is the standard expression and does not take the definite article.
- 4. Remove unnecessary preposition Original: on that morning Suggested revision: that morning Why it matters: A demonstrative time expression such as that morning does not require on.
- 5. Clarify reason phrase Original: for some important work Suggested revision: because of an important work commitment Why it matters: The replacement gives the absence a clearer and more natural explanation.
- 6. Lowercase generic job title Original: a Marketing Director Suggested revision: a marketing director Why it matters: A generic occupational title is not capitalized after an article.
- 7. Correct reassurance phrase Original: But, please don’t you worry Suggested revision: Please don't worry Why it matters: The original uses an unnecessary linker and an incorrect interrogative-style word order.
- 8. Correct request collocation Original: requested Suggested revision: asked Why it matters: A person asks someone to do something; request does not take a person directly in this structure.
- 9. Correct object order Original: hand you over the keys Suggested revision: hand the keys to you Why it matters: Hand over separates differently, while hand the keys to you gives the intended transfer clearly.
- 10. Use precise arrival link Original: as soon as you come Suggested revision: when you arrive Why it matters: The replacement refers directly to the relative's arrival at the property.
- 11. Use suitable time transition Original: Besides, I will be back Suggested revision: I will be back Why it matters: Besides signals an additional argument and is unnecessary before a simple return-time statement.
- 12. Condense return time Original: on that same day during the evening time Suggested revision: that evening Why it matters: The replacement removes redundant time words while preserving the stated return period.
Suggested Rewrites
- Hope you are doing fine I hope you are doing well
- But, unfortunately, Unfortunately,
- staying out of the town out of town
- on that morning that morning
- for some important work because of an important work commitment
- a Marketing Director a marketing director
Why this response received Band 6.5
The letter maintains a warm, suitable family tone and covers the key collection, taxi journey, evening return, and two suggested activities. Its main limitation is practical vagueness: it gives no precise return time, landlady contact or collection point, and only a general destination for the taxi. The priority is to provide exact key-collection instructions, a full address or landmark, and a specific time when the writer will be home.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All three requirements are covered with relevant plans, but the key arrangements, directions, and return time lack enough practical detail.
Give the landlady's location or contact details, the complete destination address, and an approximate homecoming time before suggesting dinner and the lake visit.
Coherence and Cohesion
The content is easy to follow overall, though the route directions come after the evening plans and the entire letter remains one paragraph.
Order the letter by arrival sequence: key collection, travel from the station, return time, and evening activities, using separate short paragraphs.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary is adequate and sometimes lively, but phrases such as 'staying out of the town', 'hand you over the keys', and 'eat our dinner' are unnatural.
Use idiomatic expressions such as 'out of town', 'give you the keys', 'have dinner', and 'a well-known residential complex'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of sentence forms conveys the plan clearly, but fragments, unnecessary commas, word order, and article errors recur.
Write complete sentences after the greeting and use natural structures such as 'Please don't worry' and 'I will be home at about six'.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
A family member is coming to stay with you. He/she will be arriving by train in the morning, but you won’t be home until the evening. Write a letter to your relative. In your letter:
- explain the arrangements you have made for him/her to get keys
- tell your relative how to get from the train station to your house
- say when you will be home and suggest what you could do together that evening
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.