You have just spent a weekend at a friend’s house. When you returned home, you discovered that you had left a coat containing some belongings there. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: - tell your friend that you left the coat - describe the coat, where you think you left it and what was inside it - suggest how to get it back
Sample Response
Dear Stephen, Hope this letter finds you in good health and spiritsspirit. I wanted to let you knowJust so you know, I had a great weekendI have had a great weekend at your house, and I hope that you also enjoyed that weekend. Anyway, I am writing this letter to you because I unfortunately forgotbecause I, unfortunately, forgot to pick up my new coatthe new coat that I carried with me that weekend. As for the coatNow regarding the coat, it is a dark-blue coata dark blue colour coat, with a white collar and white buttonslight-white buttons. The coat also has two side pockets near the bottomtwo side pockets on the bottom part of it. Besides, it also has a fur-lined hooda furry headcover. If I remember correctlyIf I remember it correctly, I may have either left it on the hooks of one of your doors or inside the wardrobe of the room in which I slept. It is important that I get back that coat soon because the temperature is going to drop significantly in the next few days, and I left some important lettersI have put some important letters, a small gift item and my wristwatch in its pocketsin the pockets of it. I need the letters immediately as two of them are from my head office. So, I would really appreciate it if you hand over the coat to one of my colleagues who will be passing by your hometravelling by your place inafter a couple of days. I have already provided your phone number and address to my colleagues. Best wishesYours sincerely, Jack Kyle
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter fully explains the forgotten coat, describes its appearance and contents, gives plausible locations and proposes a practical way to return it. Its strongest quality is the specific, useful detail, while the main limitation is several unnatural expressions and a slightly formal closing for a friend. The priority is to preserve the clear coverage while using more idiomatic wording and consistently informal personal-letter conventions.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is immediately clear and every bullet point is fully developed with precise, relevant details and a workable return arrangement.
Refine the personal register by using an informal sign-off that better matches the friendly opening and relationship.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information follows a clear sequence from identifying the coat to locating it, explaining urgency and arranging its return.
Use distinct paragraphs for the coat description, possible location and return request to make the structure even easier to scan.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and sufficiently specific, though phrases such as "light-white buttons", "furry headcover" and "travelling by your place" are unnatural.
Use idiomatic alternatives such as "off-white buttons", "fur-lined hood" and "passing by your house".
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A good range of complex sentences is mostly accurate, with minor tense, conditional and pronoun-reference lapses.
Proofread for forms such as "I had a great weekend", "if you could hand it over" and consistent singular reference to the colleague.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You have just spent a weekend at a friend’s house. When you returned home, you discovered that you had left a coat containing some belongings there. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:
- tell your friend that you left the coat
- describe the coat, where you think you left it and what was inside it
- suggest how to get it back
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.