You recently visited a tourist attraction and you were very pleased with the help given to you by the staff. Write a letter to the head of staff at the tourist attraction. In your letter: - give details of the circumstances of your visit - describe the help given to you by the staff - say what you want the head staff to do
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I have recently visited the famous Vinevasi Waterfall after learning it from a friend and took your service for the tour. The service I receivedThe service I was offered was excellent and I would like to thank you for itthat. I was not exactly planning to visit the waterfall, but thenbut, then I had to travel unexpectedly to Kuala Lumpurtravel to Kuala Lumpur suddenly for a business trip, and that is when I remembered what my friend had told me about the attractionyour tourist place. After finishing my workSo, after finishing my work, I decided to visit your beautiful tourist attraction for a couple of days. HoweverBut, after arriving there, I asked myself why I had not planned a longer stayplanned for a longer stay because all your staff membersall of your staff members were very courteous and friendly. They did not just make sure that I was comfortable on the tourist bus and at the hotel, but also made sure my belongings were kept in the right place. They took me to the best local restaurant and toldinformed me a great deal about the history of the place. I would like to thank you. Also, please convey my thanksconvey my good wishes to your staff. I would like to mention that, after talking to some staff members, I felt thatlike they were not getting enough time off worktime off from their works. So, I would be grateful if you couldI would be glad if you try to address that issue to ensure that they feel fully appreciatedmake sure that they feel appreciated even more for what they do. Yours faithfully, Rogerio Frugardo
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter responds fully to the situation, giving clear visit circumstances, several concrete examples of staff assistance, and specific actions for the manager in an appropriately formal tone. The main weakness is linguistic polish: awkward collocations, repetitive linking, and the single-paragraph layout occasionally make the response less natural. Grouping the visit, assistance, and requested action into separate paragraphs while refining word choice would create a more fluent and professional letter.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All three bullet points are clearly and specifically addressed in a consistently suitable formal letter.
State the requested managerial action a little more directly to make the closing purpose even sharper.
Coherence and Cohesion
The narrative and request progress clearly, but one long paragraph and repetitive use of ‘But’ and ‘So’ weaken cohesion.
Organise the circumstances, staff help, and requested action into three focused paragraphs with smoother transitions.
Lexical Resource
The response uses a good range of relevant vocabulary, but several awkward collocations reduce precision and naturalness.
Replace phrases such as ‘took your service’, ‘tourist place’, and ‘their works’ with idiomatic alternatives.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Sentence structures are varied and mostly accurate, although punctuation and conditional control show occasional lapses.
Remove unnecessary commas after linkers and use an appropriate conditional form in ‘I would be glad if you tried’.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You recently visited a tourist attraction and you were very pleased with the help given to you by the staff. Write a letter to the head of staff at the tourist attraction. In your letter:
- give details of the circumstances of your visit
- describe the help given to you by the staff
- say what you want the head staff to do
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.