You are going to another country to study. You would like to do a part-time job while you are studying, so you want to ask a friend who lives there for some help. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: - give details of your study plans - explain why you want to get a part-time job - suggest how your friend could help you find a job
Sample Response
Dear Sara, My departure date for Canada is drawing near, and I am busy with preparations. I have enrolled at an institution called ‘IDT English’ in Ottawa, for a full-time, four-month intermediate coursea four-month intermediate course, full-time. It is quite expensive but I am hopeful of improving my pronunciation in particularpronunciation, especially. To help cover my study costsTo assist in covering the costs of my study, I hopeaim to find a part-time job. Not only are the college fees rather high, but also I know that rental accommodation in the capital city will not be cheap, to say nothing of food and heating expenses! So I would very much like to securearrange some temporary employment before I arrive. I was wondering if you could ask around among your friends and colleagues to see if anyone wants a house-cleaner, gardener, or nanny for their children. I know you have a wide social network in Ottawa which you could canvasscanvas for me, if you wouldn't mind. I'd be so grateful. I look forward to seeing you soon. Best wishes, Helen
Why this response received Band 8.0
The letter fully addresses the study plans, financial motivation, and requested help in a warm, convincing register, with particularly strong and precise vocabulary. Its main weakness is that the ideas are presented as one dense block and a few phrases are slightly awkward. The highest-priority improvement is to separate the study, financial, and request details into clear paragraphs while polishing the occasional collocation.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is immediately clear, all three bullet points are fully developed, and the friendly tone is consistently appropriate.
Add a little practical detail about availability or preferred working hours to make the request even more actionable.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information moves logically from the study plan to financial needs and then to the request, with cohesive links used naturally.
Divide the body into short paragraphs so each communicative stage is easier to scan.
Lexical Resource
A broad and precise vocabulary, including rental accommodation, temporary employment, and social network, conveys the message effectively.
Correct the spelling of canvas to canvass and refine the slightly awkward phrase about improving pronunciation.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A varied range of complex structures is controlled accurately, with only occasional awkwardness in clause coordination and punctuation.
Improve the parallel structure in the sentence beginning with Not only so the paired clauses align cleanly.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You are going to another country to study. You would like to do a part-time job while you are studying, so you want to ask a friend who lives there for some help. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:
- give details of your study plans
- explain why you want to get a part-time job
- suggest how your friend could help you find a job
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.