You are going to visit New Zealand for an 'English and Homestay' program. You have just received details of your homestay host family. Write your first letter to the family. In your letter: - introduce yourself - ask the family some questions to get information that is important to you - tell the family about your arrival date and time
Sample Response
Dear Mr and Mrs Ericsson, I hope you are doing great. I am Eoghan Antonio from Italy, would like to thank you for granting my application to host me for the English and Homestay programme at your house. This is something I have been so eagerly looking forward to and I thank you profoundly for the opportunity. I am writing for some information and to confirm my arrival date. I will be your guest for a month as part of the 'English and Homestay' program in Hamilton, New Zealand. I am a fresher at the University of Turin and I speak both Italian and Spanish. I am really excited to visit your country and be your humble guest. This would be an excellent opportunity to learn the language, culture and way of life in New Zealand. However, I am curious to know about a few things before my arrival at your house. To start, how can I reach from the airport to your house? Should I take a taxi or request a ride from Uber? I will reach the airport on 9th November 2022 at 11:30 am. Would it be possible for you to come to the airport to receive me? Besides, what is the current weather conditions in your city? What types of clothing are suitable for this season? I will be boarding the flight to New Zealand on 8th November at 10:45 am (GST time) and land there the next day around 11:30 am. Eagerly waiting to meet you in person. Sincerely yours, Eoghan Antonio
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use natural greeting Original: great Suggested revision: well Why it matters: Doing well sounds more natural and appropriate in a first letter to a host family.
- 2. Add the missing subject Original: I am Eoghan Antonio from Italy, would like Suggested revision: I am Eoghan Antonio from Italy, and I would like Why it matters: The second clause needs a conjunction and its own subject.
- 3. Use natural wording Original: granting my application to host me Suggested revision: agreeing to host me Why it matters: A host family agrees to host a visitor rather than grants an application to host them.
- 4. Use a warmer phrase Original: programme at your house Suggested revision: programme in your home Why it matters: In your home is more natural and personable when addressing a host family.
- 5. Remove excess emphasis Original: so eagerly Suggested revision: eagerly Why it matters: Eagerly already conveys strong anticipation, so so is unnecessary here.
- 6. Use natural gratitude Original: I thank you profoundly Suggested revision: I am deeply grateful Why it matters: This is a more natural expression of strong gratitude in a personal letter.
- 7. Add the purpose phrase Original: I am writing for some information Suggested revision: I am writing to ask for some information Why it matters: The infinitive phrase clearly states the purpose of writing.
- 8. Use widely clear wording Original: a fresher Suggested revision: a first-year student Why it matters: First-year student is more widely understood by an international host family.
- 9. Sound natural and warm Original: be your humble guest Suggested revision: stay with your family Why it matters: The revision expresses the homestay arrangement naturally without unnecessary self-deprecation.
- 10. Add the preposition Original: learn the language Suggested revision: learn about the language Why it matters: Learn about is needed because the list includes culture and way of life as subjects of study.
- 11. Use the travel phrase Original: reach Suggested revision: get Why it matters: Get from one place to another is the natural expression for asking about a route.
- 12. Use natural wording Original: request a ride from Uber Suggested revision: book an Uber Why it matters: Book an Uber is the conventional expression for arranging this type of ride.
Suggested Rewrites
- great well
- I am Eoghan Antonio from Italy, would like I am Eoghan Antonio from Italy, and I would like
- granting my application to host me agreeing to host me
- programme at your house programme in your home
- so eagerly eagerly
- I thank you profoundly I am deeply grateful
Why this response received Band 6.5
The letter introduces the writer, asks several practical questions, and gives a clear arrival date and time, so every required point is covered. Its main limitations are presentation and language control: the message is unparagraphled, repeats the travel timing, and contains recurring sentence-boundary, agreement, and verb-form errors. Prioritise organising the introduction, questions, and arrival details into separate paragraphs, then proofread each sentence for a complete subject and controlled tense.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All three bullet points are developed with useful personal, transport, weather, and arrival information, though some details are repetitive and the tone is occasionally overdone.
State the arrival information once and use a warm, natural tone without excessive gratitude or self-description.
Coherence and Cohesion
The content follows a broadly logical sequence, but the single dense paragraph, repeated arrival details, and abrupt final fragment weaken progression.
Use separate paragraphs for the introduction, practical questions, and final arrival arrangements.
Lexical Resource
There is a reasonable range for travel and homestay topics, but several choices such as "humble guest" and "receive me" sound unnatural.
Use natural phrases such as "stay with you", "pick me up", "get from the airport", and "weather conditions".
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A mix of structures is attempted, but comma splices, missing subjects, agreement errors, fragments, and faulty future forms recur.
Rewrite the opening as two complete sentences and use parallel future verbs, such as "I will board" and "will land".
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You are going to visit New Zealand for an 'English and Homestay' program. You have just received details of your homestay host family. Write your first letter to the family. In your letter:
- introduce yourself
- ask the family some questions to get information that is important to you
- tell the family about your arrival date and time
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.