You recently went to a concert and thought one of the singers was very good. You want to tell him/her how you feel. Write a letter to the singer. In your letter: - say how you feel about his/her performance - give details of your music-related/musical activities - explain how you would like him/her to help you with your music-related/musical activities
Sample Response
Dear Kim Lee, I have recently attended one of your music concerts and I simply loved it. All of your fellow artists performed really well, but I would like to say that your performance stood out among other performers. I just wanted to let you know that I have never really seen any singer sing at such ease while also playing one of the most difficult guitars called “flamenco”. Besides, I also like that little fuzzy tone in your voice which perfectly blends with your singing style. Finally, I also enjoyed your musical clarity and musical intensity until the end which is not really seen among many rock music artists. Anyway, I like to sing typical rock songs with the help of electric guitars, and I never seem to be able to achieve the desired musical pitch and tempo, which I would like to have in my music. I have even tried bass guitars, but I don’t exactly see any visible changes in my musical pitch and tempo. So, if you share some of your valuable experience in using electric and bass guitars while singing soft rock songs, I would highly appreciate it. Yours sincerely, Eric Connolly
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. State purpose directly Original: I just wanted Suggested revision: I wanted Why it matters: Removing 'just' makes the compliment more direct without changing its friendly tone.
- 2. Avoid word repetition Original: seen any singer sing Suggested revision: seen a singer perform Why it matters: The revision avoids repeating two forms of 'sing' in one phrase.
- 3. Correct ease phrase Original: at Suggested revision: with Why it matters: The fixed expression for effortless performance is 'with ease'.
- 4. Name musical piece clearly Original: one of the most difficult guitars called “flamenco” Suggested revision: a difficult flamenco guitar piece Why it matters: The revision makes clear that the difficulty concerns the music being played rather than a guitar named 'flamenco'.
- 5. Maintain event tense Original: Besides, I also like Suggested revision: I also liked Why it matters: Past tense is needed because the writer is describing the completed concert.
- 6. Clarify relative clause Original: until the end which is not really seen among Suggested revision: throughout the concert, qualities not often displayed by Why it matters: The plural noun 'qualities' gives the clause a clear antecedent and correct agreement.
- 7. Describe playing naturally Original: with the help of electric guitars Suggested revision: while playing electric guitar Why it matters: The revision directly describes the writer's musical activity.
- 8. Use audible improvement Original: visible changes in my musical pitch and tempo Suggested revision: any improvement in my pitch or tempo Why it matters: Changes in pitch and tempo are heard rather than seen, and 'improvement' fits the intended meaning.
- 9. Make request polite Original: if you share Suggested revision: if you could share Why it matters: The modal 'could' creates a natural and appropriately polite request.
- 10. Group letter purposes Suggested revision: Separate the praise, your own musical activities and your request for help into three short paragraphs. Why it matters: Clear paragraphing would make each required part of the letter immediately identifiable.
Suggested Rewrites
- I just wanted I wanted
- seen any singer sing seen a singer perform
- at with
- one of the most difficult guitars called “flamenco” a difficult flamenco guitar piece
- Besides, I also like I also liked
- until the end which is not really seen among throughout the concert, qualities not often displayed by
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter fully covers the task through detailed praise, a clear account of the writer's own rock-music activities, and a specific request for guitar advice. Its main limitation is presentation and precision: everything appears in one paragraph, and several music-related expressions are unnatural or technically unclear. The highest-priority improvement is to separate appreciation, personal experience, and the request into distinct paragraphs while expressing the desired musical guidance more precisely.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is fully achieved in an appropriately warm tone, with all three bullet points developed through specific and relevant detail.
Refine the help request by asking for one concrete technique or practice method related to pitch, tempo, or guitar accompaniment.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas progress clearly from praise to the writer's musical difficulties and request, but the single-paragraph format limits functional organisation.
Create separate paragraphs for the performance response, personal musical activity, and requested advice.
Lexical Resource
The response uses a broad range of music vocabulary, but collocational inaccuracies such as 'sing at such ease' and 'visible changes in pitch' reduce precision.
Use natural phrasing such as 'sing with such ease', 'flamenco guitar', 'improve my pitch and tempo', and 'share advice on playing'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A variety of complex structures is handled accurately overall, with only occasional awkward constructions and reference problems.
Simplify long relative clauses and ensure modifying phrases refer clearly to the performance, technique, or musical quality being described.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You recently went to a concert and thought one of the singers was very good. You want to tell him/her how you feel. Write a letter to the singer. In your letter:
- say how you feel about his/her performance
- give details of your music-related/musical activities
- explain how you would like him/her to help you with your music-related/musical activities
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.