You have a friend who lives in a city abroad. You would like to apply to do a course at one of the colleges in this city. Write to your friend. In your letter: - explain what you would like to do - describe the work or studies you have been doing for the past few years - ask for help contacting an appropriate institution
Sample Response
Dear Rachel,
Hope you are doing fine. I am sorry that I have not written to you for a long timefor a long. I have been terribly busy over the last few months and I never seem to have a minute to myself! I am writing to let you knownotify you that I'd like to study fashion designdesigning at a university in Canada next year and I hope you can give me some advice and information. I think I would prefer a Canadian college, specifically in Toronto, because I have an aunt who lives there and she is willing to host me at her house. I have recently finished school and received an overall mark of 78%got an overall 78% mark. I want to buildI am willing to build my career in the fashion designing industry and I need to complete my bachelor'sbachelor degree for that. However, I really don't know which university to apply to and what their requirements for applicants arewhat are their requirements for the applicants are. I am hoping you can help me choose a universitychoose a university for me that offers an excellent fashion designing related course at a moderate cost. Could you send me some information about different colleges and the courses they offer related to my interestsinterest? I hope you can spare some time and don't mind doing this for me. I hope to hear from you soon. Warm wishes, George
Why this response received Band 6.5
The letter communicates its purpose clearly, maintains a friendly tone, and covers the requested course and request for assistance with relevant detail. Its main weakness is presentation: nearly all the content is placed in one long paragraph, while several awkward phrases and one malformed question reduce polish. Organise the letter into purposeful paragraphs and check sentence structures and collocations more carefully.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is clear and all three bullet points are addressed, although the account of recent studies is rather brief.
Develop the study background with one or two specific details about subjects, qualifications, or relevant experience.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas follow a sensible sequence, but the body is presented as one dense paragraph with limited structural signposting.
Use separate paragraphs for the intended course, educational background, and request for help.
Lexical Resource
There is a sufficient range of vocabulary for education and applications, though several combinations such as "fashion designing" and "related to my interest" are awkward.
Use more natural collocations such as "fashion design," "bachelor's degree," and "courses that match my interests."
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A mix of simple and complex sentences is generally controlled, but errors in articles, possessives, and question structure are noticeable.
Proofread complex clauses, especially the malformed phrase "what are their requirements for the applicants are."
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You have a friend who lives in a city abroad. You would like to apply to do a course at one of the colleges in this city. Write to your friend. In your letter:
- explain what you would like to do
- describe the work or studies you have been doing for the past few years
- ask for help contacting an appropriate institution
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.