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 Amelia, Hope you are doing fine. It was so delightful to hear that you had a memorable tour in Europe, and I'm sure that would revive you to the fullest. I'm writing to seek your advice regarding my plan to celebrate my parents 40th marriage anniversary. I'm sure you can help me make this a grand celebration. Spending 40 years together is a great reason to celebrate and my parents have shown a true testament of what a marriage really is and I am absolutely blessed to be a part of this remarkable family. 4 decades with blessing, love, affection, true commitment and care is absolutely remarkable. I only wish I would be that fortunate! As I want to make this event unforgettable, I need your help. The 40th anniversary, also known as the ruby anniversary, should be a joyous occasion filled with family and friends who’ve been a part of your lives over the years. I know how famous you are for making such an occasion a success and despite some superficial ideas, I am not sure how to make arrangements for such a monumental occasion which is on 24th March. I hope you can meet me someday to discuss and finalise the planning. I can come over to your office to have the conversation at your convenience. Do inform me when you can meet. Hope to meet you soon. Warm wishes, Karina
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Add sentence subject Original: Hope you are doing fine. Suggested revision: I hope you are doing well. Why it matters: Including the subject produces a complete sentence while retaining the friendly tone.
- 2. Use natural phrasing Original: a memorable tour in Europe Suggested revision: a memorable trip around Europe Why it matters: ‘Trip around Europe’ is more natural for a general leisure journey.
- 3. Correct tense and phrasing Original: would revive you to the fullest Suggested revision: would have left you feeling completely refreshed Why it matters: The past event requires a perfect conditional form, and the revision expresses the effect naturally.
- 4. Add possessive apostrophe Original: my parents 40th Suggested revision: my parents’ 40th Why it matters: The plural possessive noun requires an apostrophe after ‘parents’.
- 5. Correct collocation Original: shown a true testament of Suggested revision: provided a true example of Why it matters: The original combination of ‘shown’ and ‘testament of’ is not idiomatic here.
- 6. Correct future form Original: wish I would be Suggested revision: hope I will be Why it matters: ‘Hope’ with ‘will’ is appropriate for a possible future outcome.
- 7. Keep pronouns consistent Original: your Suggested revision: their Why it matters: The sentence refers to the writer’s parents, so the third-person possessive is required.
- 8. Improve register Original: how famous you are for making Suggested revision: how well known you are for making Why it matters: ‘Well known’ is a more natural description of a professional reputation.
- 9. Correct linking phrase Original: despite some superficial ideas Suggested revision: although I have a few rough ideas Why it matters: ‘Although’ correctly introduces the contrast with uncertainty about the arrangements.
- 10. Avoid repetition Original: make arrangements for such a monumental occasion Suggested revision: organise such a monumental occasion Why it matters: The concise verb avoids the repeated use of ‘occasion’ with a heavy verb phrase.
- 11. Make timing specific Original: meet me someday Suggested revision: meet me next week Why it matters: A defined period makes the meeting request more actionable while leaving the exact time open.
- 12. Use natural collocation Original: planning Suggested revision: arrangements Why it matters: ‘Finalise the arrangements’ is the more natural collocation for event preparations.
Suggested Rewrites
- Hope you are doing fine. I hope you are doing well.
- a memorable tour in Europe a memorable trip around Europe
- would revive you to the fullest would have left you feeling completely refreshed
- my parents 40th my parents’ 40th
- shown a true testament of provided a true example of
- wish I would be hope I will be
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter conveys genuine warmth and explains the significance of the anniversary with substantial, relevant detail. Its effectiveness is reduced by repetition, an overlong single-paragraph structure, and a meeting request that leaves the timing entirely open. Organise the content around the three bullet points and propose one or two specific meeting times so the practical purpose is completed more decisively.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The occasion and need for help are developed clearly in a friendly register, but the meeting arrangement remains vague rather than establishing a convenient time.
Offer specific options for when to meet and ask the friend to confirm which one suits her.
Coherence and Cohesion
The message follows a generally logical sequence, although one long paragraph and repeated statements about the occasion weaken cohesion.
Group the explanation, request for assistance, and meeting arrangements into separate paragraphs and remove repeated praise of the anniversary.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and often expressive, but some choices such as revive you to the fullest and superficial ideas are imprecise or unnatural.
Prioritise natural collocations and precise everyday language over elaborate expressions whose meaning is less secure.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The letter demonstrates varied complex structures with generally good control, despite occasional fragments, missing possessive marking, and awkward constructions.
Proofread sentence completeness and possession, especially in phrases such as my parents' 40th wedding anniversary.
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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.