A friend has asked you to babysit on Saturday and wants to know how much you charge per hour. You already have a commitment this weekend, but you are free the following weekend. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: - explain why you cannot help this weekend - say that you could help the following weekend - explain what your fee is
Sample Response
Dear Bella, Hope you are doing fine and enjoying the season. I am so happy that you asked me to babysit Anna for you. She is such an adorable child and I love spending time with her. I would be happy to babysit her for you but due to my exam at the university the next Monday, I am afraid I cannot spare time on Saturday. However, I will be free the next week and would be happy to look after her if you want. I will be horribly busy studying this whole week and during the weekends as I have an important exam next Monday. My term final result will depend on this exam and I have to dedicate my time to prepare for it. I hope you understand that I cannot spare time before my exam even after I wish I could. However, I will be free the next weekend and would like to babysit for you in case you go out then. As I remember, I charged you 20 dollars an hour last time and the charge would be the same this time as well. In case you need my service for more than 8 hours a day, you should inform beforehand. With lots of love. Yours truly, Emma
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Fix time phrase Original: my exam at the university the next Monday Suggested revision: my university exam the following Monday Why it matters: “The following Monday” is the natural way to identify the Monday after this weekend.
- 2. Specify the weekend Original: free the next week Suggested revision: free the following weekend Why it matters: The task asks about availability the following weekend, while “the next week” could mean the whole week.
- 3. Use suitable intensity Original: horribly Suggested revision: extremely Why it matters: “Extremely busy” expresses the pressure without the overly negative connotation of “horribly.”
- 4. Match the timeframe Original: this whole week and during the weekends Suggested revision: all week and throughout the weekend Why it matters: The singular weekend matches the one weekend before the exam and removes the inconsistent plural.
- 5. Use natural collocation Original: My term final result Suggested revision: My final grade Why it matters: “Final grade” is the natural term for the result that depends on an exam.
- 6. Use gerund after to Original: prepare Suggested revision: preparing Why it matters: In this expression, “to” is a preposition and should be followed by a gerund.
- 7. Use correct connector Original: after Suggested revision: though Why it matters: “Even though” introduces the intended contrast between wanting to help and being unavailable.
- 8. Use precise fee term Original: the charge would be the same Suggested revision: my rate would be the same Why it matters: “Rate” precisely refers to the hourly amount charged for babysitting.
- 9. Complete the expression Original: inform beforehand Suggested revision: let me know beforehand Why it matters: “Inform” requires an object, while “let me know” is complete and natural in a friendly letter.
- 10. Complete the greeting Original: Hope you are doing fine Suggested revision: I hope you are doing well Why it matters: Adding the subject makes the greeting a complete sentence, and “doing well” is more idiomatic.
- 11. Use natural greeting Original: enjoying the season Suggested revision: enjoying yourself Why it matters: This is a more natural general wish in a friendly letter when no particular season is identified.
- 12. Add natural determiner Original: spare time on Saturday Suggested revision: spare any time on Saturday Why it matters: “Any” makes the negative expression about availability more natural.
Suggested Rewrites
- my exam at the university the next Monday my university exam the following Monday
- free the next week free the following weekend
- horribly extremely
- this whole week and during the weekends all week and throughout the weekend
- My term final result My final grade
- prepare preparing
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter responds warmly and clearly to all three requirements, giving a convincing reason, confirming availability the following weekend, and stating the hourly fee. Its main weakness is repetition of the exam and availability points, alongside several awkward grammatical and collocational choices. The highest-priority improvement is to condense repeated information and proofread complex sentences for accurate verb patterns, prepositions, and clause links.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The response fully explains the current commitment, offers help the following weekend, and states the fee in a suitably friendly tone.
Condense the repeated explanation about the exam so each bullet point receives balanced, purposeful development.
Coherence and Cohesion
The message is easy to follow and uses clear linking, but the exam and future availability are unnecessarily repeated.
Group the refusal, alternative date, and fee into separate focused paragraphs and remove duplicated points.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary is sufficiently varied and appropriate for an informal letter, with generally clear expression of personal circumstances.
Improve collocational precision in phrases such as dedicate my time to prepare and inform beforehand.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A useful range of sentence structures is attempted, though recurring errors in verb patterns, prepositions, and clause linking weaken accuracy.
Proofread complex sentences for natural forms such as dedicate my time to preparing and inform me beforehand.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
A friend has asked you to babysit on Saturday and wants to know how much you charge per hour. You already have a commitment this weekend, but you are free the following weekend. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:
- explain why you cannot help this weekend
- say that you could help the following weekend
- explain what your fee is
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.