You are going on a short training course at a college in Greenmount, Northern Ireland. You need somewhere to live while you are there. Write a letter to the accommodation officer at the college. In your letter: - explain your situation - describe the accommodation you require - say when you will need it
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to inquire about the accommodation facilities available for the course seekers at your college. I am Alex Jones, an applicant for the forthcoming training course on "Time Management in Professional Environment to Boost Performance", at your college. I am hoping that you would kindly arrange suitable accommodation for me. I am currently employed in Southern Ireland, as a Chartered Accountant in a multinational accounting firm. As you already know, the course I am interested in would commence at the beginning of July at Greenmount, Northern Ireland, a location far away from the city where I live. I would like to take the privilege of describing my accommodation needs. First of all, I am expecting a small flat or at least a room for me. Secondly, I would like to dwell in a calm and quiet environment, as the tranquillity of the workplace is important to me. Lastly, I would be glad to stay close to the course venue, so as to save time. I plan to arrive on 27th of this month and hence would request you to finalise my flat or room before I arrive. I will stay at this place as long as I have my training course, possibly till September. Yours faithfully, James Smith
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use the right term Original: seekers Suggested revision: participants Why it matters: Course participants is the natural term for people attending a training course.
- 2. Remove the comma Original: Performance", at Suggested revision: Performance" at Why it matters: No comma should separate the course title from the following prepositional phrase.
- 3. Use a direct request Original: hoping that you would kindly arrange Suggested revision: hoping you can kindly arrange Why it matters: The present modal suits a current request more naturally.
- 4. Remove the comma Original: Southern Ireland, as Suggested revision: Southern Ireland as Why it matters: The comma incorrectly separates the complement from the role phrase.
- 5. Avoid unsupported assumption Original: As you already know, the course Suggested revision: The course Why it matters: The accommodation officer may not already know which course the writer means.
- 6. Use future tense Original: would Suggested revision: will Why it matters: Will is clearer for a scheduled future course in this request.
- 7. Correct the preposition Original: at Suggested revision: in Why it matters: In is the appropriate preposition for a town or area.
- 8. Make location concise Original: a location far away from the city where I live Suggested revision: which is far from my home Why it matters: The shorter relative clause communicates the distance more naturally.
- 9. Correct the expression Original: take the privilege of describing Suggested revision: like to describe Why it matters: Take the privilege of is not idiomatic in this context.
- 10. Express the requirement Original: expecting a small flat Suggested revision: looking for a small flat Why it matters: Looking for states the accommodation need without implying that it has already been promised.
- 11. Specify the room Original: or at least a room for me Suggested revision: or at least a private room Why it matters: Private room states the intended accommodation requirement more precisely.
- 12. Use natural wording Original: dwell Suggested revision: stay Why it matters: Stay in is more natural for temporary accommodation.
Suggested Rewrites
- seekers participants
- Performance", at Performance" at
- hoping that you would kindly arrange hoping you can kindly arrange
- Southern Ireland, as Southern Ireland as
- As you already know, the course The course
- would will
Why this response received Band 6.5
The letter addresses all three bullet points with well-developed accommodation preferences and a consistently polite, formal tone. Its main limitations are practical clarity and naturalness: the arrival date ‘27th of this month’ is ambiguous without a dated letter, and the writer introduces himself as Alex Jones but signs as James Smith. Use exact dates and a consistent identity, then replace overly formal expressions with direct booking language.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The situation, accommodation needs, and intended period are all covered, but the ambiguous arrival date and inconsistent name weaken communicative reliability.
Give a complete calendar date, confirm the expected departure date, and use the same name in the introduction and signature.
Coherence and Cohesion
The purpose and three accommodation preferences are logically sequenced with clear progression and effective enumeration.
Make the opening more concise and keep employment background only where it directly explains the accommodation request.
Lexical Resource
The letter demonstrates good range and an appropriately formal register, though several expressions are overly elaborate or imprecise.
Replace phrases such as ‘course seekers’, ‘take the privilege’, ‘dwell’, and ‘finalise my flat’ with direct accommodation language.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of complex structures is generally well controlled, with occasional issues in tense choice, punctuation, articles, and clause phrasing.
Use present or future forms consistently for confirmed plans and remove unnecessary commas separating subjects from complements.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You are going on a short training course at a college in Greenmount, Northern Ireland. You need somewhere to live while you are there. Write a letter to the accommodation officer at the college. In your letter:
- explain your situation
- describe the accommodation you require
- say when you will need it
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.