You are going to study at a college in the UK next year. You would like to stay in the college Hall of Residence. Write a letter to the college. In your letter: - outline what your room needs are - outline what your food needs are - ask what alternatives are available if the college cannot provide what you want
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I have recently been granted admission to your college in the Physics department, and I am writing with respect to my accommodation requirements in the college residence hall. I am a female student from Ireland and would be travelling to the UK for the first time. Hence, I would like to spend my first year in a Hall of Residence so that I can stay close to the campus and socialise with other students. I would prefer the hall to be a single-sex, female-only residence and with dining facilities so that I do not need to worry about cooking for myself. In addition, I require a vegetarian choice as I am a vegetarian. If a college residence with the amenities mentioned is not available, I would be satisfied in a hall with kitchens so I can cook. Additionally, I would not like to share my room and I would prefer en-suite facilities if you have halls offering this. Thanking you for your assistance in advance. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Yours faithfully, Anna Katerina
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Correct admission phrasing Original: granted admission to your college in the Physics department Suggested revision: admitted to the Physics department at your college Why it matters: A student is admitted to a department at an institution, and Physics is the department's proper name.
- 2. Use concise purpose phrase Original: with respect to my accommodation requirements Suggested revision: regarding my accommodation requirements Why it matters: Regarding introduces the purpose more directly and concisely.
- 3. Use definite future form Original: would Suggested revision: will Why it matters: The planned future journey is definite, so will is appropriate rather than the conditional would.
- 4. Lowercase generic residence Original: a Hall of Residence Suggested revision: a hall of residence Why it matters: The phrase is a generic accommodation type here, not a proper name.
- 5. Use residence verb Original: spend my first year in Suggested revision: live for my first year in Why it matters: Live is the more precise verb for occupying student accommodation.
- 6. Remove unnecessary article Original: close to the campus Suggested revision: close to campus Why it matters: Campus is normally used without an article in this general institutional expression.
- 7. Specify meal option Original: a vegetarian choice Suggested revision: a vegetarian meal option Why it matters: Choice alone is vague, while meal option clearly states the dietary requirement.
- 8. Refer to requested features Original: the amenities mentioned Suggested revision: the requested amenities Why it matters: Requested directly links the amenities to the student's stated needs.
- 9. Correct accommodation phrase Original: satisfied in a hall Suggested revision: willing to stay in a hall Why it matters: A person is not described as satisfied in a building when stating an acceptable alternative.
- 10. State room preference positively Original: would not like to share my room Suggested revision: would prefer a single room Why it matters: The positive request is more concise and directly names the required room type.
- 11. Specify singular facility Original: en-suite facilities Suggested revision: an en-suite bathroom Why it matters: The replacement clearly identifies the particular private facility requested.
- 12. Clarify accommodation reference Original: if you have halls offering this Suggested revision: if such accommodation is available Why it matters: This has an unclear singular reference after several requirements, while such accommodation covers them clearly.
Suggested Rewrites
- granted admission to your college in the Physics department admitted to the Physics department at your college
- with respect to my accommodation requirements regarding my accommodation requirements
- would will
- a Hall of Residence a hall of residence
- spend my first year in live for my first year in
- close to the campus close to campus
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter gives a clear, appropriately formal account of the student's room and dietary requirements, including useful preferences for a female-only hall, a private en-suite room, dining provision, and vegetarian meals. Its main limitation is that the alternatives request is implied rather than directly asked, and the single-paragraph presentation reduces clarity. The priority is to organise each requirement separately and explicitly ask the college to outline other available options.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
Room and food needs are specifically developed, and a self-catering fallback is provided, though the request for alternative options is not fully explicit.
Ask the college directly what other residence, shared-room, catered, or self-catering arrangements it can offer if these preferences are unavailable.
Coherence and Cohesion
The information follows a sensible sequence from context to preferences and fallback arrangements, but it is presented as one dense paragraph.
Use separate paragraphs for the purpose, room requirements, food requirements, alternative arrangements, and closing request.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is appropriately formal and sufficiently precise for accommodation and dietary needs, with a few repetitive or awkward expressions.
Avoid redundancy in phrases such as 'single-sex, female-only' and use natural wording such as 'vegetarian meals' and 'self-catering facilities'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of complex structures is mostly accurate and clear, although coordination, articles, and the closing phrase contain minor errors.
Refine forms such as 'a female-only hall with dining facilities', 'travel to the UK', and 'Thank you in advance for your assistance'.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You are going to study at a college in the UK next year. You would like to stay in the college Hall of Residence. Write a letter to the college. In your letter:
- outline what your room needs are
- outline what your food needs are
- ask what alternatives are available if the college cannot provide what you want
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.