You borrowed an important textbook from a classmate last term. You now realise your classmate has returned home overseas and you still have the book. Write a letter to him/her. In your letter: - apologise fro the mistake - find out how important the book is to him/her - say what you will do
Sample Response
Dear Yuki, I hope you had a safe journey back to Japan, and that your family are all well. I am writing to say that I'm sorry for not returning the book to yougiving you back the book 'English Grammar in Use' which I borrowed from you last term. You lent it to me just before the exams to help me prepare for them, and yesterday I found it under my bed. Please let me know straight away if you need this book for your studies right now, or whether you can manage without it. If you really need it, I can post it tofor you by airmail immediately. If not, do you mind if I send it by surfaceordinary mail as it is quite heavyas it quite heavy? Or, if you prefer, I can send seme money insead. Please let me know what you want me to do. I hope you enjoy your time at homethe holiday.
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter responds directly to all three points, explains the mistake naturally, and offers several practical solutions in a warm, appropriate tone. Its main limitation is a small cluster of spelling and grammatical slips, compounded by finishing slightly below the expected length without a conventional sign-off; the highest-priority improvement is to proofread the final lines and complete the letter with a clear closing and name.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The apology, inquiry about the book's importance, and alternative return arrangements are all developed clearly in an appropriate personal tone.
Add a conventional closing and name, and expand slightly so the response comfortably meets the expected minimum length.
Coherence and Cohesion
The message progresses naturally from apology and explanation to checking urgency, proposing options, and requesting a decision.
Separate the apology, return options, and closing into short paragraphs to make the progression more visible.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is flexible and well suited to the situation, despite two conspicuous spelling errors near the end.
Proofread words such as "some" and "instead" so avoidable spelling slips do not distract from otherwise natural phrasing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A good variety of complex sentences is handled accurately, with only occasional errors that leave meaning clear.
Check omitted verbs and small structural details, particularly changing "as it quite heavy" to "as it is quite heavy."
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You borrowed an important textbook from a classmate last term. You now realise your classmate has returned home overseas and you still have the book. Write a letter to him/her. In your letter:
- apologise fro the mistake
- find out how important the book is to him/her
- say what you will do
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.