A restaurant has placed an advertisement for waiters and waitresses in your local newspaper. Write a letter to the restaurant, applying for the job. In your letter: - explain what you are currently doing - describe your suitability for this area of work - say when you can attend an interview
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing in reference to the advertisement you placed in the Vancouver Observer for waiters and waitresses. I am 19 years old and I am a part-time student at college. I have held several positions in catering outlets during my studies and, as the restaurant where I am currently employed is due to close, I am keen to find another position as soon as possible. I have completed and passed the advanced certificate in food hygiene and am therefore familiar with the requirements of working in the catering industry. In my current job, in addition to working as a waiter, I am also responsible for counting up takings at the end of the day. I am very reliable and trustworthy, have a friendly, outgoing personality and enjoy dealing with the public. I would be very grateful if I could be considered for the position. My employer is happy to supply a reference and I am available for interview at any time except Monday and Wednesday afternoons when I attend college. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours faithfully, John Lee
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use direct phrasing Original: reference Suggested revision: response Why it matters: ‘In response to’ states the purpose of a job application more directly.
- 2. Make phrase concise Original: a part-time student at college Suggested revision: a part-time college student Why it matters: The revised noun phrase is more concise while retaining the same information.
- 3. Use precise job wording Original: positions in catering outlets Suggested revision: roles in catering establishments Why it matters: ‘Roles’ and ‘establishments’ sound more precise in a formal application.
- 4. Fix certificate phrase Original: completed and passed the advanced certificate Suggested revision: completed an advanced certificate Why it matters: This removes an awkward redundancy and supplies the appropriate indefinite article.
- 5. Use correct preposition Original: of Suggested revision: for Why it matters: ‘Requirements for working’ is the natural collocation in this context.
- 6. Remove redundancy Original: also responsible Suggested revision: responsible Why it matters: ‘Also’ is redundant because ‘in addition to’ already signals the extra duty.
- 7. Sentence rewrite Original: I am very reliable and trustworthy, have a friendly, outgoing personality and enjoy dealing with the public. Suggested revision: I am very reliable and trustworthy, I have a friendly, outgoing personality, and I enjoy dealing with the public. Why it matters: Repeating the subject creates clearer parallel structure across the three qualities.
- 8. Group application details Suggested revision: Use separate paragraphs for the current situation, relevant qualifications and qualities, and interview availability and closing. Why it matters: Grouping the information by the three requested points would make the application easier to scan.
Suggested Rewrites
- reference response
- a part-time student at college a part-time college student
- positions in catering outlets roles in catering establishments
- completed and passed the advanced certificate completed an advanced certificate
- of for
- also responsible responsible
Why this response received Band 9.0
This is a highly effective application letter: it fully addresses every bullet point, maintains an appropriately formal tone, and supports the applicant’s suitability with specific, convincing evidence. There is no meaningful weakness affecting communication; the main opportunity is refinement rather than correction. To make an already polished response even sharper, the writer could state the exact advertised position once more in the closing request.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The letter fully achieves its purpose, develops every requested point, and consistently uses an appropriate professional register.
For maximum specificity, refer directly to the waiter or waitress position again when asking to be considered.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information is sequenced naturally from current circumstances through qualifications and availability, with unobtrusive cohesive links.
Retain this focused progression and avoid adding any unnecessary background that could dilute the application.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is precise, varied, and natural for a formal job application, with strong control of collocation.
Continue choosing concrete professional details, such as qualifications and responsibilities, to sustain this level of precision.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of sentence structures is used accurately and flexibly throughout the letter.
Maintain the same careful control when adapting complex sentences to less familiar formal-letter topics.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
A restaurant has placed an advertisement for waiters and waitresses in your local newspaper. Write a letter to the restaurant, applying for the job. In your letter:
- explain what you are currently doing
- describe your suitability for this area of work
- say when you can attend an interview
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.