Writing Task 1: Write a letter to your friend who lives in another country and in your letter: - a. Invite him/her to a public event in your country. - b. Describe the public event. - c. Explain about other plans you have for your friend when he/she will visit.
Sample Response
Hi Dave! HowHi Dave, How have you been since we last met? I thought I’d drop you a line and see if you fancy coming over for Bonfire Nightnight which is on November 5th. Bonfire Nightnight is a great event in England, particularly in my hometown. It starts as soon as the sun setsIt starts as soon as the sun has set because the event is held around a huge bonfire. BecauseAs the weather is cold, the bonfire adds wonderful warmth. On the fire, there’s a guy which represents Guy Fawkes, a man who once tried to blow up Parliament. On top of that there’s also fireworks and a chance to cook your own food on the fire, which I’m sure you’ll love. While you’re over, we’ll be able to takedo a trip to London as I know you’ve always wanted to visit. The Christmas lights will be on by thenwill have been switched on by then and they are amazing. You’ll also be able to visit the Christmas markets and do all your Christmas shopping. I really hope you’ll be able to come over. It won’t be the same without you. Write back soon, Sandra
Why this response received Band 8.0
The letter is lively, friendly, and fully engaging, with vivid event details and appealing plans for the visit. The main weakness is presentation: all the content is compressed into one paragraph, while a few grammatical and collocational slips reduce precision. The highest-priority improvement is to separate the invitation, event description, and additional plans into distinct paragraphs while correcting agreement and relative-pronoun errors.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The invitation is clear, all three bullet points are developed with specific details, and the warm informal tone suits a close friend.
Add a practical detail about the visit, such as suggested dates or accommodation, to make the invitation even easier to act on.
Coherence and Cohesion
The message follows a natural sequence from invitation to event description and other plans, and linking is generally smooth.
Divide the response into clear paragraphs for the invitation, the Bonfire Night description, and the London plans.
Lexical Resource
The response uses a flexible and engaging informal range, including natural expressions such as “drop you a line” and “fancy coming over.”
Replace slightly awkward combinations such as “do a trip” with more idiomatic choices such as “take a trip.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Varied sentence forms are handled confidently, and the few errors do not interfere with communication.
Correct local agreement and reference errors, especially “there’s also fireworks” and “a guy which represents Guy Fawkes.”
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
Writing Task 1: Write a letter to your friend who lives in another country and in your letter:
- a. Invite him/her to a public event in your country.
- b. Describe the public event.
- c. Explain about other plans you have for your friend when he/she will visit.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.