A friend invites you spend a holiday with him/her in another country. Write a letter to him/her. In your letter: - Let him know that you can't make it - Give reasons why you are not able to - Ask if you can fix some other time to visit.
Sample Response
Dear Joe, I am glad to hear from you, it quiet a long time. So good of you to have taught of me spending some with you in Cuba. I am highly honoured. All thing been equal, this could have been a great opportunity for me to see the Caribbean country. To see all the beautiful vallies, plateaus and beaches in Cuba could have be great, but unfortunately i can't make it due to my tight job schedule. I just got a teaching job at state high school. It has been intense and time demanding. My class schedule include both part-time and full-time, meaning i work on weekend too. I have been working round the clock. To be honest with you am enjoying it. You remember me Jones his is my supervisor. However, this term ends by October so i shall be free for six week from the beginning of November till mid December. so i will like to escape the winter cold here in Moscow and take out time to see the beauty of the Caribbean country. please let me know if i can visit yiu then. Best regards, Preston jay
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Correct the word Original: taught Suggested revision: thought Why it matters: Thought is the intended past form in the expression thought of me.
- 2. Complete the time phrase Original: spending some Suggested revision: spending some time Why it matters: The noun time is required after some to express the intended meaning.
- 3. Fix the set phrase Original: All thing been equal Suggested revision: All things being equal Why it matters: The standard expression requires the plural things and the participle being.
- 4. Correct spelling Original: vallies Suggested revision: valleys Why it matters: Valleys is the correct spelling of the plural noun.
- 5. Use past participle Original: be Suggested revision: been Why it matters: A modal perfect construction requires the past participle been.
- 6. Capitalize the pronoun Original: i Suggested revision: I Why it matters: The first-person pronoun I must always be capitalized.
- 7. Add missing article Original: at state high school Suggested revision: at a state high school Why it matters: The singular countable noun phrase requires the article a.
- 8. Use correct compound Original: time demanding Suggested revision: time-consuming Why it matters: Time-consuming is the standard adjective for work that requires a lot of time.
- 9. Restore subject and comma Original: with you am enjoying it Suggested revision: with you, I am enjoying it Why it matters: The clause needs the subject I and a comma after the introductory phrase.
- 10. Use exact time preposition Original: by Suggested revision: in Why it matters: Use in with the month in which the term ends.
- 11. Use plural noun Original: week Suggested revision: weeks Why it matters: A quantity greater than one requires the plural form weeks.
- 12. Format compound date Original: till mid December Suggested revision: until mid-December Why it matters: Mid-December is conventionally hyphenated, and until is clear in this date range.
Suggested Rewrites
- taught thought
- spending some spending some time
- All thing been equal All things being equal
- vallies valleys
- be been
- i I
Why this response received Band 6.0
The letter succeeds in declining the invitation, gives a substantial work-related reason, and proposes a clear alternative period, so the communicative purpose remains easy to understand. Its main limitation is frequent language error, including misspellings, missing auxiliaries, agreement problems, and malformed sentences. The highest-priority improvement is careful proofreading and rewriting of inaccurate clauses so the friendly message reads smoothly and consistently.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All three requirements are covered with a clear refusal, a developed explanation of the new teaching job, and a proposed visit between November and mid-December.
Keep the register consistently conversational by replacing overly formal expressions such as 'I am highly honoured' and 'I shall be free.'
Coherence and Cohesion
The response moves logically from appreciation and refusal through the work explanation to an alternative time, and the overall progression is clear.
Divide the letter into paragraphs and repair abrupt or disconnected sentences, particularly the reference to Jones and the supervisor.
Lexical Resource
The writer attempts varied vocabulary and some effective phrases such as 'working round the clock,' but inaccurate word choices and spelling are frequent.
Check commonly confused and misspelled words, including 'quite,' 'thought,' 'valleys,' and 'you,' and use natural phrases such as 'time-consuming.'
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Meaning is generally recoverable and some complex structures are attempted, but frequent errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, plurals, and capitalization reduce accuracy.
Rebuild faulty clauses with explicit subjects and auxiliaries, then check forms such as 'could have been,' 'my schedule includes,' and 'six weeks.'
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
A friend invites you spend a holiday with him/her in another country. Write a letter to him/her. In your letter:
- Let him know that you can't make it
- Give reasons why you are not able to
- Ask if you can fix some other time to visit.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.