You would like to participate in a work-related seminar in another country. Write a letter to the person in charge of the seminar. In your letter: - ask for information about the seminar dates - ask for details of the programme - ask about accommodation - ask about the cost
Same question Compare 2 different answersSample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing this letter in relation to the upcoming seminar on “Testing Automation - Industry Standards”, that you are going to organise in Toronto, Canada in August 2025. I need some details and I am hoping that you will provide those to me. I am currently employed as a Software QA Manager in a software development company in Turkey. I am keen to learn about testing automation tools and use automated testing, in addition to manual testing, to increase my scope of software quality assurance. I learned about the automation testing workshop while it was broadcasted on a local radio station. As the advertisement was being announced while I was driving and I was unable to catch most of the information like the date and venue as well as the accommodation arrangement and cost. I will be highly obliged if you can write back about the program schedule of the symposium along with the dates and venue details. Also, I would like to know how the visa and accommodation arrangements will be done along with the total cost. Awaiting your quick response. Yours faithfully, Larissa Beilby
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use a direct purpose Original: this letter in relation to Suggested revision: to enquire about Why it matters: The concise phrase states the purpose of this formal enquiry more naturally.
- 2. Remove the comma Original: ”, that Suggested revision: ” that Why it matters: No comma should separate the seminar title from the restrictive relative clause.
- 3. Use the correct pronoun Original: provide those to me Suggested revision: provide them Why it matters: “Them” is the natural pronoun for the requested details.
- 4. Improve professional wording Original: increase my scope of software quality assurance Suggested revision: broaden my software quality assurance expertise Why it matters: The revision expresses professional development more precisely and naturally.
- 5. Use correct participle Original: broadcasted Suggested revision: broadcast Why it matters: The past participle of “broadcast” is “broadcast,” not “broadcasted,” in this context.
- 6. Use a polite request Original: will be highly obliged Suggested revision: would be grateful Why it matters: “Would be grateful” is the standard courteous expression for a formal request.
- 7. Use consistent terminology Original: program schedule of the symposium Suggested revision: seminar programme Why it matters: This concise British English phrase matches the event and the wording of the task.
- 8. Use courteous phrasing Original: I need some details Suggested revision: I would like some further details Why it matters: The revised request sounds more courteous and specific in a formal letter.
- 9. Use concise wording Original: I am hoping that Suggested revision: I hope Why it matters: The simple present form expresses the request more directly and concisely.
- 10. Correct the preposition Original: in Suggested revision: at Why it matters: “At” is the natural preposition when naming the organisation where someone works.
- 11. Use standard terminology Original: testing Suggested revision: test Why it matters: “Test automation” is the more natural compound term in this professional context.
- 12. Use standard word order Original: automation testing workshop Suggested revision: test automation workshop Why it matters: The revised compound noun uses the conventional order for this type of workshop.
Suggested Rewrites
- this letter in relation to to enquire about
- ”, that ” that
- provide those to me provide them
- increase my scope of software quality assurance broaden my software quality assurance expertise
- broadcasted broadcast
- will be highly obliged would be grateful
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter establishes a convincing professional context and requests all the required information in an appropriately formal tone. Its effectiveness is reduced by one-block organisation and several noticeable grammatical or collocational problems, including an incomplete sentence about hearing the advertisement. The highest-priority improvement is to separate the background from the four enquiries and recast awkward sentences in clear, direct formal English.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is clear and all four required areas are covered, with relevant professional motivation and a consistently formal register.
Make the accommodation and cost requests more specific by asking what lodging is offered and whether it is included in the seminar fee.
Coherence and Cohesion
The response moves logically from professional background to the circumstances and information requests, but the single-block presentation limits clarity.
Create distinct paragraphs for the purpose, relevant background, practical enquiries, and closing request.
Lexical Resource
There is sufficient range for the professional topic, but several collocations, including "increase my scope" and "highly obliged," sound unnatural.
Use more idiomatic formal phrases such as "broaden my expertise" and "I would be grateful if you could provide."
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A mix of simple and complex structures communicates the message clearly, although several sentence-boundary and clause errors are noticeable.
Correct the fragment beginning "As the advertisement" and avoid incomplete closing constructions such as "Awaiting your quick response."
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You would like to participate in a work-related seminar in another country. Write a letter to the person in charge of the seminar. In your letter:
- ask for information about the seminar dates
- ask for details of the programme
- ask about accommodation
- ask about the cost
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.