You have an extra room in your apartment and would like to rent it out to a student. Write a letter to the university council officer. In your letter: - describe your apartment and the facilities available - mention why you want to rent out the room - say what kind of tenant you would prefer
Sample Response
Dear Mr Hassan, I am writing with regard to your advertisement in the New York Times which stated that people should contact you to rent out rooms to students from your university. I would be grateful if you could arrange a tenant for my extra room. I own a flat in Manhattan, and it is on 10th avenue. My flat is located on the 4th floor, and it is quite spacious. It contains 2 moderately large bedrooms, a storage room, a kitchen, and 2 bathrooms. In addition, it is fully furnished with branded furniture and household appliances. I live alone in this apartment and use one bedroom while the second bedroom has no use for me. This is why I have decided to lease it out to someone. The rent is $450 per month including utility bills. The tenant must be a polite person and a non-smoker. Additionally, he should not have frequent guests and parties. I am sure the prospective student will feel comfortable in this accommodation. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Yours cordially, Fadi Al-Damiri
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use natural collocation Original: arrange Suggested revision: find Why it matters: An officer can find or arrange for a tenant, but cannot 'arrange a tenant'.
- 2. Capitalise street name Original: on 10th avenue Suggested revision: on Tenth Avenue Why it matters: A named avenue is a proper noun and should be capitalised.
- 3. Use formal number style Original: 4th Suggested revision: fourth Why it matters: Spelling out a small ordinal is more appropriate in a formal letter.
- 4. Use natural modifier Original: branded furniture Suggested revision: brand-name furniture Why it matters: 'Brand-name' is the conventional adjective for furniture made by recognised brands.
- 5. Clarify room use Original: the second bedroom has no use for me Suggested revision: I have no use for the second bedroom Why it matters: The person, rather than the room, is the one who has no use for something.
- 6. Specify intended tenant Original: lease it out to someone Suggested revision: rent it out to a student Why it matters: The task specifically asks about offering the room to a student, so this wording keeps the purpose explicit.
- 7. Soften tenant preference Original: must be a polite person Suggested revision: should preferably be polite Why it matters: The task asks for preferences, and this wording states one without sounding unnecessarily absolute.
- 8. Use parallel actions Original: have frequent guests and parties Suggested revision: frequently host guests or parties Why it matters: A person hosts guests and holds parties; the original coordination is not natural.
- 9. Use standard closing Original: cordially Suggested revision: sincerely Why it matters: 'Yours sincerely' is the conventional formal closing when the recipient is addressed by name.
- 10. Group required details Suggested revision: Use separate paragraphs for the apartment and facilities, the reason for renting, tenant preferences, and the closing. Why it matters: Clear grouping would make each required point easier for the council officer to locate.
Suggested Rewrites
- arrange find
- on 10th avenue on Tenth Avenue
- 4th fourth
- branded furniture brand-name furniture
- the second bedroom has no use for me I have no use for the second bedroom
- lease it out to someone rent it out to a student
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter fully explains the apartment, available furnishings and utilities, the reason for renting the spare room, the monthly cost, and the preferred tenant profile in an appropriately formal tone. Its main limitation is presentation rather than content: all information appears in one dense paragraph, and a few phrases are slightly unnatural or overly restrictive. Prioritise clear paragraphing and neutral, precise wording for tenant expectations.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is clear, every bullet point is fully developed with practical details, and the formal tone is consistently suitable for a university officer.
Refine the tenant description by presenting house rules neutrally and clarifying whether occasional visitors are acceptable.
Coherence and Cohesion
The information follows a logical sequence from request to apartment details, reason, rent, preferences, and closing, though it is presented as one paragraph.
Separate the property description, rental reason and terms, and tenant preferences into distinct paragraphs.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is clear, varied, and appropriate for housing and formal requests, with only minor awkwardness in phrases such as 'arrange a tenant' and 'branded furniture.'
Use natural alternatives such as 'find a suitable tenant,' 'quality furniture,' and 'the spare bedroom is currently unused.'
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Sentence structures are varied and mostly accurate, with only occasional minor issues in articles, number style, and coordination.
Polish article use and write small numbers consistently in words for a more formal letter style.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You have an extra room in your apartment and would like to rent it out to a student. Write a letter to the university council officer. In your letter:
- describe your apartment and the facilities available
- mention why you want to rent out the room
- say what kind of tenant you would prefer
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.