A friend who is about to enter university wants your advice about whether to specialise in history, which interests him/her, or computer science, which offers better job prospects. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: - recommend which subject your friend should specialise in - consider your friend's interest in history - consider the job prospects offered by computer science
Sample Response
Dear Erlin,
Hope you're doing well. It was a pleasant surprise to receive your letter yesterday after so long, and it was great to learn that you've graduated from high school. I'm also excited that you've asked for my advice on choosing a major for your university study.
Well, I would recommend you to study computer science. I learned from your letter that you are more interested in graduating and specialising in history and have little knowledge of computer science, but the career prospects and your potential in computer science are far greater, in my opinion. I know how excited you felt every time you solved a math problem, or won a chess match. You'll have plenty of such moments if you study computer science.
You also need to consider your future career prospects while choosing a major at the university as it is going to determine what career you get into in the future, and how much money you can make. Since I've been studying computer science for the last one and a half years, I know how enjoyable this can be. I am positive you'll also enjoy it and have a great career after you graduate from the university.
Take care.
Yours truly,
Eugene
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Complete the greeting Original: Hope you're doing well Suggested revision: I hope you're doing well Why it matters: Adding the subject makes the opening grammatically complete while retaining the friendly tone.
- 2. Use the natural phrase Original: after so long Suggested revision: after such a long time Why it matters: “After such a long time” is the idiomatic expression for a lengthy gap in contact.
- 3. Use the plural noun Original: study Suggested revision: studies Why it matters: “University studies” naturally refers to a person's overall programme of study.
- 4. Correct the verb pattern Original: recommend you to study Suggested revision: recommend that you study Why it matters: “Recommend” takes a that-clause rather than an object followed by an infinitive here.
- 5. Clarify the history interest Original: interested in graduating and specialising in history Suggested revision: interested in studying history Why it matters: Graduation is not a field of interest, so the revision states the intended academic preference clearly.
- 6. Remove the list comma Original: math problem, or Suggested revision: math problem or Why it matters: No comma is needed between two simple alternatives joined by “or”.
- 7. Clarify the reference Original: how enjoyable this can be Suggested revision: how enjoyable computer science can be Why it matters: Naming the subject removes the vague reference created by “this”.
- 8. Use natural wording Original: positive you'll also enjoy it Suggested revision: confident that you'll also enjoy it Why it matters: “Confident that” is the natural expression for a strong personal expectation.
- 9. Sentence rewrite Original: You also need to consider your future career prospects while choosing a major at the university as it is going to determine what career you get into in the future, and how much money you can make. Suggested revision: You also need to consider your career prospects when choosing a university major because it will influence the career you pursue and your earning potential. Why it matters: The rewrite removes repetition and expresses the two career consequences more concisely.
- 10. Acknowledge the history interest Suggested revision: Briefly recognise why history appeals to Erlin before explaining why the stated computer-science strengths outweigh that interest. Why it matters: The task asks the writer to consider the friend's interest in history, which currently receives only a brief mention.
Suggested Rewrites
- Hope you're doing well I hope you're doing well
- after so long after such a long time
- study studies
- recommend you to study recommend that you study
- interested in graduating and specialising in history interested in studying history
- math problem, or math problem or
Why this response received Band 8.0
The letter gives a clear recommendation, maintains a warm and appropriate tone, and supports the advice with relevant personal knowledge of the friend and the subject. Its main limitation is occasional imprecise or awkward phrasing, especially when describing the friend's interests and career potential. The highest-priority improvement is to express the comparison between history and computer science more precisely while giving the history option slightly fuller consideration.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The letter fulfils its purpose, covers all three bullet points, and develops the recommendation with relevant personal detail in an appropriate friendly tone.
Give the friend's interest in history slightly more balanced consideration before explaining why computer science remains the stronger choice.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas progress clearly from the opening through the recommendation and supporting career advice, with effective paragraphing and cohesive links.
Make the transition from personal aptitude to career prospects a little more explicit to sharpen the progression of the reasoning.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and generally precise, with effective language for university choices, personal aptitude, and career prospects, despite a few awkward collocations.
Replace phrases such as 'recommend you to study' and 'potential in computer science are far greater' with more natural and grammatically matched expressions.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex structures is used with strong control, and the few grammatical slips do not impede communication.
Check agreement and construction choices in longer comparative sentences so that every clause remains fully accurate and natural.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
A friend who is about to enter university wants your advice about whether to specialise in history, which interests him/her, or computer science, which offers better job prospects. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:
- recommend which subject your friend should specialise in
- consider your friend's interest in history
- consider the job prospects offered by computer science
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.