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 Benjamin, Hope you're doing great. As per our earlier discussion, I'm writing to refresh your mind that you'll be looking after my house and pet during my vacation starting from 4th November. Thank you for agreeing to house-sit for me, and I owe you a big one. You can contact me by email, mobile phone or Facebook. I'll check my emails and Facebook regularly. In case of an emergency, feel free to dial me on my mobile phone. I’ve written the numbers on a sticky note which I’ve left on the fridge. I've already stored the necessary food for my cat inside the kitchen cabinet. I've written down the feeding schedule on the back of the kitchen door. Just make sure the cat drinks plenty of fresh water every day. At night, my cat sleeps in a small bed made for her in the storeroom. She usually sleeps around 9:00 pm, so you've to place her in the living room at that time. You're welcome to use things in my house as if they were yours. Moreover, please switch on the garage lights after sunset and turn them off in the morning. Also, pick up the newspaper from the lawn every morning. Hope to meet you soon. Warm wishes, Mansoor Afzal
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use natural phrasing Original: refresh your mind that Suggested revision: remind you that Why it matters: “Remind you that” is the natural expression for recalling an arrangement.
- 2. Refine the date phrase Original: starting from 4th November Suggested revision: starting on 4 November Why it matters: Use “on” with the specific date on which the holiday begins.
- 3. Use email uncountably Original: emails Suggested revision: email Why it matters: “Email” more naturally refers to the communication account or channel here.
- 4. Choose natural wording Original: dial Suggested revision: call Why it matters: “Call me” is more natural than “dial me” when referring to contacting a person.
- 5. Use concise wording Original: inside Suggested revision: in Why it matters: “In” expresses the location clearly without unnecessary emphasis.
- 6. Correct the closing phrase Original: meet Suggested revision: see Why it matters: “See you soon” is appropriate because the writer and friend already know each other.
- 7. Sentence rewrite Original: She usually sleeps around 9:00 pm, so you've to place her in the living room at that time. Suggested revision: She usually goes to sleep around 9:00 pm, so please place her in her bed in the storeroom at that time. Why it matters: This removes the contradiction between the stated sleeping place and the instruction to move the cat elsewhere.
- 8. Organise the instructions Suggested revision: Separate the body into short paragraphs for contact details, pet care, and household duties. Why it matters: Clear paragraphing would help the friend locate each type of instruction quickly.
Suggested Rewrites
- refresh your mind that remind you that
- starting from 4th November starting on 4 November
- emails email
- dial call
- inside in
- meet see
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter gives practical contact options, detailed feeding and watering instructions, and clear household tasks, all in a warm tone suited to a friend. Its strongest feature is the useful specificity of notes, supplies, lights, and newspapers. The main limitation is a contradictory sleeping instruction, since the cat's bed is described as being in the storeroom but Benjamin is told to place her in the living room; prioritise unambiguous care directions.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All three bullet points are fully addressed with relevant practical detail, although one pet-care instruction is internally inconsistent.
Clarify whether the cat should sleep in the storeroom or living room and give a specific emergency contact number or veterinary contact.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter progresses logically from contact arrangements to pet care and household duties, with generally clear sequencing.
Use short paragraphs for contact details, cat care, and household tasks so the instructions can be followed more easily.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and appropriate for informal house-sitting instructions, but a few expressions are unnatural.
Replace 'refresh your mind', 'dial me on my mobile phone', and 'you've to' with 'remind you', 'call me', and 'you have to'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A good range of structures is mostly accurate, with minor fragments and contraction errors that do not obstruct meaning.
Write complete forms such as 'I hope you're doing well' and 'You need to put her in her bed at around 9 p.m.'.
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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.