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 such a wonderful time staying with youa magnificent time at your house. I was delighted to be in your companyliterally enchanted by your company because it brought back fond memoriesas it took me back to the old days. You were such a great hostYou have been so great a host and I would like to spend some time together again. That is whyHence, I am writing to invite you to stay with meinvite you to my house. I thoroughly enjoyed the fun-filled trip to the beach, adventurous hike up Mt Samatadventurous hike to Mt. Samat and the basketball game we watched at the Guiliano Stadium. I also likedlike the t-shirt and other items that you gavegifted me. However, the most enjoyable experience was the night we went campingwent out camping and it was something I hadhave not done in decades. I hope you also enjoyed our time togetherenjoyed the time. Please visit me in Perth one weekend soonsometime soon so that we can try some of the tourist spots you have always wanted to visittourist spots you always wanted to visit. We will have a great timeWe would enjoy our time and enjoydo many fun activities together. I am looking forward to having you stayI am expecting to have you at my house and havingspend a great time together. Warm wishes, David
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.