You recently enjoyed a meal at a restaurant to celebrate a special occasion, and you were very pleased with the food and service. Write a letter to the restaurant manager. In your letter: - give details of your visit to the restaurant - mention the reason for the celebration - say what was good about the food and the service
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to express my appreciation for the meal and service that your restaurant provided us last Sunday on the occasion of my 21st birthday. Your restaurant is located near my office, and I took a few friends and colleagues to celebrate my birthday based on a recommendation from one of my colleagues. We had lunch at your establishment and it was fabulous. The experience made my birthday even special, and I am quite thankful for an auspicious service and delicious menu. We were greeted properly just when we entered the restaurant, and surprisingly, the manager himself came down to us and arranged an excellent sitting place for us from where we enjoyed a great view. A waiter came to tantalize our taste buds explaining the details of the menu. We had the "Thai soup" to start with. It was served just perfectly, and it smelled great. Then we opted for mackerel and fried rice which were well flavoured and had a decent portion of 4 fillets with each serving. For the main course, we had the lamb cutlets which melted in our mouths tenderly and came with a delightfully spiced harissa sauce. I must say that your food made our day! We absolutely took away something truly special from this visit. Thank you once again for a fantastic experience at your establishment. We can not wait until our next visit! Yours faithfully, Tom Chatfield
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use comparative form Original: made my birthday even special Suggested revision: made my birthday even more special Why it matters: ‘Even’ modifies the comparative phrase ‘more special’ here.
- 2. Correct collocation Original: an auspicious service Suggested revision: the excellent service Why it matters: ‘Auspicious’ describes favourable signs or prospects rather than restaurant service.
- 3. Name the food Original: menu Suggested revision: food Why it matters: A menu lists dishes, while the food itself can be delicious.
- 4. Correct phrasal verb Original: down Suggested revision: over Why it matters: ‘Came over’ means approached, whereas ‘came down’ suggests movement from a higher place.
- 5. Use restaurant term Original: an excellent sitting place Suggested revision: an excellent table Why it matters: ‘Table’ is the natural noun for the place arranged for restaurant guests.
- 6. Simplify relative clause Original: from where we enjoyed Suggested revision: where we enjoyed Why it matters: ‘Where’ alone correctly introduces the clause describing the table’s location.
- 7. Use natural phrasing Original: meal and service that your restaurant provided us Suggested revision: meal and service we received at your restaurant Why it matters: The revision uses the natural pattern for describing a customer’s experience.
- 8. Clarify the link Original: based on a recommendation from one of my colleagues Suggested revision: after one of my colleagues recommended it Why it matters: The revision clearly connects the recommendation to the choice of restaurant.
- 9. Describe welcome precisely Original: greeted properly just when we entered Suggested revision: greeted warmly as soon as we entered Why it matters: The revision describes both the quality and promptness of the welcome naturally.
- 10. Remove vague intensifier Original: served just perfectly Suggested revision: served at the perfect temperature Why it matters: The revision makes the praise more specific while preserving the positive judgement.
- 11. Make praise concrete Original: took away something truly special Suggested revision: left with wonderful memories Why it matters: The revision expresses the positive lasting impression more clearly.
- 12. Clarify the reference Original: it was fabulous Suggested revision: the whole experience was fabulous Why it matters: Naming the experience removes the vague pronoun reference.
Suggested Rewrites
- made my birthday even special made my birthday even more special
- an auspicious service the excellent service
- menu food
- down over
- an excellent sitting place an excellent table
- from where we enjoyed where we enjoyed
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter gives a vivid, appreciative account of the birthday meal and supports its praise with specific details about both the dishes and the service. The main weakness is that several ambitious word choices and collocations sound unnatural, while the single-block layout limits readability. Use clear paragraphs and replace strained expressions with precise, idiomatic wording to make the praise sound fully controlled.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The letter fully covers the visit, celebration, food, and service with specific supporting details and an appropriate appreciative tone.
Refine the visit details by stating the restaurant name or reservation information to make the context even more precise.
Coherence and Cohesion
The account progresses clearly from arrival through the meal to the closing thanks, but the lack of paragraph breaks makes the dense response less accessible.
Separate the visit context, service, food, and closing appreciation into purposeful paragraphs.
Lexical Resource
There is a broad range of vivid food and service vocabulary, although phrases such as auspicious service and excellent sitting place are not idiomatic.
Replace strained collocations with natural alternatives such as excellent service and a well-positioned table.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex and simple structures are used flexibly with strong overall control, though a few attachments and constructions are awkward.
Clarify modifier relationships, for example by rewriting the sentence in which the waiter explains the menu so the action is unambiguous.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You recently enjoyed a meal at a restaurant to celebrate a special occasion, and you were very pleased with the food and service. Write a letter to the restaurant manager. In your letter:
- give details of your visit to the restaurant
- mention the reason for the celebration
- say what was good about the food and the service
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.