Your parents will celebrate their 50th anniversary next month. You are planning a big celebration and have a friend, Julia, who is a professional event planner. Write to Julia. In your letter: - explain why the occasion is special - ask for her assistance - set up a time to meet and discuss your plans
Sample Response
Dear Julia, Hope you are doing excellent. I am writing this letter because I need some advice from a professional event planner like you. And I need it because my parents are going to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary soon, and I just don’t have a clue about how to make this occasion a memorable one. By the way, this 50th anniversary is going to be a special occasion for my parents because they've been through a lot of ups and downs in their 50 years of married life, and yet their love for each other seems to be as fresh and deep as the day when they got married. Of course, I've plans to buy them some perfect gifts and create a slideshow full of their memories, but I'm not too sure if that’s what will go with the appeal of such a grand occasion. Besides, I'm still undecided where to organise the event, how to decorate the venue and whom to invite. So, please meet me the day after tomorrow at around 5:30 pm at your office so that I can discuss my plans with you while also borrowing some of your expert ideas to turn this grand event into a successful one. Best wishes, Linda
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use a direct transition Original: By the way, this 50th anniversary Suggested revision: This 50th anniversary Why it matters: “By the way” makes this central explanation sound like an incidental aside.
- 2. Correct the contraction Original: I've plans Suggested revision: I have plans Why it matters: “I've” cannot replace “I have” when “have” expresses possession here.
- 3. Choose a natural adjective Original: perfect Suggested revision: thoughtful Why it matters: “Thoughtful gifts” is a more natural description of presents chosen for an anniversary.
- 4. Clarify suitability Original: go with the appeal of Suggested revision: be suitable for Why it matters: The original phrase is not an idiomatic way to question whether an idea suits an occasion.
- 5. Add the preposition Original: undecided where Suggested revision: undecided about where Why it matters: “Undecided” normally takes “about” before an indirect question.
- 6. Soften the request Original: please meet me Suggested revision: would you be able to meet me Why it matters: A question sounds more appropriate than an instruction when arranging a friend's professional help.
- 7. Use natural wording Original: borrowing some of your expert ideas Suggested revision: getting some of your expert advice Why it matters: “Get expert advice” is more idiomatic than “borrow expert ideas” in this context.
- 8. Tighten the expression Original: a successful one Suggested revision: a success Why it matters: “Turn the event into a success” is the more concise and natural expression.
- 9. Sentence rewrite Original: Hope you are doing excellent. Suggested revision: I hope you are doing well. Why it matters: Add a subject and use the adverb “well” to describe how Julia is doing.
- 10. Separate the letter sections Suggested revision: Divide the letter into short paragraphs for the occasion, the help needed, and the proposed meeting. Why it matters: The single block obscures the progression through the three requested bullet points.
Suggested Rewrites
- By the way, this 50th anniversary This 50th anniversary
- I've plans I have plans
- perfect thoughtful
- go with the appeal of be suitable for
- undecided where undecided about where
- please meet me would you be able to meet me
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter fully addresses the occasion, requested help, and proposed meeting, with warm detail that makes the purpose convincing and personal. Its main limitation is expression: several awkward collocations and grammatical slips, together with heavy reliance on sentence-opening linkers, reduce polish. Prioritise more natural phrasing and divide the content into clear paragraphs so the request and meeting arrangement are easier to follow.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Achievement
The purpose is clear, all three bullet points are fully developed, and the friendly tone suits the relationship.
Make the proposed meeting more considerate by checking whether the time is convenient for Julia.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas progress logically from the significance of the anniversary to planning needs and the meeting request, although the single-block presentation and prominent linkers feel mechanical.
Use separate paragraphs for the occasion, requested assistance, and meeting details, with fewer sentence-opening connectors.
Lexical Resource
A good range of relevant vocabulary conveys affection and event-planning needs, but phrases such as "doing excellent" and "go with the appeal" are unnatural.
Choose idiomatic collocations, such as "doing well" and "suit such a grand occasion," to improve precision.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Varied complex structures are generally controlled, with only occasional non-impeding errors such as "I've plans."
Review article and verb-form choices in shorter clauses while preserving the effective range of complex sentences.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
Your parents will celebrate their 50th anniversary next month. You are planning a big celebration and have a friend, Julia, who is a professional event planner. Write to Julia. In your letter:
- explain why the occasion is special
- ask for her assistance
- set up a time to meet and discuss your plans
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.