You have an extended family and every year you all get together to go on a family trip for a week. Your uncle is in charge of the plans this year and you would like to suggest a place you have visited lately. Write a letter to your uncle. In your letter: - suggest the place you have visited - describe your experience about this place - mention what you could do there
Sample Response
Dear Uncle Seth, Hope all is well at your end. I know that you are thinking and planning hard to visit a great place for our next family trip, and I have a suggestion for you. In fact, I am going to recommend a place which I have visited lately. The name of this place is “Cyprus”. Cyprus is known as the "Jewel of the Mediterranean" and the birthplace of Aphrodite, the ancient goddess of love and beauty. I think I would never forget my experience of visiting this place because people are just so friendly there. Besides, the cost there is relatively cheaper than in many other European countries. However, the best thing to do in Cyprus is to enjoy its incredible weather. The summer is warm and dry, and perfect for enjoying the island's many beaches. Even in winter, you'll find the weather warm, compared to most parts of Europe. Besides, Cyprus has one of the oldest histories dating as far back as 1100 BC which once hosted successive superpowers including Assyrians, Egyptians, Persians and Romans. All in all, it is a great place to visit. I believe we will enjoy our time there. Yours sincerely, John
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Complete opening clause Original: Hope all is well at your end Suggested revision: I hope all is well with you Why it matters: Adding the subject creates a complete sentence while keeping the warm family tone.
- 2. Clarify planning action Original: thinking and planning hard to visit Suggested revision: working hard to choose Why it matters: The uncle is choosing a destination rather than planning hard to visit one.
- 3. Use natural recency Original: a place which I have visited lately Suggested revision: a place that I visited recently Why it matters: Recently is more natural for a completed visit.
- 4. Remove name quotation Original: “Cyprus” Suggested revision: Cyprus Why it matters: A place name does not need quotation marks in this sentence.
- 5. Fix future meaning Original: I think I would never forget Suggested revision: I do not think I will ever forget Why it matters: Will expresses the intended future certainty more accurately than would.
- 6. Avoid double comparative Original: relatively cheaper than Suggested revision: less expensive than Why it matters: Relatively and cheaper duplicate the comparative meaning.
- 7. Use additive link Original: However Suggested revision: Moreover Why it matters: The weather adds another advantage rather than contrasting with the lower cost.
- 8. Sentence rewrite Original: Besides, Cyprus has one of the oldest histories dating as far back as 1100 BC which once hosted successive superpowers including Assyrians, Egyptians, Persians and Romans. Suggested revision: Besides, Cyprus has a long history dating back to 1100 BC and was once ruled by successive powers, including the Assyrians, Egyptians, Persians and Romans. Why it matters: The rewrite fixes the illogical relative clause while preserving the historical point.
- 9. Specify family activities Suggested revision: Turn the existing beach and history details into two explicit family activities, such as relaxing on the beaches and visiting historic sites. Why it matters: The letter describes Cyprus well but could answer what the family could do there more directly.
Suggested Rewrites
- Hope all is well at your end I hope all is well with you
- thinking and planning hard to visit working hard to choose
- a place which I have visited lately a place that I visited recently
- “Cyprus” Cyprus
- I think I would never forget I do not think I will ever forget
- relatively cheaper than less expensive than
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response's strongest feature is its clear recommendation of Cyprus, supported by a positive personal experience and relevant attractions such as beaches, climate, affordability, and history. Its main limitation is that the activity suggestions remain broad and some encyclopedic detail feels less natural in a letter to an uncle. The highest-priority improvement is to propose a concrete week-long family itinerary while maintaining a warm, personal tone.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The letter clearly recommends a destination and addresses experience and possible activities in an appropriate friendly register, though the activity plan is only partly developed.
Add two or three specific family activities and explain briefly why they would suit the group during the week.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas move logically from the recommendation to experience, attractions, and conclusion, but the single-paragraph layout and repeated "Besides" reduce fluency.
Use separate paragraphs for the recommendation, personal experience, and proposed activities, with more varied transitions.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary is varied and generally effective, but a few phrases are awkward or overstated, including "relatively cheaper" and "one of the oldest histories."
Prefer natural expressions such as "less expensive," "a long history," and specific activity verbs like "visit," "explore," and "relax."
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A good range of complex sentences is used with strong overall control, and the few errors do not impede communication.
Refine comparison structures and relative clauses, and use the informal closing "Best wishes" for a letter to an uncle.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You have an extended family and every year you all get together to go on a family trip for a week. Your uncle is in charge of the plans this year and you would like to suggest a place you have visited lately. Write a letter to your uncle. In your letter:
- suggest the place you have visited
- describe your experience about this place
- mention what you could do there
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.