Your parents will celebrate their 40th anniversary next month. You are planning a big celebration and want help making it memorable. Write to a friend who is a professional event planner. In your letter: - explain why the occasion is special - ask for your friend's assistance - set up a convenient time to meet and discuss your plans
Sample Response
Dear Melinda, Hope you are doing well with your life and career. I am also doing fine except that I am really struggling to put together a plan to celebrate my parent's 40th wedding anniversary in a very special manner. For a minute, I thought that I was going to take them to the same place where they spent their first vacation. Then, I also thought I should buy them the same kind of dresses which they wore on their wedding day. But, I finally thought that as a professional event planner, you are the best person to assist me in planning this unique event. Not to mention, this wedding anniversary is quite special for all of us as it marks 40 years of shared love. It is unique to my parents also since, after all these years, they both have finally fulfilled their dream of buying a beautiful house in the lovely countryside where they want to spend the rest of their lives. Besides, this wedding anniversary would also allow them to show their love and appreciation for each other. So, given how special this occasion is, please inform me about a date and time when you can meet me and give me some professional advice on how to make the event memorable and exceptional. Hope to see you soon. Take care. Warm wishes, Jenny
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use a planning transition Original: For a minute Suggested revision: At first Why it matters: At first correctly introduces the writer's initial idea, whereas for a minute suggests duration.
- 2. State the option concisely Original: I thought that I was going to take Suggested revision: I considered taking Why it matters: Considered taking expresses the tentative plan more directly.
- 3. Use British usage Original: vacation Suggested revision: holiday Why it matters: Holiday is the usual British English term for this type of trip.
- 4. Avoid repeating thought Original: Then, I also thought Suggested revision: I also considered whether Why it matters: The revision avoids repetition and introduces the second possible plan naturally.
- 5. Use inclusive clothing wording Original: the same kind of dresses Suggested revision: replicas of the clothes Why it matters: Dresses does not naturally refer to both parents' wedding attire.
- 6. Remove the conjunction comma Original: But, Suggested revision: But Why it matters: A comma should not separate the opening conjunction from the main clause.
- 7. Express the conclusion clearly Original: thought Suggested revision: realised Why it matters: Realised shows that the writer reached a conclusion after considering alternatives.
- 8. Name the celebration precisely Original: this unique event Suggested revision: this special celebration Why it matters: Celebration identifies the occasion more precisely than event.
- 9. Use a logical emphasis marker Original: Not to mention Suggested revision: Most importantly Why it matters: Most importantly clearly introduces the central reason the anniversary is special.
- 10. Strengthen the description Original: quite Suggested revision: particularly Why it matters: Particularly gives the emphasis more precisely in this explanation.
- 11. Use natural emphasis wording Original: It is unique to my parents also Suggested revision: It is also especially meaningful to my parents Why it matters: The revision places also naturally and uses meaningful for personal significance.
- 12. Remove the redundant pronoun Original: they both have finally fulfilled Suggested revision: they have finally fulfilled Why it matters: They already refers to both parents, so both is unnecessary.
Suggested Rewrites
- For a minute At first
- I thought that I was going to take I considered taking
- vacation holiday
- Then, I also thought I also considered whether
- the same kind of dresses replicas of the clothes
- But, But
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter explains why the anniversary matters, directly asks for professional help, and invites the friend to choose a meeting time, all in a warm personal tone. Its strongest feature is the emotional context surrounding forty years of marriage and the parents' new home. The main limitation is repetition and overdevelopment of background detail; the priority is to propose one or two concrete meeting options and specify the planning decisions that need discussion.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All three bullet points are addressed with suitable personal detail, though the meeting arrangement is left entirely to the friend and the assistance request remains broad.
Offer two possible meeting times and briefly identify the help needed with venue, guest list, decorations, catering, or entertainment.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter moves from initial ideas to the occasion's significance and the meeting request, but one paragraph and repeated emphasis on specialness weaken focus.
Use short paragraphs for the occasion, the requested planning help, and the proposed meeting arrangements, removing repeated explanations.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is sufficiently varied and suitably warm, although phrases such as 'doing well with your life and career' and 'in a very special manner' sound unnatural.
Use more idiomatic friendly language such as 'I hope work is going well', 'make the celebration memorable', and 'help me plan the event'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of structures communicates the message clearly, but possessives, articles, punctuation, and several clause patterns contain recurring errors.
Correct 'my parents' 40th anniversary', avoid commas after 'But', and simplify long sentences describing the house and the significance of the occasion.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
Your parents will celebrate their 40th anniversary next month. You are planning a big celebration and want help making it memorable. Write to a friend who is a professional event planner. In your letter:
- explain why the occasion is special
- ask for your friend's assistance
- set up a convenient time to meet and discuss your plans
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.