You are going on a short training course at a college in Greenmount, Northern Ireland. You need somewhere to live while you are there. Write a letter to the accommodation officer at the college. In your letter: - explain your situation - describe the accommodation you require - say when you will need it
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to inquire about the accommodation facilities available for the course participantsseekers at your college. I am Alex Jones, an applicant for the forthcoming training course on "Time Management in Professional Environment to Boost Performance" atPerformance", at your college. I am hoping you can kindly arrangehoping that you would kindly arrange suitable accommodation for me. I am currently employed in Southern Ireland asSouthern Ireland, as a Chartered Accountant in a multinational accounting firm. The courseAs you already know, the course I am interested in willwould commence at the beginning of July inat Greenmount, Northern Ireland, which is far from my homea location far away from the city where I live. I would like to like to describetake the privilege of describing my accommodation needs. First of all, I am looking for a small flatexpecting a small flat or at least a private roomor at least a room for me. Secondly, I would like to staydwell in a calm and quiet environment, as the tranquillity of the accommodationworkplace is important to me. Lastly, I would be glad to stay close to the course venue, to save travel timeso as to save time. I plan to arrive on 27 June27th of this month and hence I would requestand hence would request you to confirm my accommodationfinalise my flat or room before I arrive. I will stay at this place for the duration of my training courseas long as I have my training course, until the course ends in Septemberpossibly till September. Yours faithfully, Alex JonesJames Smith
Why this response received Band 6.5
The letter addresses all three bullet points with well-developed accommodation preferences and a consistently polite, formal tone. Its main limitations are practical clarity and naturalness: the arrival date ‘27th of this month’ is ambiguous without a dated letter, and the writer introduces himself as Alex Jones but signs as James Smith. Use exact dates and a consistent identity, then replace overly formal expressions with direct booking language.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The situation, accommodation needs, and intended period are all covered, but the ambiguous arrival date and inconsistent name weaken communicative reliability.
Give a complete calendar date, confirm the expected departure date, and use the same name in the introduction and signature.
Coherence and Cohesion
The purpose and three accommodation preferences are logically sequenced with clear progression and effective enumeration.
Make the opening more concise and keep employment background only where it directly explains the accommodation request.
Lexical Resource
The letter demonstrates good range and an appropriately formal register, though several expressions are overly elaborate or imprecise.
Replace phrases such as ‘course seekers’, ‘take the privilege’, ‘dwell’, and ‘finalise my flat’ with direct accommodation language.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of complex structures is generally well controlled, with occasional issues in tense choice, punctuation, articles, and clause phrasing.
Use present or future forms consistently for confirmed plans and remove unnecessary commas separating subjects from complements.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You are going on a short training course at a college in Greenmount, Northern Ireland. You need somewhere to live while you are there. Write a letter to the accommodation officer at the college. In your letter:
- explain your situation
- describe the accommodation you require
- say when you will need it
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.