You will move to a new city for work. You know some people who live there. In your letter: - Ask them for help finding accommodation - Tell them where you would like to live - Tell them the type of place you are looking for
Sample Response
Dear Sir, I wanted to let you know that I am coming to live in (city) and I would like to ask if you can help me with a few things before I arrive and start my new job. Do you think you could give me a hand finding somewhere to live? Ideally I would like to live close to where I am going to be working, or in the downtown district. If possible I would like to be near some shops, like a supermarket and a DVD rental place. As I really love sports it would be great to be near a park too. I’m not too worried about the place itself. Obviously I will be looking for a flat, rather than a house, as it is just going to be me and I won’t be able to afford too much. So, a place with one bedroom is fine, but I would like to have a private bathroom (not shared), a kitchen and some kind of living room. It doesn’t matter if the kitchen is small, but it would nice to have one. I would prefer to live somewhere new, so anything in a modern apartment block would be great. Thanks for your help
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Address your acquaintance Original: Dear Sir Suggested revision: Dear [Name] Why it matters: A personal salutation is appropriate because the recipient is someone the writer knows.
- 2. Add an introductory comma Original: As I really love sports Suggested revision: As I really love sports, Why it matters: A comma should separate this introductory dependent clause from the main clause.
- 3. Use concise wording Original: it is just going to be me Suggested revision: I will be living alone Why it matters: This revision expresses the same idea more directly and naturally.
- 4. State the budget clearly Original: won’t be able to afford too much Suggested revision: have a limited budget Why it matters: This wording communicates the financial constraint more concisely.
- 5. Remove redundant wording Original: private bathroom (not shared) Suggested revision: private bathroom Why it matters: ‘Private’ already means that the bathroom is not shared.
- 6. Use precise wording Original: some kind of living room Suggested revision: a living area Why it matters: This phrase states the requested feature clearly without the vague expression ‘some kind of’.
- 7. Add the missing verb Original: it would nice Suggested revision: it would be nice Why it matters: The modal ‘would’ requires ‘be’ before the adjective ‘nice’.
- 8. Add a friendly sign-off Original: Thanks for your help Suggested revision: Thanks for your help. Best wishes, [Your name] Why it matters: A complete informal letter needs closing punctuation, an appropriate sign-off, and the writer’s name.
- 9. Sentence rewrite Original: I wanted to let you know that I am coming to live in (city) and I would like to ask if you can help me with a few things before I arrive and start my new job. Suggested revision: I wanted to let you know that I am moving to your city to start a new job. Why it matters: This removes the unfinished placeholder and leaves the specific accommodation request to the following sentence.
- 10. Divide ideas into paragraphs Suggested revision: Use separate paragraphs for the request, preferred area, accommodation requirements, and closing. Why it matters: The single block obscures the otherwise logical progression through the three bullet points.
Suggested Rewrites
- Dear Sir Dear [Name]
- As I really love sports As I really love sports,
- it is just going to be me I will be living alone
- won’t be able to afford too much have a limited budget
- private bathroom (not shared) private bathroom
- some kind of living room a living area
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter gives extensive, useful details about the preferred location and accommodation and makes the request for help very clear. Its chief limitation is an inconsistent relationship with the recipients: the formal greeting and unfinished placeholder do not suit people the writer knows, while the body is informal; the priority is to adopt a consistently friendly opening and closing and supply the actual city.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All three bullet points are developed clearly, but the greeting, missing sign-off, and city placeholder weaken the suitability of the letter for known recipients.
Address the acquaintances by name, replace the placeholder with the city, and finish with a friendly sign-off to establish the correct relationship.
Coherence and Cohesion
The content moves sensibly from the request to preferred location and then to detailed accommodation requirements, with clear links between ideas.
Organise these stages into separate paragraphs so the long list of preferences is easier for the recipients to process.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is sufficiently varied and specific for discussing neighbourhood features, affordability, rooms, and apartment style.
Use a more precise expression than 'some kind of living room' and remove dated or unnecessary details that dilute the request.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses a good range of compound and complex sentences with generally accurate control and clear meaning.
Correct the omitted verb in 'it would nice to have one' and review comma use around short clauses and phrases.
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 will move to a new city for work. You know some people who live there. In your letter:
- Ask them for help finding accommodation
- Tell them where you would like to live
- Tell them the type of place you are looking for
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.