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 giving 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 for you by airmail immediately. If not, do you mind if I send it by ordinary mail as 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 the holiday.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use concise wording Original: not giving you back the book Suggested revision: not returning the book to you Why it matters: “Returning” is the more natural verb for giving back a borrowed item.
- 2. Add a comma Original: ‘English Grammar in Use’ which Suggested revision: ‘English Grammar in Use’, which Why it matters: The non-defining relative clause needs a comma before “which.”
- 3. Correct the preposition Original: for Suggested revision: to Why it matters: Use “to” because Yuki is the recipient of the posted book.
- 4. Add missing verb Original: as it quite heavy Suggested revision: as it is quite heavy Why it matters: The clause needs the verb “is” after the subject.
- 5. Correct spelling Original: seme Suggested revision: some Why it matters: “Seme” is a spelling error.
- 6. Correct spelling Original: insead Suggested revision: instead Why it matters: “Instead” is the correct spelling.
- 7. Clarify the money option Suggested revision: Explain whether the money would cover a replacement copy of the book. Why it matters: The current offer to send money does not make its purpose or amount clear.
- 8. Complete the letter ending Suggested revision: Add a friendly complimentary close and your name after the final sentence. Why it matters: The response ends without the closing and sender identification expected in a personal letter.
Suggested Rewrites
- not giving you back the book not returning the book to you
- ‘English Grammar in Use’ which ‘English Grammar in Use’, which
- for to
- as it quite heavy as it is quite heavy
- seme some
- insead instead
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter handles the situation naturally: the apology is specific, the importance of the book is checked directly, and several practical remedies are offered in a friendly, appropriate tone. The response is only marginally under length, while its main weakness is a small cluster of spelling and grammatical slips near the end. Careful proofreading and a conventional closing would make it more polished.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All three bullet points are fully and directly addressed with specific, useful detail in a consistently suitable personal tone.
Add a brief friendly sign-off and, if possible, a few words beyond the minimum length for a fully finished letter.
Coherence and Cohesion
The response is logically sequenced, with each paragraph serving a clear communicative function and links used naturally.
Connect the final goodwill sentence more explicitly to the preceding request so the ending feels less abrupt.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is precise and flexible for the situation, although the misspellings ‘seme’ and ‘insead’ reduce accuracy.
Proofread the final paragraph carefully to eliminate spelling slips in otherwise well-chosen language.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The letter uses varied sentence structures with good control, despite a few local errors that do not impede meaning.
Correct small omissions such as the missing verb in ‘as it quite heavy’ and check final sentences for completeness.
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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.