You want to sell some of your furniture. You think a friend of yours might like to buy it from you. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: - explain why you are selling - describe the furniture - suggest a date - when your friend can come and see the furniture
Sample Response
Dear Rajib, Hope you are doing great. I'm writing to let you know that I have decided to sell some of my furniture. I will move to a new city soon and my new apartment is not big enough to accommodate all of my furniture. I thought you might be interested to buy some of the furniture I have planned to sell. You know that I've recently been transferred to Rajshahi. It's great news for me because I have wished to live there for a long. However, there's a problem- the new flat is smaller than my current one and I will need to sell some of my furniture. More specifically, I want to sell my dining and sofa set. Last month, you came to my house on the occasion of my younger daughter's birthday. I remember you inquiring about the dining table and the sofa set and I thought you might want to have those. Nevertheless, it's a large dining table including six chairs made of mahogany wood. Besides, the sofa I own is a modern fabric Scandinavian sofa set that was placed in my living room. I would rather sell the furniture to someone whom I know than an unknown person, and I'm willing to offer a reasonable price. You can come anytime you want and inspect the furniture. If you feel that they are perfect for you, you can buy those. Don't worry about the price. No more today, speak to you soon. Warm wishes, Rahim
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Complete the greeting Original: Hope you are doing great Suggested revision: I hope you are doing well Why it matters: Adding the subject makes the opening complete while retaining a friendly tone.
- 2. Use the arranged future Original: I will move Suggested revision: I am moving Why it matters: The present continuous naturally describes a move that is already planned.
- 3. Use concise wording Original: all of my furniture Suggested revision: all my furniture Why it matters: Removing “of” makes this possessive phrase more natural and concise.
- 4. Correct the verb pattern Original: interested to buy Suggested revision: interested in buying Why it matters: “Interested” takes the preposition “in” followed by a gerund.
- 5. Use the direct tense Original: I have planned to sell Suggested revision: I plan to sell Why it matters: The simple present states the writer's current plan directly.
- 6. Use the right verb Original: wished Suggested revision: wanted Why it matters: “Have wanted” naturally expresses a continuing desire over a long period.
- 7. Complete the time phrase Original: for a long Suggested revision: for a long time Why it matters: The duration expression requires the noun “time”.
- 8. Introduce the explanation Original: there's a problem- the Suggested revision: there's a problem: the Why it matters: A colon correctly introduces the explanation of the problem.
- 9. Name both items clearly Original: my dining and sofa set Suggested revision: my dining set and sofa Why it matters: The original wording incorrectly suggests one combined dining-and-sofa set.
- 10. Use a natural preposition Original: on the occasion of Suggested revision: for Why it matters: “For my daughter's birthday” is the natural way to state the reason for the visit.
- 11. Clarify the purchase Original: want to have those Suggested revision: want to buy them Why it matters: “Buy them” directly expresses the possible transaction and uses the correct pronoun.
- 12. Correct the comparison Original: someone whom I know than an unknown person Suggested revision: someone I know than to a stranger Why it matters: The comparison requires parallel infinitive complements after “would rather”.
Suggested Rewrites
- Hope you are doing great I hope you are doing well
- I will move I am moving
- all of my furniture all my furniture
- interested to buy interested in buying
- I have planned to sell I plan to sell
- wished wanted
Why this response received Band 6.5
The letter has a clear, friendly purpose and gives useful detail about the move and both furniture sets. Its main limitation is that it invites the friend to visit at any time instead of suggesting the requested date, while some repetition and awkward phrasing reduce precision. The highest priority is to give a specific day and time and organize the explanation, descriptions, and visit arrangement into distinct paragraphs.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose and informal tone are appropriate, and the reasons and furniture are developed, but no specific viewing date is suggested.
Propose a definite day and time for Rajib to inspect the furniture so that every prompt requirement is fully addressed.
Coherence and Cohesion
The ideas follow a broadly logical sequence, although repetition and the absence of clear paragraph breaks make the letter less streamlined.
Use separate paragraphs for the reason for selling, the furniture description, and the proposed viewing arrangement.
Lexical Resource
A good range of specific vocabulary, including references to mahogany and Scandinavian furniture, is weakened by several awkward collocations.
Improve natural word combinations such as 'interested in buying' and use pronouns like 'them' instead of repeatedly referring to items as 'those.'
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Varied complex sentences are generally well controlled, with only occasional errors in verb patterns, tense choice, and punctuation.
Check verb complements and time expressions, particularly forms such as 'interested in buying' and 'have wanted to live there for a long time.'
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You want to sell some of your furniture. You think a friend of yours might like to buy it from you. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:
- explain why you are selling
- describe the furniture
- suggest a date
- when your friend can come and see the furniture
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.