You recently read a newspaper article about someone you know personally and found that some information was wrong. Write a letter to the editor. In your letter: - describe the subject of the article - describe the error in the article - say what you expect the editor to do
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I am Stephen Ben, a resident of Brooklyn, New York, and I am writing regarding an article I read on 24th November that was a great read but unfortunately had some incorrect information and facts. The article was basically about professor Albert, a renowned professor at Fordham University whom I personally know. First of all, I must state that the article was quite interesting and it gave many insights on how research in local universities can contribute to the national interest and how Professor Albert had been a pioneer on that. I, however, was daunted to notice some blunders in the article that I deem should not have been overlooked. I have been a research assistant for Professor Albert for more than 3 years and we are still in touch. The fact that Mr Albert is from Germany is incorrect as he is originally from the UK. He achieved his graduation from an American university, not from Australia. Moreover, he is not a father of 4 children, but three. Finally, the bio-hazard digression project that was credited solely to him was actually conducted with the assistance of another professor from the same university. He is Professor Gill and he should have been credited for the work as well. I wish a follow-up article or an editorial correction should clarify those issues as soon as possible. Yours faithfully, Stephen Ben
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Remove redundant wording Original: incorrect information and facts Suggested revision: incorrect information Why it matters: “Information” already includes the inaccurate facts mentioned here.
- 2. Capitalise the title Original: professor Suggested revision: Professor Why it matters: A title used directly before a person's name requires a capital letter.
- 3. Correct the collocation Original: on Suggested revision: into Why it matters: The standard collocation is “insight into” a subject or process.
- 4. Clarify the reference Original: a pioneer on that Suggested revision: a pioneer in this field Why it matters: This wording gives the noun the correct preposition and a clear referent.
- 5. Choose the right word Original: daunted Suggested revision: dismayed Why it matters: “Dismayed” expresses concern, whereas “daunted” means discouraged by difficulty.
- 6. Use a formal term Original: blunders Suggested revision: errors Why it matters: “Errors” is more suitably neutral in a formal letter to an editor.
- 7. Use the correct verb Original: achieved his graduation Suggested revision: graduated Why it matters: English uses the verb “graduated” rather than “achieved his graduation.”
- 8. Use formal date style Original: 24th Suggested revision: 24 Why it matters: Formal correspondence normally omits the ordinal ending in a written date.
- 9. Use formal wording Original: a great read Suggested revision: engaging Why it matters: “Engaging” conveys the same praise in a more formal register.
- 10. Complete the relative clause Original: I deem should not Suggested revision: which I believe should not Why it matters: The revision supplies a clear relative pronoun and a natural reporting phrase.
- 11. Spell out the number Original: 3 Suggested revision: three Why it matters: Small numbers are conventionally written as words in formal prose.
- 12. Use a consistent title Original: Mr Suggested revision: Professor Why it matters: Using the academic title consistently maintains a professional tone.
Suggested Rewrites
- incorrect information and facts incorrect information
- professor Professor
- on into
- a pioneer on that a pioneer in this field
- daunted dismayed
- blunders errors
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response fully explains the article, identifies several specific inaccuracies, and makes an appropriately formal request for correction, giving the letter a strong communicative purpose. The main weakness is occasional misuse of otherwise wide-ranging vocabulary, alongside a few awkward grammatical constructions. Focus first on natural word choice and request forms so the detailed content sounds consistently precise and professional.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Achievement
The purpose is clear, all three bullet points are fully developed, and the formal register suits a newspaper editor.
State the preferred remedy in a more direct final request rather than combining a follow-up article and editorial correction.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information follows a clear sequence from the article's subject to the errors and the requested action, with effective progression.
Group the article description, factual corrections, and requested remedy into separate paragraphs for even clearer navigation.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and often precise, but some choices such as "daunted" and "achieved his graduation" are unnatural.
Choose idiomatic expressions such as "concerned" and "graduated from" instead of using less suitable formal-sounding words.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The letter uses a wide range of complex sentences with strong control, despite a few awkward clause constructions.
Correct the final request to a natural form such as "I would like a follow-up article or editorial correction to clarify these issues."
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You recently read a newspaper article about someone you know personally and found that some information was wrong. Write a letter to the editor. In your letter:
- describe the subject of the article
- describe the error in the article
- say what you expect the editor to do
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.