You have a friend who lives in a city abroad. You would like to apply to do a course at one of the colleges in this city. Write to your friend. In your letter: - explain what you would like to do - describe the work or studies you have been doing for the past few years - ask for help contacting an appropriate institution
Sample Response
Dear Aparna, Hope you are doing great and enjoying your new job. I am writing this letter to inform you that I am planning to take a course at a college in your city. I am hoping for your assistance in getting further information about the course. As you know, I have been working as a software engineer for the last four years. So, I think this is the right time to work on one of my dreams - to acquire a management degree. I am planning to leave the job and apply for a part-time management course in Sydney. Though I have inquired online for a few of the colleges, could you please enlighten me with a few more details about the colleges, course duration, tuition fee regarding a management degree? I am hoping you would guide me in finding the best college that offers a part-time management related course. I would be really grateful to you for your help. Looking forward to getting your reply. Warm wishes, Naaz
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Add the subject Original: Hope you are doing great Suggested revision: I hope you are doing well Why it matters: The sentence needs the subject I, and doing well is the conventional greeting.
- 2. Use friendly wording Original: writing this letter to inform you Suggested revision: writing to tell you Why it matters: The shorter phrase better suits a letter to a friend.
- 3. Make the request direct Original: hoping for your assistance in getting Suggested revision: hoping you can help me get Why it matters: The finite clause expresses the request more naturally.
- 4. Avoid vague reference Original: further information about the course Suggested revision: information about suitable courses Why it matters: No single course has yet been identified, so the plural clarifies what information is needed.
- 5. Remove loose connector Original: So, I think Suggested revision: I think Why it matters: The conclusion already follows from the work history without the conversational connector.
- 6. Correct the collocation Original: work on one Suggested revision: pursue one Why it matters: Pursue a dream is the natural collocation.
- 7. Improve punctuation and verb Original: dreams - to acquire Suggested revision: dreams: to earn Why it matters: A colon introduces the specific dream clearly, and earn is the natural verb for a degree.
- 8. Use possessive determiner Original: the Suggested revision: my Why it matters: The writer is referring to their own current job.
- 9. Correct the collocation Original: inquired online for Suggested revision: researched online Why it matters: Research online is the natural expression for investigating colleges.
- 10. Remove unnecessary article Original: a few of the colleges Suggested revision: a few colleges Why it matters: The definite article is not needed because no specific set of colleges has been established.
- 11. Use natural request Original: enlighten Suggested revision: provide Why it matters: Provide me with is the appropriate expression for requesting practical information.
- 12. Use concise wording Original: a few more details Suggested revision: more information Why it matters: The revision is more natural for a broad request covering several college features.
Suggested Rewrites
- Hope you are doing great I hope you are doing well
- writing this letter to inform you writing to tell you
- hoping for your assistance in getting hoping you can help me get
- further information about the course information about suitable courses
- So, I think I think
- work on one pursue one
Why this response received Band 6.5
The letter clearly explains the plan to pursue a part-time management course and gives relevant context about four years of software-engineering work. Its tone is friendly and the purpose is easy to understand. The main limitation is the final request: it seeks general information and guidance but does not directly ask the friend to contact an institution. Prioritise requesting a specific call, email, or introduction to an appropriate college.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The study plan and work history are clearly covered, while the request for help is relevant but stops short of explicitly asking the friend to contact a college.
Ask the friend to contact one suitable institution or introduce the writer to its admissions office.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter moves logically from the course aim to employment background and requested assistance, though all content is compressed into one paragraph.
Use separate paragraphs for the study plan, recent work, and the specific help requested from the friend.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is adequate for courses and applications, but phrases such as ‘inquired online for colleges’ and ‘enlighten me with details’ are unnatural.
Use ‘researched colleges online’, ‘provide information’, ‘tuition fees’, ‘course duration’, and ‘contact the admissions office’.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Meaning is consistently clear, but article use, question structure, fragments, and noun modifiers contain recurring errors.
Rewrite the long question as a direct request and hyphenate compound modifiers such as ‘management-related course’.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You have a friend who lives in a city abroad. You would like to apply to do a course at one of the colleges in this city. Write to your friend. In your letter:
- explain what you would like to do
- describe the work or studies you have been doing for the past few years
- ask for help contacting an appropriate institution
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.