For the past year, you have been a member of a local club. Now you want to discontinue your membership. Write a letter to the club secretary. In your letter: - state what type of membership you have and how you have paid for this - give details on how you have benefited from the club - explain why you want to leave
Sample Response
Dear Mr Martin, I have been an activeexultant member of your club for about one1 year. I first enrolled as a member in 2023, and the next year my membership was upgraded to Silver Associate with a monthly fee of $50, which I pay on the first Monday of each monthwith a monthly fee of $50, paid every first Monday of the month. I regret to inform you that I can no longer continue my membership ofin the club as I will be relocatingas I will relocate to a different city soon. This club has benefited me by providing activitiesgiven me numerous benefits by providing activities, such as yoga classes that I am particularly enjoyreally fond of, as well as access to the gymnasium and swimming pool. Not to mention that there are always generous food discountsgenerous discounts on the food in the buffet restaurant. I have truly enjoyed my access to the library, which has enabled me to read many booksthe library that helped me read many books. Sadly, given my circumstances, I willwould have to discontinue my membership at this club. The reason is that I will soon be moving to another city. Thus, I would no longer be able to attend any club activitiesactivities held in this place. If I am not mistaken, my $250 deposit will be returned to me when my membership is cancelledupon membership cancellation. Please let me know whether there isPlease advise should there be any particular form that I need to completeform that I need to fill in. Thank you. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely, Helen Kelly
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter’s strongest feature is its complete practical coverage of membership type, payment method, club benefits, and the reason for cancellation, all in a suitably courteous register. Its main limitation is repetition and presentation, especially the repeated relocation explanation within one dense block; the highest-priority improvement is to structure the letter into focused paragraphs and replace a few inaccurate word choices such as “exultant.”
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is clear and every bullet point is fully developed with specific membership, payment, benefit, relocation, and cancellation details.
Clarify whether the deposit refund is a request for confirmation or a separate administrative action the secretary should take.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas follow a sensible order, but the single-block format and repeated explanation of moving to another city weaken cohesion.
Use separate paragraphs for membership details, benefits, the reason for leaving, and the cancellation request.
Lexical Resource
The letter uses a good range of relevant vocabulary, though “exultant member,” “attend activities,” and some institutional references are unnatural.
Use “satisfied member,” “take part in activities,” and “the club” consistently.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of complex sentences is generally accurate, with occasional tense, article, and preposition errors that do not impede meaning.
Use consistent future forms for the move and write “on the first Monday of each month” and “membership of the club.”
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
For the past year, you have been a member of a local club. Now you want to discontinue your membership. Write a letter to the club secretary. In your letter:
- state what type of membership you have and how you have paid for this
- give details on how you have benefited from the club
- explain why you want to leave
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.