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 Samir, Hope you are doing great. I cannot find fitting words to express how excited I am to hear that you will be visiting me next week. I am very much looking forward to having you and spending some quality time together. Unfortunately, on 7th June, the day of your arrival, I have an important meeting in my office and I am expected there early in the morning. I wish I could have been at the train station to receive you. However, do not worry, I will keep the keys to my neighbour, George. He lives in the opposite apartment- B2 and will be expecting you at around 9:30 am. Just tell him that you are my cousin Samir and he will hand over you the keys. From the train station, you can hail a taxi and give him my apartment's address. He will do the rest as the address is quite familiar to taxi drivers. The rent should be anything between 15 to 20 pounds. I will be back at 6.30 pm and will take you to dinner at one of my favourite restaurants. Afterwards, we can walk for a few minutes and meet aunt Lucy who lives nearby. I have so many things to share with you and I plan to do many exciting things together, just like the days in our childhood! Wishing you a safe journey. Best wishes, James
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Add sentence subject Original: Hope you are doing great Suggested revision: I hope you are doing well Why it matters: A complete sentence needs the subject "I" before "hope".
- 2. Clarify the meaning Original: looking forward to having you Suggested revision: looking forward to having you stay Why it matters: Adding "stay" makes it clear that the writer is anticipating the relative's visit.
- 3. Use natural preposition Original: in Suggested revision: at Why it matters: "At my office" is the more natural phrase for the location of a meeting.
- 4. Complete passive structure Original: expected there Suggested revision: expected to be there Why it matters: The passive construction requires the infinitive "to be" before the location.
- 5. Correct key arrangement Original: keep the keys to my neighbour Suggested revision: leave the keys with my neighbour Why it matters: The correct expression for entrusting keys to someone is "leave the keys with" them.
- 6. Fix location punctuation Original: opposite apartment- B2 Suggested revision: apartment opposite, B2, Why it matters: The revised punctuation correctly sets off the apartment identifier within the sentence.
- 7. Correct phrasal verb order Original: hand over you the keys Suggested revision: hand the keys over to you Why it matters: With the object stated, "hand over" requires "to" before the recipient.
- 8. Use taxi cost term Original: rent Suggested revision: fare Why it matters: A taxi journey has a "fare," whereas "rent" is payment for using property over time.
- 9. Correct range structure Original: to Suggested revision: and Why it matters: The correlative construction is "between ... and," not "between ... to."
- 10. Use natural expression Original: fitting words Suggested revision: the right words Why it matters: "The right words" is the more idiomatic phrase for expressing strong feelings.
- 11. Make tone conversational Original: very much Suggested revision: really Why it matters: "Really" sounds more natural in this warm, informal letter to a relative.
- 12. Fix comma splice Original: do not worry, Suggested revision: do not worry; Why it matters: A semicolon correctly separates the reassurance from the following independent clause.
Suggested Rewrites
- Hope you are doing great I hope you are doing well
- looking forward to having you looking forward to having you stay
- in at
- expected there expected to be there
- keep the keys to my neighbour leave the keys with my neighbour
- opposite apartment- B2 apartment opposite, B2,
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter warmly fulfils its purpose and gives the relative all the essential information about collecting the keys, reaching the apartment, and spending the evening together. The main weakness is a recurring set of unnatural word choices and grammatical constructions, even though meaning remains clear. Focus first on accurate everyday collocations and pronoun patterns so the friendly message sounds consistently natural.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All three bullet points are directly and sufficiently developed in a friendly register that suits a close relative.
Add one concrete backup instruction, such as how to contact the neighbour if arrival is delayed, to make the arrangements fully robust.
Coherence and Cohesion
The message follows a clear chronological sequence and uses linking expressions effectively, although the presentation lacks visible paragraph divisions.
Group the key collection, travel directions, and evening plans into separate paragraphs for easier navigation.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary is varied and conveys warmth and practical detail, but several inaccurate collocations reduce naturalness.
Use idiomatic phrases such as leave the keys with my neighbour, meet you at the station, hand you the keys, and taxi fare.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses a good variety of sentence forms, but errors in verb patterns, pronoun placement, articles, and punctuation recur.
Review object placement and time-consistent verb forms, especially in phrases about handing over the keys and wishing to meet the visitor.
Write this task while it is fresh
Try the same task now. It helps you remember the feedback and write better next time.
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.