You recently visited a place that had a strong impact on you. Now you want to write to your friend about the place. Write a letter to a friend about the place. In your letter: - explain where the place was and how you got there - describe what you saw - offer to take your friend there
Sample Response
Dear Rahul, Last week I went to Mysore on a fabulous trip. The local tourist centre suggested that I should visit the royal palace of Tipu Sultan, the Nizam of Karnataka in the 16th century. The place was a jewel and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would like to take you there next time. On the day of my visit, coincidently it was also the festival of Dussehra and the whole palace was lit up brightly as part of the celebration. According to a local, the electricity used up on that day to light up the palace is almost equal to the electricity used up by the city throughout the year! The interior of the palace was as amazing as the gleaming exterior. There were specimens of weapons that were used during the wars in those times, pictures painted on the canvas of the royal family, details of the wars fought by the King and many more interesting things which are important from the point of view of Indian culture and history. I wish to visit the palace again same time next year to be a part of the grand celebration and I would like to invite you to join me. I promise it would be a great experience. Warm wishes, Ripal
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use natural word order Original: went to Mysore on a fabulous trip Suggested revision: took a fabulous trip to Mysore Why it matters: This is the natural way to describe travelling to a destination.
- 2. Use the subjunctive form Original: suggested that I should visit Suggested revision: suggested that I visit Why it matters: After “suggested that,” the base verb gives a concise standard construction.
- 3. Use concise possession Original: royal palace of Tipu Sultan Suggested revision: Tipu Sultan’s royal palace Why it matters: The possessive form is more natural and concise here.
- 4. Name the place precisely Original: The place was a jewel Suggested revision: The palace was a gem Why it matters: “Palace” keeps the reference specific, while “gem” is the natural metaphor.
- 5. Correct the spelling Original: coincidently Suggested revision: coincidentally Why it matters: The adverb meaning “by coincidence” is spelled “coincidentally”.
- 6. Remove unnecessary addition Original: it was also the festival Suggested revision: it was the festival Why it matters: “Also” has no earlier parallel event to which this festival is being added.
- 7. Avoid redundant wording Original: lit up brightly Suggested revision: brightly illuminated Why it matters: “Lit up brightly” repeats the idea of light unnecessarily.
- 8. Use concise wording Original: electricity used up on that day Suggested revision: electricity used that day Why it matters: “Used” expresses the meaning without the unnecessary particle “up”.
- 9. Remove the extra particle Original: electricity used up by the city Suggested revision: electricity used by the city Why it matters: The verb “used” is sufficient in this comparison.
- 10. Choose a natural noun Original: specimens Suggested revision: examples Why it matters: “Examples” is more natural for historical weapons displayed in a palace.
- 11. Use precise time wording Original: wars in those times Suggested revision: wars during that period Why it matters: “That period” refers to historical time more precisely than “those times”.
- 12. Clarify the meaning Original: pictures painted on the canvas of the royal family Suggested revision: paintings of the royal family Why it matters: The original wording wrongly suggests that the canvas belonged to the royal family.
Suggested Rewrites
- went to Mysore on a fabulous trip took a fabulous trip to Mysore
- suggested that I should visit suggested that I visit
- royal palace of Tipu Sultan Tipu Sultan’s royal palace
- The place was a jewel The palace was a gem
- coincidently coincidentally
- it was also the festival it was the festival
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter creates an enthusiastic, friendly account of the palace and develops the sights and return invitation particularly well. Its main task gap is that it says the visit was in Mysore but never explains how the writer travelled there, while a few tense and phrasing errors affect polish. Prioritise adding the journey details in the opening, then organise the location, sights and invitation into separate paragraphs and proofread time references.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The place, its visual impact and the invitation are developed effectively in a suitable friendly tone, but the required means of travel is omitted.
Add one clear sentence explaining how you reached Mysore and the palace, such as travelling by train and taking a taxi from the station.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter progresses logically from the visit to the palace details and future invitation, though the single-paragraph format makes the information dense.
Use separate paragraphs for the journey, what you saw and the invitation to return next year.
Lexical Resource
The descriptive vocabulary is varied and engaging, with occasional awkward or inaccurate choices such as "coincidently" and "electricity used up."
Use natural expressions such as "coincidentally," "electricity consumed" and "portraits of the royal family."
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A useful range of structures conveys the account clearly, but tense shifts, missing prepositions and a faulty introductory clause reduce accuracy.
Revise forms such as "Coincidentally, it was Dussehra," "at the same time next year" and "I promise it will be a great experience."
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You recently visited a place that had a strong impact on you. Now you want to write to your friend about the place. Write a letter to a friend about the place. In your letter:
- explain where the place was and how you got there
- describe what you saw
- offer to take your friend there
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.