A friend you made while you were studying abroad has written to ask you for help in finding a job in your country. You have heard about a job in a local company that might be suitable for him/her. Write a letter to this friend. In your letter: - tell your friend about the job and what sort of work it involves - say why you think the job would be suitable for him/her - explain how to apply for the job
Sample Response
Dear Jasmin,
It's good to hear from you after a while, and I completely understand your interest in finding a job here in London. Luckily, a week or so ago I came across a teaching position that might be a good match for you considering your interest and skills.
A well-regarded primary school in West London, called Riverside Academy, is currently looking for elementary school teachers. The role involves teaching young students, planning engaging lessons, and creating a supportive learning environment. Given your passion for education and previous teaching experience, I believe you would be an excellent fit for this position. Additionally, the school is known for its welcoming atmosphere and strong support for new teachers.
To apply, you will need to submit your CV and a cover letter through their official website's ( www.riversideacademy.co.uk ) career page. I would also suggest reaching out to the headteacher directly via email to express your interest. If you need any help with your application, I’d be happy to review your documents.
Let me know if you need further details. I'd love to see you here in London soon!
Warm wishes,
Lily
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use natural phrasing Original: good to hear from you after a while Suggested revision: great to hear from you after so long Why it matters: This sounds more natural in an informal letter to a friend.
- 2. State the idea directly Original: completely understand your interest in finding a job Suggested revision: understand that you are interested in finding a job Why it matters: The revised wording expresses the friend's aim more directly.
- 3. Use concise timing Original: a week or so ago Suggested revision: recently Why it matters: Recently conveys the approximate timing more concisely.
- 4. Clarify the link Original: might be a good match for you considering Suggested revision: might suit you, given Why it matters: The comma and shorter linking phrase make the reason easier to follow.
- 5. Match local terminology Original: elementary Suggested revision: primary Why it matters: Primary school is the usual term in the London context already established by the letter.
- 6. Fix possessive structure Original: through their official website's ( www.riversideacademy.co.uk ) career page Suggested revision: through the careers page on its official website (www.riversideacademy.co.uk) Why it matters: The original possessive construction and spacing around the web address are incorrect.
- 7. Use concise wording Original: reaching out to Suggested revision: contacting Why it matters: Contacting is more direct while retaining the friendly tone.
- 8. Use natural collocation Original: via Suggested revision: by Why it matters: By email is the more natural prepositional phrase here.
Suggested Rewrites
- good to hear from you after a while great to hear from you after so long
- completely understand your interest in finding a job understand that you are interested in finding a job
- a week or so ago recently
- might be a good match for you considering might suit you, given
- elementary primary
- through their official website's ( www.riversideacademy.co.uk ) career page through the careers page on its official website (www.riversideacademy.co.uk)
Why this response received Band 8.0
The letter gives a specific teaching vacancy, explains its responsibilities, links the role convincingly to the friend's experience and provides clear application steps. Its warm, supportive tone is highly appropriate, and the paragraph structure makes every requested function immediately accessible. The main limitation is very minor proofreading around the website phrase and punctuation. Prioritize removing the incorrect possessive in 'website's career page' while preserving the concise, natural style.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
Every bullet point is fully developed with a concrete role, relevant suitability reasons and practical application guidance.
Include an application deadline only if known, as an optional final detail that would make the guidance even more actionable.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter is clearly organized into focused paragraphs and moves smoothly from the vacancy to suitability, application and personal support.
Retain this one-function-per-paragraph structure in future informal letters.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is precise, natural and appropriately informal, with effective language for duties, qualifications and application support.
Continue using specific role language while avoiding unnecessary repetition of 'position' where a pronoun would remain clear.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Sentence structures are varied and consistently accurate, apart from a minor possessive and formatting error around the website reference.
Write 'through the careers page on the official website' without a possessive apostrophe or spaced parentheses.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
A friend you made while you were studying abroad has written to ask you for help in finding a job in your country. You have heard about a job in a local company that might be suitable for him/her. Write a letter to this friend. In your letter:
- tell your friend about the job and what sort of work it involves
- say why you think the job would be suitable for him/her
- explain how to apply for the job
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.