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 this letter to request you for arranging suitable accommodation for me during my training course at the City College, Greenmount, Northern Ireland. I am looking for a place to live in and I hope you would help me with this. I am searching for a shared room with a kitchen and attached bathroom. It would be great if someone is interested in sharing the room but she has to be a female who would take the same training course as mine. I would really appreciate a room with a hot water facility, and I am looking for a furnished room. My course is going to commence on 10th September and I shall reach there a week earlier. Please arrange a living place for me in Greenmount as soon as possible so that I can successfully complete the course. I am looking forward to hearing from you soon. Yours faithfully, Namrata Jain
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Correct verb pattern Original: request you for arranging Suggested revision: ask you to arrange Why it matters: The verb pattern requires 'ask someone to do something'.
- 2. Use concise wording Original: a place to live in Suggested revision: accommodation Why it matters: The single noun is more concise and appropriate in this formal request.
- 3. Clarify the request Original: would Suggested revision: can Why it matters: 'Can' expresses the hoped-for assistance more directly in this context.
- 4. Add the article Original: kitchen and attached bathroom Suggested revision: kitchen and an attached bathroom Why it matters: The singular countable noun 'bathroom' needs an article.
- 5. Fix conditional form Original: is Suggested revision: were Why it matters: The hypothetical condition requires 'were' rather than the present tense.
- 6. Use natural phrasing Original: she has to be a female Suggested revision: she is also female Why it matters: This wording states the preference more naturally and less forcefully.
- 7. Correct comparison Original: mine Suggested revision: me Why it matters: The comparison refers to the person taking the course, so 'me' is required.
- 8. Simplify the phrase Original: a room with a hot water facility Suggested revision: a room with hot water Why it matters: 'Hot water' is the natural expression for this accommodation requirement.
- 9. Use natural arrival verb Original: shall reach there Suggested revision: will arrive Why it matters: 'Arrive' is the idiomatic verb for reaching a destination.
- 10. Separate the letter Suggested revision: Divide the response into short paragraphs for the request, accommodation requirements, timing, and closing. Why it matters: Clear paragraphing would make each required point easier for the accommodation officer to follow.
Suggested Rewrites
- request you for arranging ask you to arrange
- a place to live in accommodation
- would can
- kitchen and attached bathroom kitchen and an attached bathroom
- is were
- she has to be a female she is also female
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter clearly fulfils its purpose and gives specific, relevant accommodation preferences in an appropriately formal tone. Its main limitation is the lack of paragraphing, compounded by several awkward collocations that reduce naturalness despite consistently clear meaning. The highest-priority improvement is to organise the situation, requirements, and dates into distinct paragraphs while replacing phrases such as request you for arranging with idiomatic alternatives.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is clear, all three bullet points are fully addressed, and the formal register is consistently suitable.
Make the timing request even more precise by explicitly stating the exact date from which accommodation is needed.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas progress logically from the request to accommodation details and timing, but the entire letter is presented as one block.
Use separate paragraphs for the situation, accommodation requirements, and requested dates to make the structure immediately clear.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is sufficiently varied and specific, though several combinations such as request you for arranging and living place sound unnatural.
Prioritise idiomatic formal collocations such as ask you to arrange accommodation and a place to stay.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A useful mix of simple and complex sentences is generally well controlled, with only occasional non-impeding errors.
Refine verb patterns and hypothetical forms, especially in phrases such as someone is interested and I hope you would help.
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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.