You are going to have a party to celebrate finishing your studies. Write a letter to an English-speaking friend. In your letter: - explain what you are celebrating - give details of the party - say why you would like your friend to come
Sample Response
Dear Chris,
I have finally finished my two-year design course, and I am having a party at my flat to celebrate. I would love you to come.
The party is on Saturday 20 June and starts at seven in the evening. My flat is at 14 Hill Road, about a five-minute walk from Green Park station. I am cooking a few dishes from home, and Mika is bringing her guitar, so we will probably carry on until late. Around fifteen people are coming, and most of them are from the course.
I would really like you to be there, because you were the one who told me to apply for the course in the first place. You have also met half the group already, so you will not be stuck talking to strangers all evening. It would not be the same without you.
Could you let me know by Wednesday whether you can make it? If you are working that evening, come whenever you finish. I will keep some food for you.
Hope to see you there, Yumi
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Avoid repeated wording Original: to celebrate Suggested revision: to mark the occasion Why it matters: This avoids repeating 'celebrate' from the task and gives the opening more natural variety.
- 2. Use concise time Original: starts at seven in the evening Suggested revision: starts at 7 p.m. Why it matters: The shorter time expression is clear and natural in an informal invitation.
- 3. Clarify the meaning Original: from home Suggested revision: from my home country Why it matters: The revision makes clear that the dishes represent the writer's home cuisine rather than food brought from the flat.
- 4. Clarify the activity Original: carry on until late Suggested revision: keep the party going until late Why it matters: Naming the party directly makes the informal expression more precise.
- 5. Use precise wording Original: are from the course Suggested revision: are my coursemates Why it matters: 'Coursemates' identifies the relationship more directly and concisely.
- 6. Make wording smoother Original: who told me to apply for the course in the first place Suggested revision: who originally encouraged me to apply for the course Why it matters: 'Encouraged' expresses the friend's supportive role more precisely than 'told.'
- 7. Refine the tone Original: stuck talking to strangers all evening Suggested revision: surrounded by strangers all evening Why it matters: This preserves the reassuring point while sounding slightly less negative.
- 8. Complete the reference Original: whenever you finish Suggested revision: whenever you finish work Why it matters: Adding 'work' makes the object of 'finish' explicit in this context.
- 9. Use natural collocation Original: keep Suggested revision: save Why it matters: 'Save some food' is the more natural expression when reserving a portion for someone.
Suggested Rewrites
- to celebrate to mark the occasion
- starts at seven in the evening starts at 7 p.m.
- from home from my home country
- carry on until late keep the party going until late
- are from the course are my coursemates
- who told me to apply for the course in the first place who originally encouraged me to apply for the course
Why this response received Band 9.0
This is a highly effective letter: it fully covers the celebration, practical party details, and the personal reason for inviting Chris, while sustaining a warm, natural tone and precise control of language. Its main limitation is only that a few details could be tightened for even greater concision; the priority is to preserve this strong specificity while ensuring every sentence contributes directly to the invitation.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The letter fully achieves its purpose, develops every bullet point with specific detail, and maintains an entirely appropriate friendly tone.
Preserve this complete coverage while trimming any optional detail that does not strengthen the invitation.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information progresses naturally from the celebration to logistics, personal motivation, and response arrangements, with unobtrusive cohesion and skilful paragraphing.
Maintain this functional paragraph structure and continue linking details as naturally as the invitation develops.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is precise, natural, and flexible, with idiomatic choices such as make it and stuck talking to strangers used effectively.
Continue selecting similarly natural expressions while checking that every informal phrase precisely suits the relationship and purpose.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of sentence forms is used flexibly and accurately, with consistently clear control throughout the letter.
Sustain this level of accuracy while varying sentence length only where it improves emphasis and rhythm.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You are going to have a party to celebrate finishing your studies. Write a letter to an English-speaking friend. In your letter:
- explain what you are celebrating
- give details of the party
- say why you would like your friend to come
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.