A friend invites you spend a holiday with him/her in another country. Write a letter to him/her. In your letter: - Let him know that you can't make it - Give reasons why you are not able to - Ask if you can fix some other time to visit.
Sample Response
Dear Joe, I am glad to hear from you, it quiet a long time. So good of you to have thoughttaught of me spending some timespending some with you in Cuba. I am highly honoured. All things being equalAll thing been equal, this could have been a great opportunity for me to see the Caribbean country. To see all the beautiful valleysvallies, plateaus and beaches in Cuba could have beenbe great, but unfortunately Ii can't make it due to my tight job schedule. I just got a teaching job at a state high schoolat state high school. It has been intense and time-consumingtime demanding. My class schedule include both part-time and full-time, meaning i work on weekend too. I have been working round the clock. To be honest with you, I am enjoying itwith you am enjoying it. You remember me Jones his is my supervisor. However, this term ends inby October so i shall be free for six weeksweek from the beginning of November until mid-Decembertill mid December. so I would likeso i will like to escape the winter cold here in Moscow and take someout time to see the beauty of the Caribbean country. Pleaseplease let me know if i can visit youyiu then. Best regards, Preston Jayjay
Why this response received Band 6.0
The letter succeeds in declining the invitation, gives a substantial work-related reason, and proposes a clear alternative period, so the communicative purpose remains easy to understand. Its main limitation is frequent language error, including misspellings, missing auxiliaries, agreement problems, and malformed sentences. The highest-priority improvement is careful proofreading and rewriting of inaccurate clauses so the friendly message reads smoothly and consistently.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All three requirements are covered with a clear refusal, a developed explanation of the new teaching job, and a proposed visit between November and mid-December.
Keep the register consistently conversational by replacing overly formal expressions such as 'I am highly honoured' and 'I shall be free.'
Coherence and Cohesion
The response moves logically from appreciation and refusal through the work explanation to an alternative time, and the overall progression is clear.
Divide the letter into paragraphs and repair abrupt or disconnected sentences, particularly the reference to Jones and the supervisor.
Lexical Resource
The writer attempts varied vocabulary and some effective phrases such as 'working round the clock,' but inaccurate word choices and spelling are frequent.
Check commonly confused and misspelled words, including 'quite,' 'thought,' 'valleys,' and 'you,' and use natural phrases such as 'time-consuming.'
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Meaning is generally recoverable and some complex structures are attempted, but frequent errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, plurals, and capitalization reduce accuracy.
Rebuild faulty clauses with explicit subjects and auxiliaries, then check forms such as 'could have been,' 'my schedule includes,' and 'six weeks.'
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
A friend invites you spend a holiday with him/her in another country. Write a letter to him/her. In your letter:
- Let him know that you can't make it
- Give reasons why you are not able to
- Ask if you can fix some other time to visit.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.