A friend of yours is considering applying for the same course you did at university. He/she has asked for your advice about studying this subject. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: - give details of the course you took at the university - explain why you recommend the university - give some advice about how to apply
Sample Response
Dear Akshara,
I hope you are doing good. Thanks for writing the queries and sending them to me; I would like to thank you for trusting me with such an important decision. So, here is what I’ve to say in response to your queries about the Pharmacy degree at the University of Mumbai.
I understand that you also want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from Mumbai University, which I attended. By the way, pharmacy is not an easy subject since it involves learning the complex skills of how to prepare and dispense medicines or drugs to save human life from diseases or fatal medical conditions. Students attending pharmacy degrees will learn how different types of drugs affect the human body and mind and how they interact when mixed together.
Of course, the good thing is that the university which you’re choosing has some of the best pharmacy faculty members and laboratory facilities to teach you just what you need to succeed. You will also have online forums where you can ask for extra materials and help from your seniors and lecturers.
So, just visit the university website at www.delhipharma.edu to learn more about how to apply online, or just call the admission officer to ask him or her to send you the admission form and other necessary papers in the mail if you want to proceed further.
Take care and see you soon.
Warm Wishes,
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use adverb form Original: good Suggested revision: well Why it matters: Use the adverb “well” to describe how your friend is doing.
- 2. Avoid this contraction Original: what I’ve to say Suggested revision: what I have to say Why it matters: The contraction “I’ve” is not normally used when “have” expresses obligation in this structure.
- 3. Improve the collocation Original: the complex skills of how to prepare Suggested revision: the complex skills needed to prepare Why it matters: “Skills needed to prepare” expresses the relationship more naturally and precisely.
- 4. Use plural noun Original: life Suggested revision: lives Why it matters: The general reference requires the plural count noun “lives.”
- 5. Use natural collocation Original: Students attending pharmacy degrees Suggested revision: Students enrolled in pharmacy degree programmes Why it matters: Students enrol in degree programmes rather than attend degrees.
- 6. Choose precise wording Original: mixed Suggested revision: used Why it matters: “Used together” more precisely describes interactions between medicines.
- 7. Reflect the decision stage Original: the university which you’re choosing Suggested revision: the university you’re considering Why it matters: The friend is still considering an application, so “considering” matches the situation more accurately.
- 8. Remove redundancy Original: proceed further Suggested revision: proceed Why it matters: “Proceed” already means to move forward, making “further” redundant.
- 9. Use lowercase subject Original: Pharmacy Suggested revision: pharmacy Why it matters: The academic subject is a common noun here, so it does not need a capital letter.
- 10. Use a focused transition Original: By the way Suggested revision: Regarding the course Why it matters: This transition links the paragraph directly to the requested course details.
- 11. Use concise wording Original: not an easy subject Suggested revision: a demanding subject Why it matters: “A demanding subject” states the difficulty more precisely and concisely.
- 12. Avoid redundant alternatives Original: medicines or drugs Suggested revision: medicines Why it matters: “Medicines” already conveys the intended meaning, so the alternative noun is unnecessary.
Suggested Rewrites
- good well
- what I’ve to say what I have to say
- the complex skills of how to prepare the complex skills needed to prepare
- life lives
- Students attending pharmacy degrees Students enrolled in pharmacy degree programmes
- mixed used
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter is clearly organised, friendly in tone, and gives useful detail about the pharmacy course, the university's facilities, and application methods. Its main weakness is credibility and precision, especially the unexplained switch from the University of Mumbai to a Delhi website, alongside several awkward expressions. The highest priority is to keep all institutional details consistent and express each point more naturally and directly.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The letter has a clear purpose, covers all three bullet points with relevant detail, and maintains a suitably friendly register.
Keep the university and application details consistent so the advice remains fully credible and coherent.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information progresses logically through the course, reasons for recommending the university, and application advice, with clear paragraphing.
Use linking phrases more selectively and remove repetitive introductory wording to make the progression more natural.
Lexical Resource
The response uses a reasonably broad vocabulary for education, pharmacy, facilities, and admissions, though several collocations are awkward.
Replace unnatural phrases such as writing the queries and save human life with precise, idiomatic alternatives.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A variety of simple and complex structures conveys the message clearly, but article, relative-clause, and phrasing errors recur.
Review sentence structures involving relative clauses and prepositions to improve accuracy while preserving the existing range.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
A friend of yours is considering applying for the same course you did at university. He/she has asked for your advice about studying this subject. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:
- give details of the course you took at the university
- explain why you recommend the university
- give some advice about how to apply
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.