A friend you met last year has invited you to visit him/her in his/her country. You have never been there before and need some information before you leave. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: - request some advice about a gift for his/her family - ask about activities and clothing in his/her country - find out about the food
Sample Response
Dear Leena, Hope you are doing excellent. Once again, it was indeed so amazing that I met such a wonderful person like you last year. I also want to thank you for extending me an invitation to visit your country. I have already made all sorts of arrangements to visit you this November, but before I head off to your country, I would like to have some information from your part, if possible. To be more particular, I could surely use some advice on what kinds of gifts are traditionally preferred or liked in your country so that I can buy the perfect gifts for you and your family. I would also like to know what sorts of clothes I should carry with me since I am not sure about what the temperatures are going to be like in your place at that time of the year. Finally, information regarding what kinds of activities and food would be suitable for me, or I would enjoy there, after arriving in your country, would also be highly appreciated. Please do get back to me as soon as you can. Warm wishes, Rosaline
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Correct the meeting phrase Original: it was indeed so amazing that I met Suggested revision: it was wonderful to meet Why it matters: The infinitive structure is the natural way to describe the pleasure of meeting someone.
- 2. Correct the comparison Original: such a wonderful person like you Suggested revision: someone as wonderful as you Why it matters: As ... as is the correct comparison pattern here.
- 3. Use the invitation collocation Original: extending me an invitation Suggested revision: inviting me Why it matters: Invite someone is the natural and concise collocation.
- 4. State preparation precisely Original: all sorts of arrangements Suggested revision: all the necessary arrangements Why it matters: Necessary describes the completed travel preparations more precisely than all sorts of.
- 5. Use straightforward travel wording Original: head off to your country Suggested revision: travel to your country Why it matters: Travel to is clearer and less colloquial in this request for information.
- 6. Correct the information phrase Original: information from your part Suggested revision: information from you Why it matters: From you is the natural expression; from your part is not idiomatic here.
- 7. Introduce details naturally Original: To be more particular Suggested revision: More specifically Why it matters: More specifically is the standard transition for narrowing a request.
- 8. Make the request courteous Original: could surely use Suggested revision: would appreciate Why it matters: Would appreciate expresses the request more naturally and politely.
- 9. Remove redundant gift wording Original: what kinds of gifts are traditionally preferred or liked Suggested revision: what kinds of gifts are traditionally appreciated Why it matters: Preferred or liked is redundant, while appreciated fits the gift context.
- 10. Use a realistic adjective Original: the perfect gifts Suggested revision: suitable gifts Why it matters: Suitable focuses on cultural appropriateness without overstating the choice.
- 11. Make the clothing request concise Original: what sorts of clothes Suggested revision: what clothes Why it matters: The shorter phrase is natural and retains the full meaning.
- 12. Use the travel verb Original: carry with me Suggested revision: bring Why it matters: Bring is the natural verb for clothing taken on a visit.
Suggested Rewrites
- it was indeed so amazing that I met it was wonderful to meet
- such a wonderful person like you someone as wonderful as you
- extending me an invitation inviting me
- all sorts of arrangements all the necessary arrangements
- head off to your country travel to your country
- information from your part information from you
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter maintains a friendly tone, asks useful questions about culturally suitable family gifts and November clothing, and also requests guidance on activities and food. Its strongest feature is the clear practical focus before the visit. The main limitation is that the final combined question about food and activities is vague and the language sounds unnecessarily formal for a friend; the priority is to ask specific, natural questions about local dishes and planned experiences.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All three requirements are covered with relevant context, though the food and activity enquiries are less specifically developed than the gift and clothing questions.
Ask about any unfamiliar ingredients or dietary customs and request two or three recommended activities for the November visit.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter moves logically from thanks and travel plans to gifts, clothing, activities, and food, but everything appears in one paragraph.
Use short paragraphs for the visit context, gift advice, weather and clothing, and food and activity questions.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is sufficiently varied, but expressions such as 'doing excellent', 'information from your part', and 'to be more particular' are unnatural.
Use warmer idiomatic language such as 'I hope you are well', 'could you tell me', 'more specifically', and 'local dishes I should try'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A variety of structures conveys the questions clearly, but clause balance, articles, prepositions, and word order contain recurring errors.
Simplify the final sentence into direct questions and use correct forms such as 'activities I might enjoy' and 'the weather there in November'.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
A friend you met last year has invited you to visit him/her in his/her country. You have never been there before and need some information before you leave. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:
- request some advice about a gift for his/her family
- ask about activities and clothing in his/her country
- find out about the food
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.