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
Sample Response
Dear Mr Martin, I have been an exultant member of your club for about 1 year. I first enrolled as a member in 2023, and the next year my membership was upgraded to Silver Associate with a monthly fee of $50, paid every first Monday of the month. I regret to inform you that I can no longer continue my membership in the club as I will relocate to a different city soon. This club has given me numerous benefits by providing activities, such as yoga classes that I am really fond of, as well as access to the gymnasium and swimming pool. Not to mention that there are always generous discounts on the food in the buffet restaurant. I have truly enjoyed my access to the library that helped me read many books. Sadly, given my circumstances, I would have to discontinue my membership at this club. The reason is that I will soon be moving to another city. Thus, I would no longer be able to attend any activities held in this place. If I am not mistaken, my $250 deposit will be returned to me upon membership cancellation. Please advise should there be any particular form that I need to fill in. Thank you. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely, Helen Kelly
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Separate salutation Original: Dear Mr Martin, I have Suggested revision: Dear Mr Martin, I have Why it matters: A formal letter should place the greeting on a separate line.
- 2. Use suitable member adjective Original: exultant Suggested revision: active Why it matters: "Exultant" means triumphantly joyful and does not describe club membership naturally.
- 3. Spell short number Original: 1 Suggested revision: one Why it matters: Numbers below ten are normally written as words in formal prose.
- 4. Clarify payment schedule Original: with a monthly fee of $50, paid every first Monday of the month Suggested revision: with a monthly fee of $50, which I pay on the first Monday of each month Why it matters: The revision gives the payment clause a clear subject and uses the natural recurring-date phrase.
- 5. Use membership preposition Original: in Suggested revision: of Why it matters: "Membership of" is the natural phrase for belonging to an organisation.
- 6. Use planned future form Original: as I will relocate Suggested revision: as I will be relocating Why it matters: The future continuous naturally presents an already planned move.
- 7. Clarify benefit structure Original: given me numerous benefits by providing activities Suggested revision: benefited me by providing activities Why it matters: The revision uses the verb "benefit" with a clear recipient.
- 8. Use formal enjoyment phrase Original: really fond of Suggested revision: particularly enjoy Why it matters: The concise verb phrase is more natural in a formal letter.
- 9. Use concise discount phrase Original: generous discounts on the food Suggested revision: generous food discounts Why it matters: The compact noun phrase avoids an unnecessary prepositional construction.
- 10. Clarify library benefit Original: the library that helped me read many books Suggested revision: the library, which has enabled me to read many books Why it matters: The non-defining clause and present perfect connect the continuing membership benefit clearly.
- 11. Use definite future Original: would Suggested revision: will Why it matters: The move is presented as a definite plan, so "will" is appropriate.
- 12. Name club activities Original: activities held in this place Suggested revision: club activities Why it matters: The revision avoids the vague location phrase "this place."
Suggested Rewrites
- Dear Mr Martin, I have Dear Mr Martin, I have
- exultant active
- 1 one
- with a monthly fee of $50, paid every first Monday of the month with a monthly fee of $50, which I pay on the first Monday of each month
- in of
- as I will relocate as I will be relocating
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter’s strongest feature is its complete practical coverage of membership type, payment method, club benefits, and the reason for cancellation, all in a suitably courteous register. Its main limitation is repetition and presentation, especially the repeated relocation explanation within one dense block; the highest-priority improvement is to structure the letter into focused paragraphs and replace a few inaccurate word choices such as “exultant.”
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is clear and every bullet point is fully developed with specific membership, payment, benefit, relocation, and cancellation details.
Clarify whether the deposit refund is a request for confirmation or a separate administrative action the secretary should take.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas follow a sensible order, but the single-block format and repeated explanation of moving to another city weaken cohesion.
Use separate paragraphs for membership details, benefits, the reason for leaving, and the cancellation request.
Lexical Resource
The letter uses a good range of relevant vocabulary, though “exultant member,” “attend activities,” and some institutional references are unnatural.
Use “satisfied member,” “take part in activities,” and “the club” consistently.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of complex sentences is generally accurate, with occasional tense, article, and preposition errors that do not impede meaning.
Use consistent future forms for the move and write “on the first Monday of each month” and “membership of the club.”
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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.