You and some friends ate a meal at a restaurant to celebrate a special occasion, and you were very pleased with the food and service. Write a letter to the restaurant manager. In your letter: give details of your visit to the restaurant explain the reason for the celebration say what was good about the food and the service
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing this letter to express my appreciation for the outstanding dining experience my friends and I had at 'The Keg Steakhouse & Bar' in Toronto last Friday evening. We had gathered to celebrate my best friend’s 25th birthday, and your restaurant played a significant role in making the occasion truly memorable.
We went to your eatery at around 6.30 pm last Friday to celebrate my friend John's birthday. From the moment we arrived, we were warmly welcomed by your staff and guided to a beautifully arranged table. The service was impeccable, with our server being both attentive and knowledgeable about the menu. The highlight of the evening, however, was the food. The prime rib was cooked to perfection, incredibly tender, and bursting with flavour, while the lobster tail was fresh and succulent. The Molten chocolate lava cake we ordered for dessert was the perfect way to end the meal.
We were also impressed by the ambience of the restaurant, which created an elegant yet relaxed atmosphere. Please pass on our gratitude to your team for their hard work and exceptional service.
We look forward to dining at your establishment again soon.
Yours faithfully,
William Scott
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Formal noun Original: eatery Suggested revision: restaurant Why it matters: "Restaurant" is more formal and less casual in a letter to the manager.
- 2. Avoid repetition Original: last Friday evening Suggested revision: that evening Why it matters: The same time detail is repeated soon after the opening.
- 3. Time style Original: 6.30 pm Suggested revision: 6:30 pm Why it matters: The colon format is a common clear style for times.
- 4. Specific detail Original: best friend’s 25th birthday Suggested revision: best friend John’s 25th birthday Why it matters: Including the name once makes the celebration detail more specific.
- 5. Natural collocation Original: guided to a beautifully arranged table Suggested revision: shown to a beautifully arranged table Why it matters: Guests are more commonly "shown to" a table.
- 6. Capitalization Original: The Molten chocolate lava cake Suggested revision: The molten chocolate lava cake Why it matters: Do not capitalize "molten" unless it is part of an official menu name.
- 7. Audience spelling Original: ambience Suggested revision: ambiance Why it matters: Either spelling is acceptable; use one style consistently for the target audience.
- 8. Add recipient Original: Please pass on our gratitude Suggested revision: Please pass on our gratitude to our server and the kitchen team Why it matters: This makes the appreciation more concrete and directly connected to food and service.
- 9. Sentence rewrite Original: I am writing this letter to express my appreciation for the outstanding dining experience my friends and I had at 'The Keg Steakhouse & Bar' in Toronto last Friday evening. Suggested revision: I am writing to express my appreciation for the outstanding dining experience my friends and I had at The Keg Steakhouse & Bar in Toronto last Friday evening. Why it matters: The rewrite removes one unnecessary word and keeps the purpose direct.
- 10. Sentence rewrite Original: We went to your eatery at around 6.30 pm last Friday to celebrate my friend John's birthday. Suggested revision: We arrived at around 6:30 pm to celebrate my friend John's birthday. Why it matters: This avoids repeating "last Friday" and uses a more natural verb.
- 11. Sentence rewrite Original: The prime rib was cooked to perfection, incredibly tender, and bursting with flavour, while the lobster tail was fresh and succulent. Suggested revision: The prime rib was cooked to perfection: it was tender and full of flavour, and the lobster tail was fresh and succulent. Why it matters: The revision keeps the strong description while improving rhythm and punctuation.
- 12. Reduce overlap Suggested revision: Merge the repeated birthday detail with the arrival time so the second paragraph adds only new information. Why it matters: This would make an already clear letter more economical.
Suggested Rewrites
- eatery restaurant
- last Friday evening that evening
- 6.30 pm 6:30 pm
- best friend’s 25th birthday best friend John’s 25th birthday
- guided to a beautifully arranged table shown to a beautifully arranged table
- The Molten chocolate lava cake The molten chocolate lava cake
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Achievement
The letter fully addresses the task: it gives visit details, explains the birthday celebration, and describes both food and service positively. The tone is consistently appropriate for a formal appreciation letter.
To strengthen it further, add one specific staff member name or booking detail if known.
Coherence and Cohesion
The response is clearly paragraphed and progresses naturally from purpose to details, celebration, praise, and closing. There is slight repetition between the first and second paragraphs about the birthday.
Avoid repeating the same reason for celebration twice unless the second mention adds new detail.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is precise and varied, with strong collocations such as "outstanding dining experience", "impeccable", and "bursting with flavour". Minor capitalization and word-choice issues remain.
Keep the descriptive range but check restaurant terms and capitalization, such as dessert names.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Grammar is accurate across a range of simple and complex structures. Only minor issues with redundancy and capitalization are noticeable.
Proofread for small mechanical issues after drafting, especially names of dishes and repeated time details.