You have just read an article in a national newspaper which claims that town centres in your country all look very similar to each other. You don’t fully agree with this opinion. Write a letter to the editor of the newspaper. In your letter: - say which points in the article you agree with - explain ways in which your town centre is different from most other town centres - offer to give a guided tour of your town to the writer of the article
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam,
I have recently come across an article, published in your popular daily newspaper, which tried to shed some light on the looks of our town centres in our country. I am writing to thank you for the article, and express my opinion on that.
No doubt, it was rather well-written, and I do agree with most of the points that were presented in the article. For example, I agree with the author when he says that the areas of most of the town centres have expanded over the years. I also agree with the fact that the number of parking spaces in and around the city centres has become relatively low.
However, I do not agree with the author when he claims that city centres in our country, pretty much, look the same. For instance, my city centre looks different since it has managed to preserve many of its old buildings, unlike many other city centres. But, if the author of the article does not believe what I am saying here about my city centre, I would be more than happy to give him a guided tour so that he can witness this fact and get some more insight about it.
Yours faithfully,
Morris Buchanon
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Remove repetition Original: our town centres in our country Suggested revision: town centres in our country Why it matters: The two uses of 'our' are redundant in the same phrase.
- 2. Remove disruptive aside Original: , pretty much, Suggested revision: Delete Why it matters: The informal aside and its commas interrupt the central claim without adding useful meaning.
- 3. Use direct reporting Original: come across Suggested revision: read Why it matters: 'Read' states the relevant action more directly in a formal letter to an editor.
- 4. Match the task context Original: published in your popular daily newspaper Suggested revision: published in your national newspaper Why it matters: The task identifies the publication as a national newspaper, so this wording is more precise.
- 5. Use concise wording Original: tried to shed some light on Suggested revision: discussed Why it matters: The shorter verb is clearer and more suitably formal here.
- 6. Choose formal noun Original: the looks of Suggested revision: the appearance of Why it matters: 'Appearance' is more formal and precise than 'looks' in this context.
- 7. Use measured transition Original: No doubt, Suggested revision: Overall, Why it matters: The revision introduces a qualified response more coherently than an absolute assertion.
- 8. Remove unnecessary hyphen Original: rather well-written Suggested revision: rather well written Why it matters: A compound beginning with an adverb ending in '-ly' is normally left open after the verb.
- 9. Link agreement to similarity Suggested revision: Explain briefly how expansion and reduced parking are features shared by town centres, rather than listing them without connecting them to the article's comparison. Why it matters: The agreed points need an explicit link to the article's claim that centres resemble one another.
- 10. Develop the key difference Suggested revision: Add one concrete detail about the preserved old buildings so the contrast with other town centres is more fully developed. Why it matters: The letter identifies a valid difference but supports it only in general terms.
Suggested Rewrites
- our town centres in our country town centres in our country
- , pretty much, Delete
- come across read
- published in your popular daily newspaper published in your national newspaper
- tried to shed some light on discussed
- the looks of the appearance of
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter has a clear formal purpose, covers all three bullet points, and moves logically from agreement to disagreement and an offer of a tour. Its main limitation is that the town's distinctiveness is supported by only one fairly brief example, while several expressions and punctuation choices are awkward. The highest-priority improvement is to develop the contrast with another specific local feature and express comparisons more naturally.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Achievement
The purpose is clear and every bullet point is addressed in a suitable formal register, though the town's distinctive character is only briefly developed.
Add another concrete difference, such as the town centre's layout, public space, or local architecture, to strengthen the response to the second bullet point.
Coherence and Cohesion
The ideas follow a clear sequence and are grouped into purposeful paragraphs, with generally effective reference and linking.
Make the final paragraph more concise so the disagreement, supporting example, and tour offer each stand out clearly.
Lexical Resource
The letter uses a sufficient range of formal and topic-specific vocabulary, but some collocations are awkward and city centre is repeated frequently.
Replace phrases such as the looks of our town centres and get some more insight about it with more precise, natural alternatives.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex sentences are generally well controlled and meaning remains clear, despite several unnecessary commas and minor construction issues.
Remove commas that separate verbs from their shared subject and avoid inserting commas around short adverbial phrases such as pretty much.