You are going away to travel for the summer. A friend will be looking after your house while you are away. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: - say where you are going - describe how to look after your pet - explain some of the things your friend should do to look after your house
Sample Response
Dear Valentina, Thank you for agreeing to house-sit for me the whole week while I will be away in Bali, Indonesia. If you need to contact me during this time, I’ll be staying at the Liberty Dive Resort. If it’s urgent, however, please ring my mobile phone, which I’ll keep with me at all times. My cat, Tommy, needs to be fed twice daily so each morning and evening put a handful of his food in his dish. I have reserved enough food for him and you can find it in the kitchen cabinet marked as Tommy. 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. Finally, let him play outside in the evening but make sure he gets back before the dark settles in. I would 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. Yours ever, Isabella
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Line break needed Original: Dear Valentina, Thank you Suggested revision: Dear Valentina, Thank you Why it matters: Separate the greeting from the main body.
- 2. Time clause Original: while I will be away Suggested revision: while I am away Why it matters: Use present simple after while for a future period.
- 3. Add dates Original: the whole week Suggested revision: from 3 to 10 August Why it matters: Exact dates would make the arrangement clearer.
- 4. Natural phrasing Original: I’ll keep with me at all times Suggested revision: I’ll keep on me at all times Why it matters: Keep on me is the more natural phrase for a mobile phone.
- 5. Comma needed Original: twice daily so each morning Suggested revision: twice daily, so each morning Why it matters: The comma helps separate the instruction clauses.
- 6. Wrong verb Original: I have reserved enough food Suggested revision: I have left enough food Why it matters: Left is the natural verb for supplies at home.
- 7. Natural label Original: kitchen cabinet marked as Tommy Suggested revision: kitchen cabinet labelled Tommy Why it matters: Labelled is the usual word for a marked storage place.
- 8. Natural phrase Original: before the dark settles in Suggested revision: before it gets dark Why it matters: The original phrase is awkward.
- 9. Avoid repeated marker Original: Finally, let him play outside Suggested revision: You can also let him play outside Why it matters: Finally is used again later, so another transition is smoother.
- 10. Specific transition Original: Finally, for security Suggested revision: For security Why it matters: This avoids repeating finally and starts the house-care instruction directly.
- 11. Specific security task Original: keep the outside lights on at night Suggested revision: switch the outside lights on each evening Why it matters: This is a slightly more natural instruction for a house-sitting task.
- 12. Closing style Original: Yours ever Suggested revision: Best wishes Why it matters: Yours ever is possible but less common than a simple friendly closing.
Suggested Rewrites
- Dear Valentina, Thank you Dear Valentina, Thank you
- while I will be away while I am away
- the whole week from 3 to 10 August
- I’ll keep with me at all times I’ll keep on me at all times
- twice daily so each morning twice daily, so each morning
- I have reserved enough food I have left enough food
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Achievement
The letter fully covers destination, pet care, and house-care instructions with useful detail. It could include the exact travel dates to make the house-sitting arrangement more complete.
Add departure and return dates, then keep the pet and house instructions in clearly separated paragraphs.
Coherence and Cohesion
The information is logically ordered, but the response is one long block after the greeting, and repeated use of finally weakens the structure.
Use separate paragraphs or bullet-like instruction groups for travel contact, cat care, plants, and security.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is generally natural and task-appropriate, with clear household and pet-care language. A few phrases are unnatural, such as reserved enough food and marked as Tommy.
Use more natural household collocations such as left enough food, labelled Tommy, and before it gets dark.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Grammar is mostly controlled, though there are minor tense, article, and phrase-level errors.
Check future time clauses and article use in routine instructions.