You live in a city in a foreign country, and a friend from your home country is coming to the city for several days. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: - ask him/her to bring some things from home that you need - explain why you need them - arrange to meet your friend
Sample Response
Dear Shrity,
I’m so excited that you’ll be visiting me in Adelaide this coming March. I’ve made many plans for us, and I’m eagerly waiting for your arrival. We haven’t seen each other for ages and I hope you had been great during this time. I have a favour to ask you, and I hope it wouldn’t be a burden for you.
I’d really appreciate it if you could meet my mother before flying to Australia as I’d want you to bring a couple of items for me. The first thing is a woollen cardigan that my grandmother made for me. It has some sentimental values both for my grandmother and me. My mother would also give you a couple of books – don’t worry, they are not heavy. I need those books to complete a thesis. I couldn’t find them here. Finally, my mother would also give you a tin jar that will contain some homemade cookies and delicacies that my mother used to prepare me in my childhood. They also have emotional and sentimental values both to me and my mother.
I do hope that it'll not cause you any problem. In the meantime, send me your travel itinerary so that I can plan to receive you at the airport. We'll take a taxi and directly get back to my apartment.
I can’t wait to see you and spend some quality time as friends.
Have a safe flight.
Yours truly,
Susmita
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Correct the time reference Original: had been great during this time Suggested revision: have been well during this time Why it matters: The present perfect fits a period continuing up to now, and “well” describes the friend’s condition naturally.
- 2. Use consistent timing Original: wouldn’t be a burden for you Suggested revision: won’t be too much trouble for you Why it matters: The future form matches the request about the friend’s forthcoming trip.
- 3. Make the request natural Original: as I’d want you to bring Suggested revision: because I’d like you to bring Why it matters: “I’d like” is the natural polite form for introducing this request.
- 4. Use uncountable value Original: It has some sentimental values Suggested revision: It has sentimental value Why it matters: “Sentimental value” is uncountable when referring to the emotional importance of an object.
- 5. Specify whose thesis Original: a Suggested revision: my Why it matters: The possessive determiner makes the reference specific and natural.
- 6. Use concise wording Original: a tin jar that will contain Suggested revision: a tin containing Why it matters: This concise phrase describes the container and its contents more naturally.
- 7. Add the recipient preposition Original: used to prepare me in my childhood Suggested revision: used to prepare for me during my childhood Why it matters: “Prepare” needs “for” before the person receiving the food.
- 8. Use natural collocation Original: They also have emotional and sentimental values Suggested revision: They also have sentimental value Why it matters: The standard uncountable phrase is “sentimental value,” while “emotional and sentimental” is repetitive.
- 9. Use natural negation Original: it'll not cause you any problem Suggested revision: it won’t cause you any problems Why it matters: “Won’t” is the natural contracted negative, and the plural “problems” is idiomatic here.
- 10. Use the right collocation Original: receive you at the airport Suggested revision: pick you up at the airport Why it matters: “Pick you up” is the natural expression for meeting an arriving traveller.
Suggested Rewrites
- had been great during this time have been well during this time
- wouldn’t be a burden for you won’t be too much trouble for you
- as I’d want you to bring because I’d like you to bring
- It has some sentimental values It has sentimental value
- a my
- a tin jar that will contain a tin containing
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter is warm, detailed, and complete, with all requested items, reasons, and meeting arrangements presented in a natural friendly voice. Its main limitation is a cluster of awkward collocations and tense choices that occasionally reduce precision, despite consistently clear meaning. Prioritise checking tense consistency and using idiomatic singular expressions such as sentimental value to make the language more polished.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Achievement
All three bullet points are fully developed with specific items, convincing reasons, and a clear airport meeting arrangement in an appropriate friendly tone.
Keep the detailed coverage while trimming minor repetition about the emotional importance of the items.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter is clearly paragraphised and moves smoothly from the greeting and request to the item details and practical meeting plan.
Make the item paragraph slightly more concise so that its internal progression remains as balanced as the rest of the letter.
Lexical Resource
The response uses a good range of relevant and less common vocabulary, but several collocations involving value, containers, and childhood food are inaccurate.
Use more idiomatic combinations such as sentimental value, a tin of cookies, and food my mother used to prepare for me.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Varied simple and complex structures communicate clearly, although several tense and conditional choices are inaccurate or unnatural.
Review time references and conditionals, especially the forms used after hope and in polite future requests.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You live in a city in a foreign country, and a friend from your home country is coming to the city for several days. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:
- ask him/her to bring some things from home that you need
- explain why you need them
- arrange to meet your friend
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.