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 Leena, Hope you are doing excellent. Once again, it was wonderful to meetit was indeed so amazing that I met someone as wonderful as yousuch a wonderful person like you last year. I also want to thank you for inviting meextending me an invitation to visit your country. I have already made all the necessary arrangementsall sorts of arrangements to visit you this November, but before I travel to your countryhead off to your country, I would like to have some information from youinformation from your part, if possible. More specificallyTo be more particular, I would appreciatecould surely use some advice on what kinds of gifts are traditionally appreciatedwhat kinds of gifts are traditionally preferred or liked in your country so that I can buy suitable giftsthe perfect gifts for you and your family. I would also like to know what clotheswhat sorts of clothes I should bringcarry with me since I am not sure about what the weather will be likewhat the temperatures are going to be like where you livein your place at that time of the year. Finally, information regarding what kinds of activities and food would be suitable for me, or I would enjoy there, after arriving in your country, would also be highly appreciated. Please get backPlease do get back to me as soon as you can. Warm wishes, Rosaline
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter maintains a friendly tone, asks useful questions about culturally suitable family gifts and November clothing, and also requests guidance on activities and food. Its strongest feature is the clear practical focus before the visit. The main limitation is that the final combined question about food and activities is vague and the language sounds unnecessarily formal for a friend; the priority is to ask specific, natural questions about local dishes and planned experiences.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All three requirements are covered with relevant context, though the food and activity enquiries are less specifically developed than the gift and clothing questions.
Ask about any unfamiliar ingredients or dietary customs and request two or three recommended activities for the November visit.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter moves logically from thanks and travel plans to gifts, clothing, activities, and food, but everything appears in one paragraph.
Use short paragraphs for the visit context, gift advice, weather and clothing, and food and activity questions.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is sufficiently varied, but expressions such as 'doing excellent', 'information from your part', and 'to be more particular' are unnatural.
Use warmer idiomatic language such as 'I hope you are well', 'could you tell me', 'more specifically', and 'local dishes I should try'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A variety of structures conveys the questions clearly, but clause balance, articles, prepositions, and word order contain recurring errors.
Simplify the final sentence into direct questions and use correct forms such as 'activities I might enjoy' and 'the weather there in November'.
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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.