A friend of yours is thinking of going on a camping holiday for the first time this summer. He/She has asked for your advice. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: - explain why you think your friend would enjoy a camping holiday - describe some possible disadvantages - say whether you would like to go camping with your friend this summer
Same question Compare all 2 answers See different approaches and band scores for this IELTS task.Sample Response
Dear Reggie, It is great to know that you're intending to go for a camping holiday in the coming summer, and also thank you for taking me into confidence for some advice. I think you should take the opportunity and make it this summer. I think that you should go for a camping holiday because from my past camping experience, I can say that you'll quite enjoy it. After all, this camping holiday will offer you the opportunity to take a long walk in the wilderness and observe nature in its true habitat. You can also go to a nearby lake for fishing or swimming which you have always wanted to do. But, the best thing about this camping holiday will be that it'll actually improve your mood and rejuvenate you like nothing else.
Having said that, there are some disadvantages of such camping holiday as well, such as sharing bathrooms with other people at the campsite, bad weather, and dealing with bug bites and dangerous animals. Anyway, I also would have loved to go camping with you this summer, but since my cousin is visiting me from abroad this summer, I'll have to give up on that idea. Take care and stay fine. Warm wishes, Carlos
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Correct camping collocation Original: for Suggested revision: on Why it matters: English uses “go on” rather than “go for” with “a camping holiday.”
- 2. Use natural time phrase Original: in the coming summer Suggested revision: this summer Why it matters: “This summer” is the concise and idiomatic phrase for the upcoming season.
- 3. Use correct expression Original: taking me into confidence for some advice Suggested revision: asking me for advice Why it matters: “Take someone into confidence” means sharing a secret and does not fit a request for advice.
- 4. Clarify the action Original: take the opportunity and make it this summer Suggested revision: take the opportunity and go this summer Why it matters: “Make it” does not clearly express going on the proposed holiday.
- 5. Fix adverb placement Original: you'll quite enjoy it Suggested revision: you'll enjoy it quite a lot Why it matters: This placement expresses a high degree of enjoyment clearly.
- 6. Use precise wording Original: nature in its true habitat Suggested revision: wildlife in its natural habitat Why it matters: Living creatures have habitats, whereas “nature in its habitat” is not a logical collocation.
- 7. Mark nonessential clause Original: swimming which Suggested revision: swimming, which Why it matters: The added comment about these activities needs a comma before “which.”
- 8. Remove extra comma Original: But, the best thing Suggested revision: But the best thing Why it matters: A comma is not used directly after the coordinating conjunction here.
- 9. Add the article Original: of such camping holiday Suggested revision: of such a camping holiday Why it matters: The singular countable noun phrase requires the article “a.”
- 10. Match future timing Original: I also would have loved to go camping with you this summer Suggested revision: I would also love to go camping with you this summer Why it matters: The present conditional fits a desired future plan better than the past conditional.
- 11. Start after salutation Original: Dear Reggie, It Suggested revision: Dear Reggie, It Why it matters: The body of the letter should begin on a new line after the salutation.
- 12. Remove redundant linker Original: and also thank you Suggested revision: and thank you Why it matters: “Also” is redundant when the coordinated clause already begins with “and.”
Suggested Rewrites
- for on
- in the coming summer this summer
- taking me into confidence for some advice asking me for advice
- take the opportunity and make it this summer take the opportunity and go this summer
- you'll quite enjoy it you'll enjoy it quite a lot
- nature in its true habitat wildlife in its natural habitat
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter gives friendly, relevant advice and covers every requested point, with particularly effective detail about why the friend would enjoy camping. The main limitation is occasional awkward wording and grammatical control in otherwise ambitious sentences; improving article use, verb patterns, and a few unnatural expressions would make the message more consistently fluent while preserving its clear, encouraging tone.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Achievement
All three bullet points are clearly covered with relevant reasons, disadvantages, and a credible explanation for declining the invitation.
Develop one disadvantage with a practical consequence or piece of advice to balance the fuller discussion of benefits.
Coherence and Cohesion
The response follows a clear progression from encouragement to drawbacks and the writer's own plans, with effective overall cohesion.
Reduce repeated phrases such as camping holiday and vary the openings of consecutive sentences.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and often vivid, although a few collocations are imprecise or unnatural.
Use more idiomatic expressions, such as taking someone into your confidence and experiencing nature in its natural setting.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The writer uses a broad range of sentence forms successfully, but several article, clause, and tense choices are inaccurate.
Review articles and conditional phrasing, particularly a camping holiday and I would love to go.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
A friend of yours is thinking of going on a camping holiday for the first time this summer. He/She has asked for your advice. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:
- explain why you think your friend would enjoy a camping holiday
- describe some possible disadvantages
- say whether you would like to go camping with your friend this summer
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.