You had gone to study in another country. But you had to come back to your country without finishing the course. Write to your teacher. In your letter: - Thank him/her - Tell him/her why you had to leave - Tell the things you liked about the course
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to express my gratitude to you for your support during my diploma in clinical psychology. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, I had to leave my quotes unforeseen circumstances, I had to leave my course unfinished. But I learnt valuable social skills, enhanced my linguistic ability and for all that, I will be highly indebted to you.
Let me tell you the reason for leaving the course incomplete. I am the only daughter of my parents. Yesterday, when I was talking with my mother, I abruptly realised that my mother had got paralyzed and was hospitalized. Unfortunately, I could do nothing except decided to return to my native country to look after my ailed mother.
I am fortunate enough that I come across different research methods that I had never learnt before. The practical session was more entertaining and knowledgeable. Applying the psychological tests to check the temperament of human beings really broaden the horizon of my knowledge.
I expect to get myself enrolled in your college soon to complete my study.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Yours Faithfully,
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Complete noun phrase Original: my diploma Suggested revision: my diploma studies Why it matters: The noun phrase needs a word such as 'studies' to describe the period of study.
- 2. Use natural reference Original: for all that Suggested revision: for all of this Why it matters: This phrasing refers more naturally to the support and benefits just mentioned.
- 3. Use suitable gratitude Original: highly indebted Suggested revision: very grateful Why it matters: 'Very grateful' expresses thanks clearly without sounding excessively formal.
- 4. Correct reporting verb Original: abruptly realised Suggested revision: suddenly learned Why it matters: The writer learned unexpected news rather than independently realising it.
- 5. Correct past form Original: had got paralyzed Suggested revision: had become paralysed Why it matters: The past perfect form should describe the change in the mother's condition clearly.
- 6. Keep tense sequence Original: was hospitalized Suggested revision: had been hospitalised Why it matters: Past perfect keeps both events anterior to the moment when the writer learned the news.
- 7. Use base verb Original: decided Suggested revision: decide Why it matters: After 'could do nothing except,' the verb should be in its base form.
- 8. Use natural phrase Original: native Suggested revision: home Why it matters: 'Home country' is the natural expression for the country the writer returned to.
- 9. Correct adjective form Original: ailed Suggested revision: ailing Why it matters: 'Ailing' is the adjective meaning ill, whereas 'ailed' is not used attributively here.
- 10. Describe the session Original: entertaining and knowledgeable Suggested revision: engaging and informative Why it matters: A session can be informative, while 'knowledgeable' normally describes a person.
- 11. Remove generic article Original: the psychological tests Suggested revision: psychological tests Why it matters: No definite article is needed when referring to psychological tests in general.
- 12. Use concise wording Original: the temperament of human beings Suggested revision: people's temperaments Why it matters: This concise plural phrase expresses the intended general meaning more naturally.
Suggested Rewrites
- my diploma my diploma studies
- for all that for all of this
- highly indebted very grateful
- abruptly realised suddenly learned
- had got paralyzed had become paralysed
- was hospitalized had been hospitalised
Why this response received Band 6.5
The letter clearly covers the gratitude, reason for leaving, and positive course experiences, with purposeful paragraphing and enough specific detail to make the situation convincing. Its main weakness is recurring grammatical and collocational inaccuracy, including faulty verb forms and several unnatural expressions; the highest priority is to proofread sentence structures and choose more natural word combinations while preserving the clear formal tone.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is clear, all three bullet points are addressed with relevant detail, and the formal tone is generally suitable for a teacher.
Address the teacher by name if possible and remove the corrupted repeated wording in the opening so the situation is immediately precise.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information progresses logically through thanks, the reason for departure, and valued course features, with clear paragraphing.
Use transitions more naturally and avoid repeating the reason for leaving in closely adjacent sentences.
Lexical Resource
The letter shows a good range of topic-specific vocabulary, but several collocations such as 'ailed mother' and 'more entertaining and knowledgeable' are unnatural.
Prioritize accurate, natural combinations such as 'ill mother' and 'more engaging and informative practical sessions.'
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A mix of simple and complex structures is attempted, but recurring errors in verb forms, agreement, and sentence construction reduce control.
Proofread dependent structures and verb phrases, especially forms such as 'could do nothing except decide' and 'really broadened my knowledge.'
Write this task while it is fresh
Try the same task now. It helps you remember the feedback and write better next time.
IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You had gone to study in another country. But you had to come back to your country without finishing the course. Write to your teacher. In your letter:
- Thank him/her
- Tell him/her why you had to leave
- Tell the things you liked about the course
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.