You are going away to travel for the summer. A friend will be looking after your house while you are away. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: - Say where you are going - Describe your house - Explain some of the things your friend must do to look after your house
Sample Response
Dear Debbie, Hope you are doing well. Thanks again for helping to look after my house in August while I’m away. I really appreciate it. As I mentioned to you I’m going to France for a vacation. I’ll be getting the ferry over to northern France where I’ll spend a few days, and then I’m heading to Paris for the rest of the trip. I’ll be staying with some friends there in the city most of the time. I’ll be online and will have my phone so you can contact me any time. My house is fairly small so it shouldn’t be a problem to look after it. There’s an open plan kitchen/living room downstairs and then a couple of bedrooms upstairs. You can sleep in the spare bedroom, which is at the top of the stairs on the right. There’s also a small garden which you can sit out in when it’s sunny. The only things I’d like you do to are to make sure you put the bins out on Tuesday night of the second week as they are collected Wednesday morning. Also, if you could water all the plants once a week it would be great. If you go out, please set the alarm as there have been burglaries in the area recently (I’ll leave you the code by the door). Anyway, must get off now. I’ll give you a phone call a few days before I leave. Bye for now Aimee
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Add the introductory comma Original: to you I’m Suggested revision: to you, I’m Why it matters: A comma should separate the introductory clause from the main clause.
- 2. Use the usual collocation Original: getting Suggested revision: taking Why it matters: ‘Taking the ferry’ is the more natural collocation for this journey.
- 3. Separate the clauses Original: fairly small so Suggested revision: fairly small, so Why it matters: A comma is needed before ‘so’ because it connects two independent clauses.
- 4. Hyphenate the modifier Original: open plan kitchen Suggested revision: open-plan kitchen Why it matters: The compound modifier should be hyphenated before the noun ‘kitchen’.
- 5. Correct the word order Original: I’d like you do to Suggested revision: I’d like you to do Why it matters: The infinitive marker must come before ‘do’ in this construction.
- 6. Add the time preposition Original: collected Wednesday morning Suggested revision: collected on Wednesday morning Why it matters: Adding ‘on’ gives the standard prepositional phrase for a specific weekday.
- 7. Mark the conditional clause Original: once a week it Suggested revision: once a week, it Why it matters: A comma should follow the initial conditional clause before the main clause.
- 8. Punctuate the sign-off Original: Bye for now Aimee Suggested revision: Bye for now, Aimee Why it matters: A comma and line break clearly separate the closing phrase from the sender’s name.
- 9. Sentence rewrite Original: Anyway, must get off now. Suggested revision: Anyway, I must get going now. Why it matters: Adding the subject creates a complete sentence while retaining the informal tone.
- 10. Group the letter sections Suggested revision: Split the letter into short paragraphs covering the trip, the house description, the care instructions, and the closing. Why it matters: Paragraphing by purpose would make the detailed informal letter easier to navigate.
Suggested Rewrites
- to you I’m to you, I’m
- getting taking
- fairly small so fairly small, so
- open plan kitchen open-plan kitchen
- I’d like you do to I’d like you to do
- collected Wednesday morning collected on Wednesday morning
Why this response received Band 8.0
The letter fulfils every part of the task with specific travel details, a clear description of the house, and practical instructions, all in a warm and natural tone. Its strongest feature is the effortless progression from itinerary to accommodation and household duties, while a small number of phrasing and punctuation slips slightly reduce polish. The highest-priority improvement is to proofread complex request sentences and closing punctuation for completely smooth accuracy.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The communicative purpose is fully achieved through detailed coverage of the destination, house layout, and several clear caretaking duties in an appropriate informal tone.
Preserve this level of specific, practical detail while keeping each instruction equally direct.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter moves clearly from travel arrangements to the house description and duties, with cohesive devices used flexibly and naturally.
Separate these three content stages into distinct paragraphs to make the structure immediately visible.
Lexical Resource
A broad, natural vocabulary range supports precise descriptions of travel, accommodation, household routines, and security.
Refine the isolated awkward phrase about the things the friend should do so every expression sounds fully natural.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex and simple structures are varied and generally accurate, with only minor slips in one request sentence and some punctuation.
Correct the request to I would like you to and punctuate introductory phrases and the closing consistently.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You are going away to travel for the summer. A friend will be looking after your house while you are away. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:
- Say where you are going
- Describe your house
- Explain some of the things your friend must do to look after your house
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.