A friend has agreed to look after your house and pet while you are on holiday. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: - give contact details for when you are away - give instructions on how to care for your pet - describe other household duties
Sample Response
Dear Grace, Thank you for agreeing to house-sit for me. It was a great relief when you agreed to take up the responsibilities. I'd like to thank you for that and inform some of the chores you should take care of. If you need to contact me for any reason during my holiday in Thailand, please ring my mobile phone. I’ve written the numbers on a sticky note which I’ve left on the fridge. I'll stay at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok Hotel and if I change my hotel, I'll inform you of that. Alternatively, you can message me on WhatsApp. My cat needs to be fed twice daily so each morning and evening put a handful of cat food in his dish. You'll find these in the kitchen pantry. Also, please check throughout the day to make sure he has fresh water. You can give him a small bowl of milk in the evening. I'd like you to water my plants, too. The indoor ones in the lounge only need water once every few days but the plants on the balcony need to be watered daily unless there has been heavy rain. Finally, for security, please clear my mailbox every day and keep the outside lights on at night. I look forward to seeing you on my return. Warm wishes, Sophia
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Correct responsibility phrase Original: take up the responsibilities Suggested revision: take on these responsibilities Why it matters: The natural collocation is 'take on responsibilities'.
- 2. Use natural phone phrase Original: please ring my mobile phone Suggested revision: please call me on my mobile Why it matters: The revision is the natural way to describe contacting someone by mobile phone.
- 3. Clarify contact numbers Original: the numbers Suggested revision: my contact numbers Why it matters: The added noun modifier makes the sticky note's contents immediately clear.
- 4. Separate independent clauses Original: Hotel and if Suggested revision: Hotel, and if Why it matters: A comma is needed before 'and' when it joins these independent clauses.
- 5. Add contact option Original: Alternatively Suggested revision: You can also Why it matters: WhatsApp is an additional contact method rather than a contrasting alternative.
- 6. Punctuate result clause Original: twice daily so Suggested revision: twice daily, so Why it matters: A comma separates the feeding frequency from the resulting instruction.
- 7. Fix unclear pronoun Original: You'll find these Suggested revision: You'll find the cat food Why it matters: The plural pronoun has no clear plural antecedent, so the item should be named directly.
- 8. Punctuate contrast clause Original: few days but Suggested revision: few days, but Why it matters: A comma is needed before 'but' because it joins two independent clauses.
- 9. Express relief directly Original: It was a great relief when you agreed Suggested revision: I was greatly relieved when you agreed Why it matters: The personal construction is more direct and natural in a friendly thank-you.
- 10. Condense travel context Original: for any reason during my holiday in Thailand Suggested revision: while I am in Thailand Why it matters: The revision states the relevant period more concisely.
- 11. Match friendly tone Original: I'll inform you of that Suggested revision: I'll let you know Why it matters: The informal expression better suits a letter to a friend.
- 12. Punctuate polite instruction Original: each morning and evening put Suggested revision: each morning and evening, please put Why it matters: The comma separates the time phrase, and 'please' maintains the friendly request tone.
Suggested Rewrites
- take up the responsibilities take on these responsibilities
- please ring my mobile phone please call me on my mobile
- the numbers my contact numbers
- Hotel and if Hotel, and if
- Alternatively You can also
- twice daily so twice daily, so
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter fulfils its practical purpose very effectively, giving multiple contact options and precise instructions for feeding the cat, watering plants, collecting mail, and managing outdoor lights. Its main limitation is structural: the entire response is presented as one paragraph, and a few references such as 'these' are slightly unclear. The highest-priority improvement is to group contact details, pet care, and household duties into short paragraphs so the friend can locate each instruction quickly.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All three bullet points are fully and appropriately developed in a friendly tone, with specific contact, pet-care, and household instructions.
For maximum practical clarity, identify an emergency alternative contact as a minor refinement to the already complete instructions.
Coherence and Cohesion
The content progresses logically by function and linking is clear, but the single-paragraph presentation makes the detailed instructions harder to scan.
Use one short paragraph each for contact arrangements, cat care, plant care, and security duties.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied, natural, and precise for the informal context, with only a few slightly awkward phrases or references.
Replace 'take up the responsibilities' and 'inform some of the chores' with 'take on the responsibility' and 'explain the chores'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of sentence forms is used accurately and flexibly, with only minor punctuation or reference lapses.
Add commas around longer conditional clauses where helpful and make plural references explicit, such as 'the bags of cat food are in the pantry'.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
A friend has agreed to look after your house and pet while you are on holiday. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:
- give contact details for when you are away
- give instructions on how to care for your pet
- describe other household duties
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.