You recently received a letter from a friend asking for advice about whether to go to college or to try to get a job. You think he/she should get a job. Write a letter to this friend. In your letter: - say why he/she would not enjoy going to college - explain why getting a job is a good idea for him/her - suggest types of job that would be suitable for him/her
Sample Response
Dear James, I hope you're doing wellHope you're doing great, and thank you for writing to me. You've asked for my advice regarding the next step you should take : either- either to go to collegejoin a college or get a job. I'd like to suggest that you gainsuggest that you should gain some work experience before pursuing higher education. Knowing you as I doAs I personally know you, you wouldn't enjoyyou'd not enjoy going to college right now because you've always wanted to work . What better time could there be to work than now?and what better time can it be to work than now? I feelI personally feel that getting a job is a better idea for you as it would expose you to the business worldthe real business world which you can apply to your educationcapitalise in your education since you're interested in studying Business Administration. I joined university just after finishing high school and consequently, I couldn’t get any job experience in my field which I often regret. I believe you should not make the same mistake, and instead take the opportunity to gain some valuable skills such as delegating tasks, managing time, meeting deadlines and working in a team. This work experienceThe job experience will enhance your decision-making and presentation skills. Moreover, it could open doors to better job opportunitiesit'll open doors for better job opportunities in the future. I feel you should work in a large retail storeshop as a salesperson or perhaps join a small company that serves customers directly. It makes sense as it would be easier for you to find such a job in your city and it would let you understand the business environment firsthandbusiness frame closely. I hope my suggestion would help you decide what is best for you. Warm regards, Jeffrey
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response gives clear, well-supported advice in an appropriately friendly voice, with especially useful explanations of the skills and opportunities work could provide. The reason college would not suit James is less fully developed, and several expressions are awkward or imprecise. Strengthen that first point with specific personal evidence and edit collocations so the otherwise fluent argument sounds consistently natural.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The letter maintains an appropriate friendly tone and addresses all three points with clear advice and relevant supporting detail.
Explain more specifically why James personally would not enjoy college instead of relying mainly on his general wish to work.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas follow a clear sequence from the recommendation through its benefits to suitable jobs, with generally effective linking.
Separate the main points into distinct paragraphs and reduce repeated framing such as personally to sharpen the progression.
Lexical Resource
A broad range of vocabulary supports detailed advice, though phrases such as capitalise in your education and business frame are imprecise.
Refine collocations by using natural alternatives such as apply this experience to your studies and understand how a business operates.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses varied complex structures with good control, and the few awkward constructions do not impede meaning.
Streamline long multi-clause sentences so relationships between ideas remain precise and consistently easy to process.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You recently received a letter from a friend asking for advice about whether to go to college or to try to get a job. You think he/she should get a job. Write a letter to this friend. In your letter:
- say why he/she would not enjoy going to college
- explain why getting a job is a good idea for him/her
- suggest types of job that would be suitable for him/her
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.