You have seen an advertisement for part-time work in a hotel for threemonths over the summer. Write a letter to the Manager. In your letter: - Say what experience you have - Ask what the work involves - Enquire about conditions
Sample Response
Dear Sir,
I am writing to enquire about the part-time position as a waiter advertised in ‘The Evening Echo’ on 24th June.
I am looking for work in the months of July and August because my university vacation is then. I have quite a lot of experience in the hotel business, as I was working in a guesthouse last year. The job involved dealing with geusts, and I very much enjoyed it. I can supply references of my previous employer if you require them.
Could you please let me know what this position involves? At the guesthouse, I worked as a porter and also I did some work as a waiter in the restaurant, so I would be interested in either of these jobs.
Could you give me an idea of the working hours? I am available at the weekends as well as during the week, and I can work any hours. However, I would prefer daytime to shifts, if possible. Could you also tell me about accommodation for employees and how much you pay.
I would appreciate hearing from you.
Yours faithfully
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use an inclusive salutation Original: Dear Sir Suggested revision: Dear Sir or Madam Why it matters: The manager's gender is unknown, so this salutation is more appropriate.
- 2. Use simple past Original: was working Suggested revision: worked Why it matters: The simple past is appropriate for a completed job last year.
- 3. Correct the spelling Original: geusts Suggested revision: guests Why it matters: The word “guests” is misspelled.
- 4. Fix the preposition Original: of Suggested revision: from Why it matters: References are supplied “from” a former employer.
- 5. Place the adverb correctly Original: also I did Suggested revision: I also did Why it matters: The adverb normally follows the subject in this clause.
- 6. Fix the comparison Original: daytime to shifts Suggested revision: daytime shifts Why it matters: The intended preference is for shifts occurring during the daytime.
- 7. Use an indirect question Original: how much you pay. Suggested revision: what the rate of pay is. Why it matters: An indirect question requires statement word order and a clear noun phrase.
- 8. Punctuate the sign-off Original: Yours faithfully Suggested revision: Yours faithfully, Why it matters: A comma conventionally follows the complimentary close.
- 9. Clarify full availability Suggested revision: Clarify whether you can work for the full three-month period advertised, since only July and August are currently stated. Why it matters: The stated two-month availability may not meet the manager's advertised summer requirement.
Suggested Rewrites
- Dear Sir Dear Sir or Madam
- was working worked
- geusts guests
- of from
- also I did I also did
- daytime to shifts daytime shifts
Why this response received Band 8.0
The letter fully addresses the application purpose, relevant experience, possible duties, and employment conditions in a consistently appropriate formal register. It is logically organised and uses varied language with strong control; the few spelling, phrasing, and sentence-level slips do not disrupt communication. The best improvement would be a final proofread for minor word-choice and grammatical inaccuracies.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The letter fulfils its purpose directly, develops every bullet point, and sustains an appropriate professional tone.
Refine the enquiry about conditions by asking about the rate of pay rather than using the broader phrase 'how much you pay'.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information is sequenced logically in focused paragraphs, and cohesive devices guide the reader smoothly without drawing attention to themselves.
Maintain this clear progression while trimming the slight repetition of the previous guesthouse role in the duties paragraph.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied, natural, and well suited to a formal job enquiry, with only isolated spelling and collocational lapses.
Proofread details such as 'geusts' and replace 'daytime to shifts' with the more natural 'day shifts'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of sentence forms is used accurately, and the few errors are minor and do not impede meaning.
Polish isolated structures by using 'worked' for the completed previous job and a question mark after the final direct enquiry.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You have seen an advertisement for part-time work in a hotel for threemonths over the summer. Write a letter to the Manager. In your letter:
- Say what experience you have
- Ask what the work involves
- Enquire about conditions
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.