Last month you had a holiday overseas where you stayed with some friends. They have just sent you some photos of your holiday.Write a letter to your friends. In your letter: - thank them for the photos and for the holiday - explain why you didn’t - write earlier - invite them to come and stay with you
Sample Response
Dear John and Jane,
I hope this letter finds you well. I’m just writing to thank you both for the holiday and for the photos you sent.
The photos arrived this morning in the post. They reminded me what a great time I had during my stay with you last month. You really were fantastic hosts,and I couldn’t have asked for better guides to show me around.
Sorry I didn’t write to you earlier, but I’ve been working flat out since the moment I arrived home. Do you remember I told you I had an assignment to finish? Well, the deadline was two weeks earlier than I thought it was!
Anyway, I’m back to normal now and I’ve handed in all of my assignments. Infact, now that I’m free, why don’t you both come and stay? There’s a spareroom here, so you’re welcome to use it whenever you like.
Hope to see you soon,
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Remove weak filler Original: I’m just writing Suggested revision: I’m writing Why it matters: Removing “just” makes the purpose of the letter more direct.
- 2. Simplify time clause Original: since the moment I arrived home Suggested revision: since I arrived home Why it matters: The shorter time clause is grammatically complete and more natural.
- 3. Add complement marker Original: Do you remember I told you Suggested revision: Do you remember that I told you Why it matters: Adding “that” makes the embedded clause easier to process.
- 4. Clarify past sequence Original: two weeks earlier than I thought it was Suggested revision: two weeks earlier than I had thought Why it matters: The past perfect clearly places the earlier belief before learning the actual deadline.
- 5. Use concise wording Original: all of my assignments Suggested revision: all my assignments Why it matters: The shorter form is natural in an informal letter and retains the meaning.
- 6. Streamline the transition Original: Infact, now that I’m free Suggested revision: Now that I’m free Why it matters: Removing the unnecessary transition also makes the invitation more direct.
- 7. Use natural phrasing Original: There’s a spareroom here Suggested revision: I have a guest room available Why it matters: This revision corrects the malformed compound and expresses the offer naturally.
- 8. Add sender name Original: Hope to see you soon, Suggested revision: Hope to see you soon, [Your name] Why it matters: An informal letter should identify the sender after the closing.
- 9. Sentence rewrite Original: I hope this letter finds you well. Suggested revision: Hope you're both doing well. Why it matters: This version sounds warmer and less formulaic when writing to close friends.
Suggested Rewrites
- I’m just writing I’m writing
- since the moment I arrived home since I arrived home
- Do you remember I told you Do you remember that I told you
- two weeks earlier than I thought it was two weeks earlier than I had thought
- all of my assignments all my assignments
- Infact, now that I’m free Now that I’m free
Why this response received Band 8.0
This is a well-focused, friendly letter whose strongest feature is the natural development of every required point, especially the clear explanation for the delayed reply and the warm invitation. The main limitation is inconsistent proofreading in forms such as “hosts,and,” “Infact,” and “spareroom.” The highest-priority improvement is a final check for spacing and compound-word errors so the polished content is matched by equally polished presentation.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The letter clearly thanks the friends, explains the delayed reply in convincing detail, and extends a warm, appropriately informal invitation.
Make the invitation slightly more concrete by suggesting a possible time or activity for their visit.
Coherence and Cohesion
Each paragraph has a distinct communicative purpose, and the response moves smoothly from thanks to explanation and invitation.
Use a slightly fuller closing sentence to round off the invitation before the sign-off.
Lexical Resource
The response uses varied, natural informal vocabulary such as “working flat out” and “fantastic hosts,” although several words are incorrectly joined.
Proofread compound forms and spacing, especially “in fact,” “spare room,” and punctuation after commas.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Sentence structures are varied and accurately controlled, including questions and complex explanations, with only minor mechanical slips.
Check punctuation spacing carefully so minor presentation errors do not distract from otherwise strong grammatical control.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
Last month you had a holiday overseas where you stayed with some friends. They have just sent you some photos of your holiday.Write a letter to your friends. In your letter:
- thank them for the photos and for the holiday
- explain why you didn’t
- write earlier
- invite them to come and stay with you
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.