You are not happy with the course you are doing at college and would like to change to a different course. Write a letter to the Head of Department to change your course. In your letter explain: - what course you are doing now - why you are not satisfied with that course - what course you would like to change to
Sample Response
Dear Mr Mallik, I am writing this letter to seek your permission to change my major. I believe this will help me become more passionate about my studies and get ready to have a future career about which I have always felt very passionate about. I am hoping you would be kind enough to help me with this matter. I am Rathish Raveendran, a first-year bachelor of civil engineering major at your college. I have always wanted to be an architect but due to the unavailability of this course and peer pressure, I enrolled in civil engineering instead. Civil engineering is a great course but I feel more strongly about becoming an architect. Now that the architect department in our college has a few vacant seats, I would like to take the opportunity and pursue my dream. I have talked to the head of the architectural engineering department and he will grant my admission to his department if you have no objections regarding it. I will be eagerly waiting for your positive response. Yours faithfully, Rathish Raveendran
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Remove wordiness Original: writing this letter to seek Suggested revision: writing to seek Why it matters: The shorter phrase states the purpose directly.
- 2. Match the request Original: change my major Suggested revision: change courses Why it matters: The task asks for a transfer between courses, so this wording identifies the requested action precisely.
- 3. Correct the collocation Original: get ready to have a future career Suggested revision: prepare for a future career Why it matters: Prepare for a career is the natural and concise collocation.
- 4. Remove repeated preposition Original: about which I have always felt very passionate about Suggested revision: about which I have always felt very passionate Why it matters: The preposition about is already supplied before which and must not be repeated.
- 5. Use a current request Original: would Suggested revision: will Why it matters: Will more directly expresses the assistance requested now.
- 6. Correct student description Original: a first-year bachelor of civil engineering major Suggested revision: a first-year bachelor's student majoring in civil engineering Why it matters: The revision correctly distinguishes the degree level from the subject being studied.
- 7. Add a comma Original: an architect but due Suggested revision: an architect, but due Why it matters: A comma is required before but when it joins two independent clauses.
- 8. Add a comma Original: a great course but I Suggested revision: a great course, but I Why it matters: A comma is required before but between the two independent clauses.
- 9. State preference clearly Original: feel more strongly about becoming Suggested revision: am more passionate about becoming Why it matters: The revision expresses the writer's stronger vocational interest more naturally.
- 10. Correct department name Original: architect Suggested revision: architecture Why it matters: Architecture names the academic field, whereas architect refers to a person.
- 11. Use infinitive structure Original: take the opportunity and pursue Suggested revision: take this opportunity to pursue Why it matters: Take the opportunity is followed by an infinitive indicating the intended action.
- 12. Use formal wording Original: talked Suggested revision: spoken Why it matters: Spoken to is more suitable in a formal request to a department head.
Suggested Rewrites
- writing this letter to seek writing to seek
- change my major change courses
- get ready to have a future career prepare for a future career
- about which I have always felt very passionate about about which I have always felt very passionate
- would will
- a first-year bachelor of civil engineering major a first-year bachelor's student majoring in civil engineering
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter has a clear formal purpose and fully explains the current civil-engineering course, the longstanding preference for architecture, and the requested transfer. Relevant details about earlier course availability, peer pressure, vacant places, and provisional approval make the request convincing. Its main limitation is awkward or repetitive phrasing, especially around passion and departmental names; prioritise concise course terminology and a direct statement of the transfer sought.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All three bullet points are clearly and persuasively developed in a consistently appropriate formal tone.
Name the exact architecture course and requested transfer date so the department can act on the request immediately.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter moves logically from the request to the current course, reasons for dissatisfaction, preferred course, and supporting approval.
Divide the content into short paragraphs matching the three bullet points and remove repeated statements about passion.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is sufficiently varied and formal, but some expressions such as ‘architect department’ and ‘grant my admission’ are imprecise.
Use ‘architecture programme’, ‘transfer’, ‘available places’, ‘approve my application’, and ‘career goal’.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex structures are generally controlled, with occasional problems in noun phrases, prepositions, repetition, and conditional wording.
Revise the opening career sentence to remove the repeated preposition and simplify the final conditional request.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You are not happy with the course you are doing at college and would like to change to a different course. Write a letter to the Head of Department to change your course. In your letter explain:
- what course you are doing now
- why you are not satisfied with that course
- what course you would like to change to
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.