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 Emma,
Thank you so much for agreeing to look after my house and my beloved pet while I am on holiday. Your help means a lot to me, and I truly appreciate your willingness to assist.
While I'm away, you can reach me via email at [email address] or by phone at +18852654870. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you've any questions or concerns regarding the house or our furry friend Max.
Regarding the care of my pet, Max, I have left detailed instructions on his feeding schedule, dietary requirements, and daily exercise routine on the kitchen counter. Additionally, please ensure he has access to fresh water at all times and is comfortable in his sleeping area.
In terms of household duties, I've already taken care of most tasks before leaving. However, I'd appreciate it if you could water the plants every other day and collect any mail that may accumulate in the mailbox.
Once again, thank you for your kindness and willingness to help out. Take care, and I look forward to catching up with you when I return.
Warm wishes,
Charlotte
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use natural conditional Original: if you've any questions Suggested revision: if you have any questions Why it matters: The uncontracted verb is more natural in this conditional structure.
- 2. Keep ownership consistent Original: our furry friend Max Suggested revision: my pet Max Why it matters: The letter consistently presents Max as the writer's pet, so my keeps the reference clear.
- 3. Use friendly concise lead Original: Regarding the care of my pet, Max Suggested revision: To care for Max Why it matters: The shorter phrase suits an informal letter to a friend.
- 4. Supply clear subject Original: before leaving Suggested revision: before I leave Why it matters: The full clause clearly identifies who is leaving.
- 5. Use concise duty Original: collect any mail that may accumulate Suggested revision: collect the mail Why it matters: The shorter phrase gives the household duty directly.
- 6. Avoid repeated wording Original: willingness to help out Suggested revision: help Why it matters: The introduction already thanks the friend for willingness to assist, so the shorter wording avoids repetition.
- 7. Provide real email address Suggested revision: Replace the email placeholder with an actual address before sending the letter. Why it matters: The contact-detail requirement is not fully met while the email remains a placeholder.
- 8. Add practical pet amounts Suggested revision: Include the specific food quantity, feeding times, and exercise duration from the instructions left on the counter. Why it matters: The letter points to separate instructions but gives few actionable care details within the message.
Suggested Rewrites
- if you've any questions if you have any questions
- our furry friend Max my pet Max
- Regarding the care of my pet, Max To care for Max
- before leaving before I leave
- collect any mail that may accumulate collect the mail
- willingness to help out help
Why this response received Band 8.0
The letter is warm, clearly organised, and easy to follow, with contact options and specific household duties presented in an appropriately friendly register. Its main limitation is that much of the pet-care information is deferred to instructions on the counter, leaving the actual feeding, dietary, and exercise requirements unspecified in the letter. The highest-priority improvement is to include the essential schedule and quantities directly so the friend can act without consulting another document.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose and all three bullet points are addressed, but the pet-care instructions are only partly developed because key details are referenced rather than stated.
Specify Max's feeding times and amounts, walking routine, and any dietary restriction directly in the letter.
Coherence and Cohesion
Each communicative purpose has a focused paragraph, and the progression from contact details to pet care and household duties is clear.
Keep the same structure while slightly shortening the repeated thanks at the beginning and end.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is precise, natural, and well suited to an informal letter, with flexible expressions for care and household responsibilities.
Use a slightly more conversational alternative to willingness to assist to keep the friendly register fully consistent.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of sentence forms is used accurately, and errors are rare and non-impeding.
For maximum polish, prefer if you have any questions over the less widely used if you've any questions.
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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.