For the past year, you have been a member of a local club. Now you want to discontinue your membership. Write a letter to the club secretary. In your letter: - state what type of membership you have and how you have paid for this - give details on how you have benefited from the club - explain why you want to leave
Same question Compare 4 different answersSample Response
Dear Mr Hansen, I joined the 'Sports and Social Club' as a full-time student member in 2023. Since then I have paid the monthly membership fees directly to the National Kingshill bank in due time. I have been immensely benefitted from this club but I regret to inform you that I have decided to cancel my membership effective from 1st November. I have thoroughly enjoyed my membership as it has provided me with useful opportunities to meet up with other young people and participate in a number of social activities. I have also been fortunate enough to play in some of the inter-club tennis tournaments and have taken advantage of the various classes available such as Yoga and T'ai chi. However, my studies are now coming to an end and I will shortly be returning to my home country, possibly in November. I regret that I no longer can continue my membership in the club. I would be grateful if you help me complete the official procedures to cancel my membership. I wish every success of the club and its members and organisers. Sincerely yours, Alister Book
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Clarify payment method Original: directly to the National Kingshill bank Suggested revision: by direct transfer to National Kingshill Bank Why it matters: The revision clearly identifies how the membership fees were paid.
- 2. Use natural wording Original: in due time Suggested revision: on time Why it matters: “On time” is the natural expression for payments made by their deadlines.
- 3. Fix verb form Original: immensely benefitted Suggested revision: benefited greatly Why it matters: “Benefited” is the correct past participle, and “greatly” is the natural adverb here.
- 4. Refine date phrasing Original: effective from 1st November Suggested revision: effective 1 November Why it matters: The preposition is unnecessary after “effective” when a specific date follows.
- 5. Use formal wording Original: meet up with Suggested revision: meet Why it matters: “Meet” is more suitable than the conversational phrasal verb in a formal letter.
- 6. Fix capitalization Original: Yoga and T'ai chi Suggested revision: yoga and tai chi Why it matters: Names of activities are common nouns and should not be capitalized here.
- 7. Fix adverb position Original: no longer can continue Suggested revision: can no longer continue Why it matters: “No longer” normally follows the modal verb “can.”
- 8. Match conditional form Original: would be grateful if you help me Suggested revision: would be grateful if you could help me Why it matters: “Could” correctly matches the polite conditional construction introduced by “would.”
- 9. Fix wish structure Original: every success of the club Suggested revision: the club every success Why it matters: The verb “wish” takes the recipient before the thing being wished.
- 10. Add paragraph breaks Suggested revision: Divide the letter into short paragraphs for the membership and payment details, benefits, reason for leaving, cancellation request, and closing wish. Why it matters: Paragraphing would make the progression through the three required points easier to follow.
Suggested Rewrites
- directly to the National Kingshill bank by direct transfer to National Kingshill Bank
- in due time on time
- immensely benefitted benefited greatly
- effective from 1st November effective 1 November
- meet up with meet
- Yoga and T'ai chi yoga and tai chi
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter fulfils the communicative purpose thoroughly, and its strongest feature is the specific, well-developed account of how the writer benefited from social activities, tournaments, and classes. The main weakness is the single-block presentation, compounded by several awkward grammatical and lexical combinations. Divide the content into purposeful paragraphs and correct expressions such as "if you help me" and "wish every success of the club."
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All required points are clearly and specifically addressed in an appropriately formal letter with a direct cancellation request.
State the exact departure date more consistently so it aligns clearly with the requested cancellation date.
Coherence and Cohesion
The information follows a logical order, but presenting the entire letter as one paragraph weakens the visibility of its stages.
Separate the membership and payment details, benefits, reason for leaving, and final request into clear paragraphs.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is sufficiently varied and often precise, although a few collocations such as "in due time" sound unnatural in context.
Prefer natural combinations such as "on time," "continue my membership," and "wish the club every success."
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses a good range of sentence forms, but several noticeable errors and awkward constructions remain despite clear meaning.
Use a polite conditional in "I would be grateful if you could help" and review word order in longer sentences.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
For the past year, you have been a member of a local club. Now you want to discontinue your membership. Write a letter to the club secretary. In your letter:
- state what type of membership you have and how you have paid for this
- give details on how you have benefited from the club
- explain why you want to leave
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.