You feel the evening programs on a local television station are uninteresting. Write a letter to the manager of the television station. In your letter: - explain why you do not like the current programs - describe what kind of programs you would like to see instead - explain why these programs would be better
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I am a fan of your TV channel because of the quality of the programs and the excellent shows you broadcast most of the time. But, lately, some of the programs, which are being aired during the evening time, are becoming monotonous and sub-standard, to say the least. So, I thought that it was time for me to write this letter to you to request you to change some of the evening programs and introduce some exciting and absorbing programs instead. By the way, the TV programs, including some random cooking shows, talk shows and foreign language learning programs, in the evening are targeted at only certain groups of audiences, and they are not interesting for general viewers at all. Now, while I do not have much of an issue watching such programs once in a while, I would be more interested to watch some famous comedy shows, documentaries on different kinds of wildlife, science fiction movies, and travel show also at the same time. I think that such diversities in your evening TV programs would prove out to be better since it would attract many more audiences for your TV channel while also generating more advertising revenues. I hope you will consider my suggestions and bring out some changes to your evening programs. Yours faithfully, Robinson Duke
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Remove the extra comma Original: But, lately Suggested revision: But lately Why it matters: A comma should not separate the coordinating conjunction from the adverb here.
- 2. Use concise wording Original: during the evening time Suggested revision: in the evening Why it matters: The shorter phrase expresses the time naturally and precisely.
- 3. Use present perfect Original: are becoming Suggested revision: have become Why it matters: The present perfect better describes a recent change that remains relevant now.
- 4. Correct the spelling Original: sub-standard Suggested revision: substandard Why it matters: The standard spelling of this adjective is one word.
- 5. Use a formal link Original: So, I thought Suggested revision: I therefore thought Why it matters: This creates a more formal link between the criticism and the request.
- 6. Remove wordiness Original: write this letter to you to request you to Suggested revision: request that you Why it matters: The shorter construction states the purpose directly without repeated infinitives.
- 7. Use a relevant transition Original: By the way Suggested revision: In particular Why it matters: “By the way” is too conversational and suggests an unrelated aside.
- 8. Correct the noun phrase Original: audiences Suggested revision: viewers Why it matters: “Audience” already denotes a group, so “viewers” is the appropriate countable noun.
- 9. Correct the preposition Original: for Suggested revision: to Why it matters: The adjective “interesting” takes “to” when identifying the people affected.
- 10. Use the gerund Original: interested to watch Suggested revision: interested in watching Why it matters: “Interested” is followed by “in” and a gerund in this construction.
- 11. Keep the list parallel Original: show Suggested revision: shows Why it matters: The plural form matches the other programme types in the list.
- 12. Delete redundant wording Original: also at the same time Suggested revision: Delete Why it matters: Both “also” and “at the same time” unnecessarily repeat the additive meaning of the list.
Suggested Rewrites
- But, lately But lately
- during the evening time in the evening
- are becoming have become
- sub-standard substandard
- So, I thought I therefore thought
- write this letter to you to request you to request that you
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter clearly explains that the current evening schedule is narrow and repetitive, proposes several appealing alternatives, and links greater variety to a wider audience and increased advertising revenue. Its strongest feature is complete, practical task coverage. The main limitation is language naturalness and register, with awkward phrases and conversational linkers; prioritise concise formal wording and organise the complaint, alternatives, and benefits into separate paragraphs.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All three bullet points are fully addressed with specific current programmes, suggested replacements, and clear audience and commercial benefits.
Strengthen the proposal by suggesting a balanced weekly schedule rather than implying that all specialised programmes should simply be replaced.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter progresses logically from criticism to alternatives and expected benefits, but the single paragraph and loosely used linkers weaken presentation.
Use separate paragraphs for the current problem, proposed programmes, and reasons they would improve the evening schedule.
Lexical Resource
There is sufficient range for discussing broadcasting and audiences, though several word choices and collocations are unnatural.
Use 'repetitive', 'appeal to a limited audience', 'a more varied schedule', and 'increase advertising revenue'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex structures communicate the ideas clearly, but agreement, articles, complementation, and pronoun reference contain noticeable errors.
Correct forms such as 'interested in watching', 'travel shows', and 'this variety would attract a larger audience'.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You feel the evening programs on a local television station are uninteresting. Write a letter to the manager of the television station. In your letter:
- explain why you do not like the current programs
- describe what kind of programs you would like to see instead
- explain why these programs would be better
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.