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 Robert, It seems like ages since we last met and time indeed flies. I am very sorry that I had not been in touch with you as frequently as I should have in the last few months. I had been terribly busy and could scarcely manage time for myself or for my family. I hope Samantha and Anna are doing great. I have decided to enrol in a professional graphics designing course in Melbourne, Australia and I went through websites of different colleges in Melbourne. You are the best person I know to advise me on this. I prefer a college in your city because my uncle lives there with his family and being in the same city where you live would be an advantage for me. For the last three years, I have been working as a tech support member for a large IT company and as you know Math was my major in our school. I am quite confused about which college I should apply to and this is why I am turning to you for advice. I would really appreciate your help regarding this. Also, can you find out what additional qualifications like an English language test score and so on are required to get admitted to such a college? I hope you would not mind doing this for me and I would proceed according to your advice. Take care and write me back when it is convenient for you. Best regards, Anthony
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use present perfect Original: had Suggested revision: have Why it matters: The lack of contact continues through the recent months to the present.
- 2. Correct the time frame Original: had Suggested revision: have Why it matters: The present perfect matches a situation continuing into the present.
- 3. Use the natural collocation Original: manage Suggested revision: find Why it matters: English uses “find time,” not “manage time,” for making personal time available.
- 4. Use the course name Original: graphics designing course Suggested revision: graphic design course Why it matters: “Graphic design” is the standard name of the subject.
- 5. Use a precise verb Original: went through websites Suggested revision: browsed the websites Why it matters: “Browsed” naturally describes examining college websites.
- 6. Use the comparison form Original: same city where you live Suggested revision: same city as you Why it matters: The idiomatic comparison is “the same city as you”.
- 7. Name the role precisely Original: tech support member Suggested revision: technical support specialist Why it matters: This is a clearer and more professional job title.
- 8. Use the subject name Original: Math Suggested revision: mathematics Why it matters: “Mathematics” is the standard subject name in this context.
- 9. Use accurate school wording Original: my major in our school Suggested revision: my main subject at school Why it matters: “Main subject at school” is more natural than calling a school subject a major.
- 10. Use concise structure Original: quite confused about which college I should apply to Suggested revision: unsure which college to apply to Why it matters: The infinitive structure expresses the uncertainty more directly.
- 11. Use precise examples Original: additional qualifications like Suggested revision: additional requirements, such as Why it matters: An English test score is an admission requirement rather than necessarily a qualification.
- 12. Remove vague wording Original: and so on Suggested revision: Delete Why it matters: This phrase is vague and adds no useful detail to the specific request.
Suggested Rewrites
- had have
- had have
- manage find
- graphics designing course graphic design course
- went through websites browsed the websites
- same city where you live same city as you
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter gives a clear reason for studying in Melbourne, relevant employment and study background, and a friendly request for advice about suitable colleges and entry requirements. Its main weakness is that the requested help stops short of clearly asking the friend to contact an institution, while several collocations and tense choices are imprecise. Prioritise making the requested action explicit, then streamline repeated location details and correct the time frames.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The intended course and recent background are developed clearly, but the friend is asked mainly for advice and research rather than explicitly to contact a college.
Ask the friend to call or email one or two suitable colleges about entry requirements and application dates.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter has a logical purpose-driven sequence, although its single-paragraph format and repeated references to Melbourne and the friend's city reduce efficiency.
Use short paragraphs for the personal opening, course and background, and the specific request for help.
Lexical Resource
There is enough range for an informal request, but collocations such as "graphics designing course," "tech support member" and "get admitted" are imprecise.
Use "graphic design course," "technical support specialist" and "gain admission to a college."
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Meaning remains clear through varied structures, but past-perfect and present-perfect forms are confused and some coordinated sentences are overloaded.
Use "I have not been in touch," "I have been very busy" and "I have looked through several college websites," then split long sentences where needed.
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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.