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 Laura,
I recently had the pleasure of attending your concert in Dartmouth Hall, and I must express my admiration for your performance. Your stage presence, vocal mastery, and ability to connect with the audience were truly remarkable. The way you sang each song with such passion and energy left a lasting impression on me, and I felt deeply moved by your artistry.
As a passionate music enthusiast, I have been involved in playing a couple of musical instruments including guitar and singing in a local high school band for the last three years. I have always aspired to refine my skills and develop a unique musical style. Watching you perform has further inspired me to pursue my passion with greater dedication.
Given your extensive experience and success in the industry, I would be immensely grateful if you could offer some guidance on improving my technique and stage confidence. If possible, I would love to attend a workshop or receive some advice from you on how to grow as an artist. Your insights would be invaluable in shaping my musical journey.
Thank you for your time, and I hope to hear from you soon.
Yours sincerely,
Emmi Gabriel
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use venue preposition Original: in Suggested revision: at Why it matters: An event takes place "at" a named venue.
- 2. Soften formal phrasing Original: I must express my admiration Suggested revision: I would like to express my admiration Why it matters: The revision sounds warm and respectful without the forceful nuance of "must."
- 3. Remove excess intensifier Original: were truly remarkable Suggested revision: were remarkable Why it matters: "Remarkable" already conveys a strong positive judgement.
- 4. Avoid redundant description Original: a passionate music enthusiast Suggested revision: a keen amateur musician Why it matters: A music enthusiast is already passionate, while "musician" better introduces the activities that follow.
- 5. Remove unsupported addition Original: has further inspired me Suggested revision: has inspired me Why it matters: "Further" implies an earlier source of inspiration that is not identified.
- 6. Use measured request tone Original: immensely Suggested revision: very Why it matters: The more measured phrase keeps the request polite and natural.
- 7. Specify singer's workshop Original: attend a workshop Suggested revision: attend one of your workshops Why it matters: The revision makes the requested form of help directly involve the recipient.
- 8. Sentence rewrite Original: As a passionate music enthusiast, I have been involved in playing a couple of musical instruments including guitar and singing in a local high school band for the last three years. Suggested revision: For the past three years, I have played two instruments, including the guitar, and sung in a local high school band. Why it matters: The rewrite restores parallel structure between playing and singing and clarifies the three-year timeframe.
- 9. Add concert detail Suggested revision: Mention one particular song or moment that demonstrated the singer's stage presence or vocal skill. Why it matters: A concrete detail would make the praise more personal and persuasive.
- 10. Make help request concrete Suggested revision: Choose a preferred form of help, such as a workshop or brief written advice, and state what technique or stage-confidence issue you want addressed. Why it matters: The request currently offers broad alternatives without defining the specific support needed.
Suggested Rewrites
- in at
- I must express my admiration I would like to express my admiration
- were truly remarkable were remarkable
- a passionate music enthusiast a keen amateur musician
- has further inspired me has inspired me
- immensely very
Why this response received Band 8.0
The letter’s strongest feature is its complete, well-developed response: it gives specific praise, explains sustained musical involvement, and makes a courteous, realistic request for guidance. Its main limitation is minor grammatical imprecision in the description of musical activities; the highest-priority improvement is to make that sentence fully parallel and specify the instruments played while preserving the polished, respectful tone.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is immediately clear, all three bullet points are fully developed, and the respectful tone is entirely suitable for writing to a performer.
Make the requested help marginally more concrete by naming the type of workshop or advice that would be most useful.
Coherence and Cohesion
Each paragraph has a distinct communicative function and the progression from admiration to background and request is seamless.
For further refinement, link the specific performance qualities praised directly to the technique and stage-confidence guidance requested.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is flexible, precise, and natural throughout, with effective phrases such as “stage presence,” “vocal mastery,” and “musical journey.”
Replace the slightly broad “music enthusiast” with a more specific description of the writer’s role if available.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex structures is used accurately, with only a minor parallelism problem in the sentence about playing instruments and singing.
Write “I have played guitar and another instrument and have sung in a local high-school band” to keep the activities grammatically parallel.
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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.