You have recently stayed with an old friend for a few days after not seeing each other for a long time. Write a letter to this friend. In your letter: - say how you felt about the visit - refer to something enjoyable that you did while staying with him/her - invite your friend to visit you
Sample Response
Dear Wilson, I am writing to thank you for a magnificent time at your house. I was literally enchanted by your company as it took me back to the old days. You have been so great a host and I would like to spend some time together again. Hence, I am writing to invite you to my house. I thoroughly enjoyed the fun-filled trip to the beach, adventurous hike to Mt. Samat and the basketball game we watched at the Guiliano Stadium. I also like the t-shirt and other items that you gifted me. However, the most enjoyable experience was the night we went out camping and it was something I have not done in decades. I hope you also enjoyed the time. Please visit me in Perth sometime soon so that we can try some of the tourist spots you always wanted to visit. We would enjoy our time and do many fun activities together. I am expecting to have you at my house and spend a great time together. Warm wishes, David
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use natural thanks wording Original: a magnificent time at your house Suggested revision: such a wonderful time staying with you Why it matters: This phrasing sounds warmer and more natural in a letter to a friend.
- 2. Avoid exaggerated wording Original: literally enchanted by your company Suggested revision: delighted to be in your company Why it matters: Delighted expresses strong enjoyment without the excessive literal claim implied by enchanted.
- 3. Describe the memories naturally Original: as it took me back to the old days Suggested revision: because it brought back fond memories Why it matters: The revision clearly conveys the nostalgic effect of meeting the friend again.
- 4. Use past visit tense Original: You have been so great a host Suggested revision: You were such a great host Why it matters: The hosting occurred during the completed visit, so simple past is appropriate.
- 5. Use an informal link Original: Hence Suggested revision: That is why Why it matters: That is why suits the friendly register better than the formal linker Hence.
- 6. Clarify the return visit Original: invite you to my house Suggested revision: invite you to stay with me Why it matters: Stay with me mirrors the recent visit and states the invitation more naturally.
- 7. Use the hiking preposition Original: adventurous hike to Mt. Samat Suggested revision: adventurous hike up Mt Samat Why it matters: A hike up a mountain is the natural prepositional construction.
- 8. Use past tense Original: like Suggested revision: liked Why it matters: The gifts were received and appreciated during the completed visit.
- 9. Use natural gift wording Original: gifted Suggested revision: gave Why it matters: Gave me is the more natural verb in this informal context.
- 10. Remove unnecessary particle Original: went out camping Suggested revision: went camping Why it matters: Went camping already expresses the activity completely.
- 11. Use past perfect Original: have Suggested revision: had Why it matters: Past perfect marks that the long period without camping preceded the recent trip.
- 12. Clarify shared enjoyment Original: enjoyed the time Suggested revision: enjoyed our time together Why it matters: The revision identifies the shared visit more warmly and precisely.
Suggested Rewrites
- a magnificent time at your house such a wonderful time staying with you
- literally enchanted by your company delighted to be in your company
- as it took me back to the old days because it brought back fond memories
- You have been so great a host You were such a great host
- Hence That is why
- invite you to my house invite you to stay with me
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter warmly expresses appreciation, develops several memorable shared activities, and gives a clear invitation to visit Perth, fully meeting the communicative purpose. Its strongest feature is the friendly detail, especially the camping memory and proposed sightseeing. The main limitation is some repetition and a few unnatural collocations or tense choices; prioritise a more specific invitation and concise, idiomatic informal language.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All three bullet points are fully developed in a warm, personal tone appropriate for an old friend.
Make the invitation more actionable by suggesting a particular weekend or asking when Wilson is free to visit Perth.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter progresses naturally from thanks and feelings to shared activities and the return invitation, despite some repetition near the end.
Use short paragraphs for appreciation, the favourite memory, and the invitation, combining the final repeated sentences about spending time together.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and expressive, but several choices such as 'enchanted by your company' and 'try tourist spots' sound unnatural.
Use natural phrases such as 'loved catching up', 'visit some local attractions', and 'have you stay with me'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A good range of structures is generally accurate, with occasional tense and complementation errors that do not impede meaning.
Correct forms such as 'I also liked', 'something I had not done in decades', and 'places you have always wanted to visit'.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You have recently stayed with an old friend for a few days after not seeing each other for a long time. Write a letter to this friend. In your letter:
- say how you felt about the visit
- refer to something enjoyable that you did while staying with him/her
- invite your friend to visit you
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.