You play a team sport with some friends. Last week a member of the team had an accident and was not able to play with you at the weekend. You decide to write to him/her in the hospital, telling him/her about the match. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: - tell him/her which team won - say how you felt about the match - ask how he/she is doing
Sample Response
Dear Joseph, I was shocked to hearquite horrified by the news that you broke your leg during practiceduring the practice session and were admitted to hospitalgot admitted to a hospital. I'm writing to wish you a quick recovery and to let you know that wewe've won the match. Without your presence, the team was discouraged, and we missed you during the game. However, we wanted to win the match and win the trophy for our college this yearbring the trophy to our college this year. Muller and Gordon both scored, and we won by one1 goal. The final score was 3-2, and the match was nerve-racking. I must say that we were lucky to maintainhave our usual composure. AlsoNot to mention, everyone talked about you before the game, and I missed you tooI felt your absence too. I haven't been able to visit you in hospitalI haven't been able to meet you in the hospital, and I'm planning to visit youplanning to do it first thing on Monday. How are you doing? I hope your injury isthe broken bones are not toomuch severe. Get some restTake rest, and stay relaxed. You're in our prayers. I'm hoping to talk to you in person soon. Warm regards, Richard
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter fully addresses the situation and all three prompts, with an appropriately warm tone and specific match details that make the message engaging. Its main limitation is occasional awkward or inaccurate phrasing, especially around the injury and recovery, while the single-block organisation also weakens readability. Prioritise more natural collocations and divide the message into short, purpose-led paragraphs.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is immediately clear, all three bullet points are covered, and the friendly tone is consistently appropriate.
Develop the question about Joseph's condition slightly by asking about his treatment or expected recovery.
Coherence and Cohesion
The information progresses logically from the accident and result to personal reactions and recovery wishes, with generally effective linking.
Separate the match account and recovery message into distinct paragraphs and avoid loosely attached transitions such as 'Not to mention'.
Lexical Resource
A good range of relevant vocabulary, including 'discouraged', 'nerve-racking', and 'composure', conveys the writer's reactions precisely.
Use more natural collocations, replacing phrases such as 'not much severe' and 'Take rest' with idiomatic alternatives.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Varied simple and complex structures are used with strong control, and the few errors do not impede meaning.
Refine comparative and modifier structures, particularly by writing 'not too severe' rather than 'not much severe'.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You play a team sport with some friends. Last week a member of the team had an accident and was not able to play with you at the weekend. You decide to write to him/her in the hospital, telling him/her about the match. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:
- tell him/her which team won
- say how you felt about the match
- ask how he/she is doing
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.