A friend recently told you that he/she had gone to an excellent restaurant. You wonder if this restaurant will be suitable for your birthday party next week. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: - tell your friend about your planned party - ask for details of the restaurant - ask what kind of food it serves and if your friend has any particular recommendations
Sample Response
Dear Ben,
I hope you’re doing great! The other day you were talking about an excellent restaurant you visited, and I was wondering if it might be a good place for my birthday party next week.
I’m planning a small gathering with close friends, and I want to celebrate in a place with great food and a nice atmosphere. Could you please let me know the name of the restaurant and how to get there? Since we’re in London, I’d love to know if it’s easily accessible by public transport. I'd also be interested in knowing if car parking is available nearby as some of my friends would love to drive their cars. Also please give me their Facebook or Google Business Page addresses so that I can contact them.
Please do come to the party. I’d also love to hear more about the type of cuisine they serve. Do they have any standout dishes you’d recommend? If you have any personal favourites from the menu, I’d love to know so I can check them out in advance.
Looking forward to your reply!
Warm wishes,
Nathan
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Correct word order Original: Also please Suggested revision: Please also Why it matters: Placing 'please' first creates the natural request structure.
- 2. Fix the reference Original: their Facebook or Google Business Page addresses Suggested revision: the restaurant’s Facebook or Google Business Profile links Why it matters: The singular possessive clearly refers to the restaurant and 'links' is the accurate noun.
- 3. Use concise timing Original: The other day Suggested revision: Recently Why it matters: This provides a more concise reference to the earlier conversation.
- 4. Choose a direct verb Original: you were talking about Suggested revision: you mentioned Why it matters: The single verb expresses the same idea more naturally.
- 5. Match informal tone Original: excellent restaurant Suggested revision: great restaurant Why it matters: This wording sounds natural in a friendly personal letter.
- 6. Clarify who is invited Original: a small gathering with close friends Suggested revision: a small gathering for close friends Why it matters: The preposition 'for' makes the intended guests clearer.
- 7. Reduce wordiness Original: celebrate in a place Suggested revision: celebrate somewhere Why it matters: This is a more natural and concise expression in an informal letter.
- 8. Request precise details Original: how to get there Suggested revision: its exact location Why it matters: This asks for a specific restaurant detail that can be checked in advance.
- 9. Add practical party detail Suggested revision: Mention the approximate number of guests when asking whether the restaurant would suit the gathering. Why it matters: Guest numbers would help the friend judge the venue's suitability.
- 10. Group venue questions Suggested revision: Keep the location, transport, parking, and contact-detail requests together in a clear sequence. Why it matters: Grouping related questions would make the long paragraph easier to follow.
Suggested Rewrites
- Also please Please also
- their Facebook or Google Business Page addresses the restaurant’s Facebook or Google Business Profile links
- The other day Recently
- you were talking about you mentioned
- excellent restaurant great restaurant
- a small gathering with close friends a small gathering for close friends
Why this response received Band 8.0
This is a warm, natural letter that fully explains the birthday plan and asks detailed, practical questions about the restaurant, its food, and recommended dishes. The main limitation is slight overloading in the middle paragraph, where transport, parking, and social-media details compete for attention; grouping the logistical questions more concisely and placing the invitation after the restaurant questions would sharpen the flow.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Achievement
The response fully covers the planned party, restaurant details, cuisine, and recommendations while sustaining a suitably friendly tone.
Add the approximate party size or preferred atmosphere so the friend can judge the restaurant's suitability even more specifically.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas progress clearly from the party plan to practical details and food recommendations, with cohesive phrasing that is generally natural.
Group all restaurant questions before the invitation so the information sequence is even more streamlined.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied, natural, and well suited to an informal request, including accessible, standout dishes, and personal favourites.
Replace less natural wording such as drive their cars and Page addresses with drive and page links.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of question forms and complex sentences is used accurately, with only minor punctuation or phrasing lapses.
Add a comma after Also in the direct request and check pronoun reference when switching between the restaurant and its staff.