You have recently started a job at a different company. Write a letter to an English-speaking friend. In your letter • explain what made you change jobs • describe the new job you have • tell him/her other news about you
Sample Response
Dear Jack,
How are you going? How is Kesie going? I hope she feels well. Do you remember, like last week we had a conversation about my job? So, I finally decided to change jobs, and now I'm on a traineeship at a new company.
Yes, as I told you before, I wanted to change my workteam after the accident, but I wasn't sure. However you told me that I need to stop tolerating injustice and find something new with more polite team. So, yeah, now I'm working in another place. To be honest I feel much better. My position is the assistant manager and I'm really enjoying my new work. Oh, yes, I almost forgot to tell you about Mike, he was visiting me, while you traveled. He was asking about you, so I said that you would arrive next week.
So, I hope you're doing well and I'll wait for your answer and can't wait to hear your news!
Love, Jane
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Incorrect predicate adjective Original: feels well Suggested revision: is feeling better Why it matters: 'Well' is an adverb here, whereas 'better' or 'good' correctly describes state of health after an illness.
- 2. Informal spoken filler Original: , like last week Suggested revision: Delete Why it matters: Removing spoken filler words improves the clarity and flow of the written letter.
- 3. Incorrect compound word Original: workteam Suggested revision: work team Why it matters: 'Work team' should be written as two words rather than a single compound noun.
- 4. Missing comma after conjunction Original: However you told me Suggested revision: However, you told me Why it matters: A comma is required after an introductory adverb like 'however'.
- 5. Incorrect verb tense backshift Original: I need to Suggested revision: I needed to Why it matters: The past tense 'needed' is required to match reported past speech.
- 6. Missing article before noun Original: with more polite team Suggested revision: with a more polite team Why it matters: The singular countable noun 'team' requires the indefinite article 'a'.
- 7. Missing comma after phrase Original: To be honest I feel Suggested revision: To be honest, I feel Why it matters: An introductory phrase like 'To be honest' should be set off by a comma.
- 8. Comma splice issue Original: Mike, he was visiting me, Suggested revision: Mike. He was visiting me Why it matters: Separate these main clauses into two distinct sentences to prevent a comma splice.
- 9. Inconsistent verb tense Original: while you traveled Suggested revision: while you were away Why it matters: Using 'were away' clarifies the timeframe during which the visit took place.
- 10. Run-on sentence junction Original: doing well and I'll wait Suggested revision: doing well. I'll wait Why it matters: Splitting the independent clauses prevents a repetitive run-on sentence structure.
- 11. Overly informal spoken transition Original: So, yeah, Suggested revision: So, Why it matters: 'Yeah' is excessively conversational for letter writing; keeping just 'So' maintains a warm yet appropriate informal tone.
- 12. Basic vocabulary choice Original: working in another place Suggested revision: working at a new company Why it matters: Using 'at a new company' or 'in a new role' provides more precise vocabulary for Task 1.
Suggested Rewrites
- feels well is feeling better
- , like last week Delete
- workteam work team
- However you told me However, you told me
- I need to I needed to
- with more polite team with a more polite team
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter effectively addresses all parts of the prompt in an appropriate informal tone suited for a friend. However, the description of the new job roles and responsibilities remains relatively brief, and a few minor grammatical and lexical inaccuracies are present. To reach a higher band, provide slightly more detail about daily tasks in the new role and refine complex sentence structures for improved grammatical accuracy.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Achievement
All three bullet points are covered, and the informal tone is appropriate for a letter to a friend.
Elaborate further on the specific duties and responsibilities of your new job to fully develop the second bullet point.
Coherence and Cohesion
The message flows logically with clear paragraphing and natural conversational transitions.
Use a wider range of linking devices beyond conversational fillers like 'so' and 'yes' to connect ideas more smoothly.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is natural and varied enough to convey personal news and express feelings effectively.
Incorporate more precise work-related collocations and phrases to describe your position and experiences.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Simple structures are mostly accurate, though there are noticeable punctuation and grammatical errors in more complex sentences.
Focus on improving relative clauses and prepositional usage, such as using 'while you were traveling' instead of 'while you traveled'.
Write this task while it is fresh
Try the same task now. It helps you remember the feedback and write better next time.
IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You have recently started a job at a different company. Write a letter to an English-speaking friend. In your letter • explain what made you change jobs • describe the new job you have • tell him/her other news about you
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.