You have been staying in a foreign country for two years and your visa will expire next June. You plan to take a three-month professional course and need a visa extension. Write a letter to a consular officer at the embassy. In your letter: - explain when your visa will expire - describe the professional course you plan to take - ask for an extension to your visa
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am an international student in the United Kingdom, and I came on a student visa about two years ago from India. Since then I have been living in this great country and studying to finish my post-graduation degree. If everything goes fine with my studies and according to the schedule, I should be able to complete my degree in Civil Engineering this coming June, which is only a few months away from now. So, no problem there, and I would like to thank you again for that.
But, then, I am also thinking of continuing my education for another three months after finishing my post-graduation degree except, of course, the problem is that my visa is going to expire as soon as I finish my degree. By the way, I want to use these additional three months to pursue a professional diploma course in “AutoCAD” since it very much aligns with my ambition to prepare myself as a fine Engineer.
Now that you know why I want to stay another three months in your country, I would highly appreciate it if you grant me a visa extension for that period.
Yours faithfully,
Chetan Singh
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use a formal collocation Original: finish Suggested revision: complete Why it matters: “Complete my degree” is more natural and formal in this context.
- 2. Repair the conditional clause Original: If everything goes fine with my studies and according to the schedule Suggested revision: If my studies proceed according to schedule Why it matters: The original combines two incompatible complements after “goes fine”.
- 3. Remove redundant wording Original: a few months away from now Suggested revision: a few months away Why it matters: “Away” already expresses the time from the present, so “from now” is unnecessary.
- 4. Maintain formal register Original: So, no problem there Suggested revision: This will complete my current programme Why it matters: The conversational aside is too informal and vague for a request to a consular official.
- 5. Use a purposeful transition Original: By the way Suggested revision: Specifically Why it matters: This formal transition links the proposed course directly to the extension request.
- 6. Use a tighter noun phrase Original: professional diploma course in “AutoCAD” Suggested revision: professional AutoCAD diploma course Why it matters: This phrasing is more concise and natural.
- 7. Use a natural modifier Original: it very much aligns Suggested revision: it aligns closely Why it matters: “Aligns closely” is the more idiomatic collocation.
- 8. Correct the noun phrase Original: a fine Engineer Suggested revision: an engineer Why it matters: The indefinite article must agree with the vowel sound, and a common job title is not capitalized.
- 9. Use a polite conditional Original: if you grant me Suggested revision: if you could grant me Why it matters: After “I would appreciate it,” “could” forms the appropriate polite request.
- 10. Use a precise reference Original: this great country Suggested revision: the United Kingdom Why it matters: Naming the country is clearer and more appropriately neutral in a formal consular letter.
- 11. State the expected completion directly Original: I should be able to complete my degree Suggested revision: I expect to complete my degree Why it matters: This concise phrasing communicates the anticipated completion with suitable confidence.
- 12. Clarify the gratitude Original: I would like to thank you again for that Suggested revision: I appreciate the opportunity to study here Why it matters: The original reference is vague because it does not identify what the officer is being thanked for.
Suggested Rewrites
- finish complete
- If everything goes fine with my studies and according to the schedule If my studies proceed according to schedule
- a few months away from now a few months away
- So, no problem there This will complete my current programme
- By the way Specifically
- professional diploma course in “AutoCAD” professional AutoCAD diploma course
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter clearly explains the June expiry, identifies the three-month AutoCAD diploma, and makes an explicit extension request, with ideas arranged in a logical sequence. Its main weakness is inconsistent formality, including conversational phrases such as So, no problem there and By the way, plus one overcomplicated sentence. Prioritise a consistently respectful consular tone and express the request and supporting reasons more directly.
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 developed, but several conversational remarks are unsuitable for a formal embassy request.
State the expiry date and request directly, removing informal asides and using a consistently courteous official tone.
Coherence and Cohesion
Paragraphing clearly separates the current visa, planned course, and request, though some linking phrases are overly conversational.
Replace But, then and By the way with direct logical connections between the degree completion, course, and extension.
Lexical Resource
The response uses a sufficiently broad formal vocabulary, with occasional imprecise collocations such as post-graduation degree and fine Engineer.
Prefer natural expressions such as postgraduate degree, professional development, and qualified civil engineer.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex sentences show good control overall, although one long sentence is overloaded and a few conditional and capitalization forms are inaccurate.
Split the sentence beginning But, then and write I would appreciate it if you granted me an extension.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You have been staying in a foreign country for two years and your visa will expire next June. You plan to take a three-month professional course and need a visa extension. Write a letter to a consular officer at the embassy. In your letter:
- explain when your visa will expire
- describe the professional course you plan to take
- ask for an extension to your visa
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.