An English-speaking friend wants to spend a two-week holiday in your region and has written asking for information and advice. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: - offer to find somewhere to stay - give advice about what to do - give information about what clothes to bring
Sample Response
Dear Julia, It is so good to hear from you again after such a long time. I am alsoBesides, I am also very excited that you have decided to visit my country foron a two-week holiday and I can't waitwon't miss the opportunity to meet you during that time. Well, let me tell you what you should know before coming to my country. First of all, my country is never as cold as yours. So, you don’t really need to bring many winter clotheswinter clothes of yours. Besides, takingrenting taxis in my country is rather expensivewould be a bit too expensive for your liking, and therefore, it would be better for you to travel by buscommute by public bus. Then, it would also be important for you to know that bookingrenting hotel rooms in my city would be a bit more expensive than usual since the demand for the hotel rooms would be too high at the time you arrive because of the holiday season. So, I have decided to book your room in a nice hostel for solo travellershostel for bachelor people whose rates are reasonablewhere the cost is reasonable. I am sure you will like the accommodation arrangementsarrangement and the surrounding views. Anyway, I guessAnyway, I guess, I have given you all the necessary information for a comfortable holiday stay. But if you needBut, if you need any more information, just let me knowplease feel free to ask anytime. Warm wishes, Natasha
Why this response received Band 6.5
The letter maintains a warm, friendly tone and gives practical information about transport and accommodation. However, task coverage is uneven: it offers little advice about actual holiday activities and says mainly what winter clothing is unnecessary rather than what the visitor should bring. Prioritise specific recommendations for places or activities and a clear packing list, then simplify the repetitive linking and conditional phrasing.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The accommodation offer is developed and the informal tone suits a friend, but advice about activities and clothing to bring is limited.
Recommend two or three concrete things to do and specify suitable clothes for the expected weather, not merely what to leave at home.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter moves sensibly through clothing, transport, and accommodation, although repetitive linking words and a single body block make the organisation somewhat mechanical.
Group accommodation, activities and transport, and clothing into distinct paragraphs with fewer opening connectors.
Lexical Resource
There is adequate vocabulary for travel and accommodation, but phrases such as "winter clothes of yours," "for your liking," and "hostel for bachelor people" are unnatural.
Use idiomatic alternatives such as "heavy winter clothes," "quite expensive," and "a reasonably priced youth hostel."
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The writer uses a range of complex sentences with generally clear meaning, but conditional forms, articles, and some sentence punctuation are not consistently controlled.
Use present or future forms for firm advice and plans, such as "taxis are expensive" and "I will book you a room."
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
An English-speaking friend wants to spend a two-week holiday in your region and has written asking for information and advice. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:
- offer to find somewhere to stay
- give advice about what to do
- give information about what clothes to bring
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.