You are having a graduation party next Saturday night. You have invited 50 people to celebrate at an outdoor barbecue evening, which may continue till late night. Write a letter to your elderly neighbour. In your letter: explain what will be happening offer your apologies in advance invite him/her to visit your house someday / Ms..................,
Sample Response
Dear Ms Courtney, Hope that you and your family are doing well by the grace of Almighty. I am one of your good neighbours, and I am writing this letter to inform you about a graduation party, which I am planning to hold, the next Saturday night. I fully understand that the party might cause you some inconvenience since I have invited about 50 people to enjoy an outdoor barbeque evening, which might create some noise. Besides, the party may continue till late at night where a few of my friends might even venture to sing along with their guitars while enjoying the night. Of course, we will try to keep the noise and sound as low as we can, but in case if it does trouble you, I would like to apologize to you in advance. But, on the other hand, instead of just sitting at your home, you could also join our party because if you do, I can certainly guarantee you that we will do everything to make sure that you enjoy our party. In fact, we would feel honoured if you join our party. Yours sincerely, Aaron Johnson
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Neutral greeting Original: by the grace of Almighty Suggested revision: I hope you and your family are doing well Why it matters: A neutral greeting is safer and more natural for a neighbour you may not know closely.
- 2. Natural introduction Original: one of your good neighbours Suggested revision: one of your neighbours Why it matters: Calling yourself a “good neighbour” sounds unnatural.
- 3. Remove comma Original: hold, the next Saturday night Suggested revision: hold next Saturday night Why it matters: The comma is incorrect, and “next Saturday night” does not need “the”.
- 4. Standard spelling Original: barbeque Suggested revision: barbecue Why it matters: “Barbecue” is the standard spelling.
- 5. Formal time phrase Original: may continue till late at night Suggested revision: may continue until late at night Why it matters: “Until” is more polished than “till”.
- 6. Natural activity Original: venture to sing along with their guitars Suggested revision: start singing and playing guitars Why it matters: This is clearer and less awkward.
- 7. Avoid repetition Original: noise and sound Suggested revision: noise Why it matters: “Noise” and “sound” repeat the same idea here.
- 8. Conditional phrase Original: in case if it does trouble you Suggested revision: if it does trouble you Why it matters: Use either “in case it troubles you” or “if it does trouble you”, not both.
- 9. Smoother invitation Original: But, on the other hand Suggested revision: I would also be delighted if Why it matters: The original transition sounds argumentative rather than warm.
- 10. Missing visit invitation Original: you could also join our party Suggested revision: you could also join our party, and I would love to invite you to visit my house for tea some other day Why it matters: The task asks for an invitation to visit someday, not only to attend the party.
- 11. Comma after because clause Original: because if you do Suggested revision: because, if you do, Why it matters: The inserted condition needs commas for clarity.
- 12. Less absolute Original: I can certainly guarantee you Suggested revision: I will do my best to ensure Why it matters: A guarantee about enjoyment sounds exaggerated.
Suggested Rewrites
- by the grace of Almighty I hope you and your family are doing well
- one of your good neighbours one of your neighbours
- hold, the next Saturday night hold next Saturday night
- barbeque barbecue
- may continue till late at night may continue until late at night
- venture to sing along with their guitars start singing and playing guitars
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Achievement
The letter explains the barbecue party and apologises in advance for possible noise. It invites the neighbour to the party, but the prompt asks the writer to invite the neighbour to visit the house someday, so one bullet point is only partly addressed.
Add a separate invitation for Ms Courtney to visit another day after the party, not only to join the barbecue.
Coherence and Cohesion
The progression is clear and the reader can follow the event, possible inconvenience, apology, and invitation. However, the whole response is one block, and repeated contrast markers such as “But” weaken cohesion.
Use paragraph breaks and make the apology and invitation sections distinct.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and generally suitable, including “inconvenience”, “outdoor barbeque evening”, and “honoured”. Some phrases are awkward or too informal, such as “by the grace of Almighty” and “venture to sing along”.
Use polite neighbourly language and avoid phrases that sound overly religious, theatrical, or indirect.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Grammar is mostly clear, but there are article, preposition, and conditional-structure errors. Long sentences sometimes need tighter punctuation.
Proofread article use and conditional clauses, especially around “the next Saturday night” and “in case it troubles you”.