You have a friend who has always liked the car you currently drive. Now you have decided to sell the car. You think your friend might be interested in buying it. Write a letter to this friend. In your letter: - say why you want to sell your car - describe the condition of the car - invite the friend to come and see the car himself/herself someday
Sample Response
Dear Mike, I haven’t heard from you in a while. So, how are you? By the way, do you still like my car? Well, I'm asking because I'm actually planning to sell my current car, which you've always liked, and I thought that I'd rather sell it to you instead of some strangers.
I've decided to purchase an SUV car as I need to frequently travel to my grandmother's house where the roads are a bit bumpy. So I would sell my current sedan car and go for an SUV. With regard to the car I want to sell, it's still in good condition, even though I've driven it for almost 2 years. In fact, its engine is still very smooth, with almost no sound when it starts, while its air conditioning system is also very much intact. Besides, you'll hardly find any scratch on its shiny exterior. And as for its interior, I have recently changed all the seat covers of my car, so it essentially looks like new. I guess that you've already got some sort of ideas about the condition of my car from my description, but if you're really interested to buy this car, please better drop by my house sometime next week and see the car yourself. Warm wishes, Anderson
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Remove redundant noun Original: SUV car Suggested revision: SUV Why it matters: The abbreviation SUV already includes the word vehicle.
- 2. Place adverb naturally Original: need to frequently travel Suggested revision: frequently need to travel Why it matters: This placement makes frequently modify the recurring need more clearly.
- 3. State firm plan Original: So I would sell Suggested revision: So I am selling Why it matters: Present continuous expresses the decided selling plan rather than a hypothetical action.
- 4. Remove redundant noun Original: sedan car Suggested revision: sedan Why it matters: Sedan already names a type of car.
- 5. Use direct purchase verb Original: go for an SUV Suggested revision: buy an SUV Why it matters: Buy states the intended transaction more directly.
- 6. Spell short number Original: almost 2 years Suggested revision: almost two years Why it matters: Numbers below ten are conventionally written as words in continuous prose.
- 7. Describe engine operation Original: engine is still very smooth Suggested revision: engine still runs smoothly Why it matters: An engine runs smoothly rather than being smooth.
- 8. Use concise engine phrase Original: with almost no sound when it starts Suggested revision: and starts very quietly Why it matters: The replacement expresses the same condition more naturally.
- 9. Describe system condition Original: very much intact Suggested revision: in excellent condition Why it matters: Intact is awkward for describing how well an air-conditioning system works.
- 10. Use plural after any Original: any scratch Suggested revision: any scratches Why it matters: A plural count noun is natural after any in this negative statement.
- 11. Use precise replacement verb Original: changed all the seat covers of my car Suggested revision: replaced all the seat covers Why it matters: Replaced precisely describes fitting new covers and removes the repeated reference to the car.
- 12. Fix number phrase Original: some sort of ideas Suggested revision: a good idea Why it matters: The context calls for the singular expression a good idea of the condition.
Suggested Rewrites
- SUV car SUV
- need to frequently travel frequently need to travel
- So I would sell So I am selling
- sedan car sedan
- go for an SUV buy an SUV
- almost 2 years almost two years
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter has a clear friendly purpose and develops all three requirements convincingly, especially the detailed account of the car’s condition and the specific invitation for the following week. Its main limitation is a cluster of unnatural expressions and some unnecessary repetition of car. The priority is to retain the warm tone while using more idiomatic phrases for vehicle type, condition, purchase interest, and the invitation.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Achievement
All three bullet points are fully developed, and the warm informal tone is well suited to writing to a friend.
Make the invitation slightly more direct by suggesting a particular day or asking which day next week would suit the friend.
Coherence and Cohesion
The reason for selling, the car’s condition, and the invitation follow a logical progression, though the long second paragraph could be grouped more clearly.
Separate the condition details from the invitation so each main communicative purpose has its own paragraph.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and vivid enough for the informal purpose, but phrases such as SUV car, engine is smooth, and some sort of ideas are not fully natural.
Prefer idiomatic wording such as an SUV, the engine runs quietly, hardly a scratch, and a good idea of the car’s condition.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of sentence forms is handled with generally good control, despite occasional errors in verb patterns and modal phrasing.
Correct forms such as interested in buying and drop by, and avoid constructions such as please better and I would sell when stating a firm plan.
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