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
Same question Compare 3 different answersSample Response
Dear Kumar, It's been an incredible experience to have met you in Goa after a long hiatus, probably after half a decade. The week we spent together seems to have vanished in no time. I am writing to thank you for an amazing time and your hospitality during the trip and would like to invite you to my house. The whole week was absolutely awesome. In particular, the trip to George Town would remain etched in my memory forever. That evening we had a fabulous dinner at the Mughal Taj and this was the best meal I have had in a decade. I wish I could make the time stop! Apart from this, I’d also like to give my sincere gratitude to your wife who had been an excellent host during the trip. As you have mentioned, you have a plan to attend a seminar organised by the Indian Federation Association in Delhi next July. Accordingly, I’d love you to be my guest and stay with my family. This would give me an opportunity to spend some time with you and have you in our house. Warm wishes, Neeraj
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Fix time reference Original: It's been an incredible experience to have met you Suggested revision: It was wonderful to see you Why it matters: The simple past clearly refers to the completed visit with a friend already known to the writer.
- 2. Remove repeated timing Original: , probably after half a decade Suggested revision: Delete Why it matters: This repeats the idea already conveyed by “after a long hiatus” and weakens precision.
- 3. Use future form Original: would Suggested revision: will Why it matters: The memory is expected to continue into the future, so “will” is the appropriate form.
- 4. Fix idiomatic phrase Original: make the time stop Suggested revision: make time stop Why it matters: The idiomatic expression uses “time” without the definite article.
- 5. Use correct collocation Original: give Suggested revision: express Why it matters: English conventionally uses “express gratitude” rather than “give gratitude.”
- 6. Correct past tense Original: who had been an excellent host Suggested revision: who was an excellent host Why it matters: The simple past is sufficient because no later past event requires the past perfect.
- 7. Match completed conversation Original: As you have mentioned Suggested revision: As you mentioned Why it matters: The simple past naturally refers to what the friend said during the completed visit.
- 8. Use warmer wording Original: have you in our house Suggested revision: welcome you into our home Why it matters: This is a more natural and personal way to describe hosting a close friend.
- 9. Organise by purpose Suggested revision: Use separate paragraphs for feelings about the visit, the memorable outing, thanks to the hosts, and the return invitation. Why it matters: Paragraphing would make the progression through the three requested points easier to follow.
Suggested Rewrites
- It's been an incredible experience to have met you It was wonderful to see you
- , probably after half a decade Delete
- would will
- make the time stop make time stop
- give express
- who had been an excellent host who was an excellent host
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response warmly fulfils the social purpose, develops a memorable shared experience, and extends a clear invitation with useful context. Its main weakness is that some sophisticated wording and tense choices sound more formal or less natural than they would in a letter to a close friend, while the single-block presentation limits readability. Prioritise a consistently conversational register and clearer paragraph divisions.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All three bullet points are fully addressed with a clear sense of enjoyment, a specific shared outing, and a well-developed invitation.
Keep the informal relationship more consistently visible by expressing thanks and the invitation in simpler, friendlier language.
Coherence and Cohesion
The content follows a logical sequence from reflection on the visit to a highlight, additional thanks, and the return invitation.
Divide the response into short paragraphs for the visit, enjoyable memory, and invitation rather than presenting it as one continuous block.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary is varied and expressive, although phrases such as “give my sincere gratitude” are overly formal or collocationally awkward.
Choose more natural informal expressions, for example “please thank your wife for being such a wonderful host.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A good range of sentence forms is handled clearly, but several tense and phrasing choices are imprecise despite not obstructing meaning.
Use past forms consistently for the completed visit and reserve future forms for the planned return 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.