A friend you met last year has invited you to visit him/her in his/her country. You have never been there before and need some information before you leave. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: - request some advice about a gift for his/her family - ask about activities and clothing in his/her country - find out about the food
Sample Response
Dear Jacob, It was indeed a great pleasure to receive your letter and to learn that you have a new job. I still cherish our friendship and willcan never forget the splendid time we had together in the vibrant city of Milana vibrant city like Milan. I'm so thrilled to be invited to visit you in Seattle, a trip I am very much looking forward tovisit you in Seattle in the United States which I'm looking forward to very much. As I've never been to the United States and know little abouthave little idea about the weather and culture there, I would really appreciate your advicesuggestions and tips. I would like to bring a giftsome gifts for you and your family and am wonderingand wondering what might be appropriate.appropriate! Could you please help me with this? I've applied for athe visa and I am expecting to travel to the USA sometime next monthsometime during the next month. What is the weather like at this time of the year and what type of clothesdresses would be suitable? I am not sure about the activities you have in mind for me and some suggestions would be great. As you know I am a vegan and I hope this willwould not be a problem while I am there. Also, I would not mind experimenting with some local food and would be ready to enjoy some fun activities. Can't wait to meet you. Stay fine and take care. Warm wishes, Nick
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter is warm, engaging, and clearly tailored to a friend, while covering gifts, clothing, activities, and dietary needs. The main limitation is that the information is presented as one long block, and a few grammatical and lexical choices sound awkward or leave the food question somewhat indirect. Prioritise clear paragraphing and ask a more explicit question about suitable vegan and local food options.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The friendly purpose and all three content areas are covered, although the request for information about food remains somewhat indirect.
Ask directly what vegan and local dishes will be available, rather than only stating dietary preferences and willingness to experiment.
Coherence and Cohesion
The message progresses logically from the invitation to practical questions, but presenting every topic in one paragraph weakens the organisation.
Group the opening, travel questions, food needs, and closing into distinct paragraphs so each stage is immediately clear.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary is varied and generally natural for an informal letter, with a few imprecise choices such as dresses and experimenting with local food.
Choose more idiomatic expressions such as clothes to pack and trying local dishes to improve precision.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses a good range of sentence forms with generally strong control, though a few clause and verb-form errors remain.
Correct structures such as I would like to bring and wondering and clarify the relative clause after United States.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
A friend you met last year has invited you to visit him/her in his/her country. You have never been there before and need some information before you leave. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:
- request some advice about a gift for his/her family
- ask about activities and clothing in his/her country
- find out about the food
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.