You have recently moved to a different house, and you want to give the news to an English-speaking friend who lives in another country. Write a letter to this English-speaking friend. In your letter: - explain why you have moved - describe the new house - invite your friend to come and visit
Sample Response
Dear Emily,
I hope you are doing great. I'm writing this letter to share some exciting news - I've recently moved to a new house, and I wanted to let you know about it.
The main reason for my move was to find a more spacious and peaceful environment. My previous apartment, though convenient, felt quite cramped, and the surrounding area was often noisy. This new place offers a much-needed change, allowing me to enjoy a better quality of life.
You'd be glad to know that my new home is a beautiful detached house located in Ottawa, Canada. It has three bedrooms, a modern kitchen, and a lovely backyard with a small garden. The neighbourhood is quiet and safe, with plenty of parks and cafés nearby. It truly feels like the perfect place to settle.
I'd love you to visit and stay for a while. Let me know when you can make the trip. I’ll be delighted to show you around!
Warm wishes,
Sophia
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use natural greeting Original: great Suggested revision: well Why it matters: Doing well is the more conventional phrase in a friendly letter opening.
- 2. Trim wordiness Original: writing this letter Suggested revision: writing Why it matters: The medium is already clear, so this letter is unnecessary.
- 3. Use clear punctuation Original: news - I've Suggested revision: news: I've Why it matters: A colon cleanly introduces the specific news that follows.
- 4. Keep present purpose Original: wanted Suggested revision: want Why it matters: The present tense aligns with the current act of writing.
- 5. Make description concrete Original: a more spacious and peaceful environment Suggested revision: a larger home in a quieter area Why it matters: The revision states the desired housing changes more concretely.
- 6. Use specific reference Original: This new place Suggested revision: My new house Why it matters: The specific noun makes the reference immediately clear.
- 7. Avoid assuming reaction Original: You'd be glad to know Suggested revision: I'm delighted to tell you Why it matters: This keeps the warm tone without presuming the friend's response.
- 8. Refine invitation pattern Original: I'd love you to visit Suggested revision: I'd love for you to visit Why it matters: The for construction makes the invitation more natural and explicit.
Suggested Rewrites
- great well
- writing this letter writing
- news - I've news: I've
- wanted want
- a more spacious and peaceful environment a larger home in a quieter area
- This new place My new house
Why this response received Band 8.0
The letter's strongest feature is its complete, naturally organised response: it explains the move, gives a vivid but concise description of the new home, and extends a warm invitation in an appropriate friendly tone. There are no substantial communication problems, though a few phrases could sound more spontaneous and the invitation could include a practical detail. Prioritise adding a suggested time or activity for the visit while preserving the letter's concise structure.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All three requirements are fully and clearly addressed with relevant detail, a consistently friendly tone and a convincing communicative purpose.
Develop the invitation slightly by suggesting a possible season, date or activity for the friend's stay.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter is logically sequenced, with each required purpose placed in a focused paragraph and cohesive links managed naturally.
For further refinement, make the transition from the house description to the invitation more personal by linking the visit to the garden, parks or cafés.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied, precise and well suited to an informal letter, particularly in the descriptions of the former apartment, new house and neighbourhood.
Preserve this precision while replacing slightly formulaic phrases such as 'I wanted to let you know about it' with a more conversational alternative.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of sentence structures is used accurately and flexibly, with only negligible punctuation or stylistic lapses.
Use an em dash or full stop rather than a spaced hyphen after 'exciting news' for fully polished punctuation.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You have recently moved to a different house, and you want to give the news to an English-speaking friend who lives in another country. Write a letter to this English-speaking friend. In your letter:
- explain why you have moved
- describe the new house
- invite your friend to come and visit
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.