An annual event was recently held in your area. Write a letter to the organisers congratulating them on a successful production. In your letter: - give details of the event - mention what you liked most about the event - make a polite criticism of something that could be improved
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, As a member of the Frederick community in the city of Munich, I am writing this letter to congratulate you on a very successful production of the Folk Music Festival on 27th March this year. This music festival is held every year in our area, and I am pretty sure that other members of our community also feel that you have done excellent work this time. This probably is the first time in its history that you managed to attract so many people, not only from our city but also from many other parts of our country, with your excellent advertising works. Besides, your flawless seating arrangement, top-class sound system, and the choices of music just could not be any better. However, what I really liked the most about the event was that you even allowed the audience to ask different kinds of questions to the music artists about their life and hobbies in a very friendly and casual environment. Of course, you could perhaps arrange even a bigger venue with a more spacious parking area, but, again, other than that, the whole event was simply superb. Many thanks once again. Yours faithfully, Mark Henry
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use formal assurance Original: pretty sure Suggested revision: confident Why it matters: Confident is more appropriate than the conversational phrase pretty sure in a formal letter.
- 2. Place the adverb naturally Original: This probably is Suggested revision: This is probably Why it matters: The adverb normally follows the finite verb in this construction.
- 3. Use an uncountable noun Original: works Suggested revision: campaign Why it matters: Advertising works is not idiomatic for the promotional activity that attracted attendees.
- 4. Use natural event wording Original: choices Suggested revision: choice Why it matters: Choice of music naturally describes the overall musical selection at the festival.
- 5. Remove the redundant article Original: liked the most Suggested revision: liked most Why it matters: Most functions directly as the superlative adverb after liked and does not take the here.
- 6. Remove unnecessary wording Original: different kinds of questions Suggested revision: questions Why it matters: Questions already conveys the range intended, so different kinds of is redundant.
- 7. Use the precise noun Original: music artists Suggested revision: musicians Why it matters: Musicians is the natural term for artists performing at a music festival.
- 8. Use plural possession Original: life Suggested revision: lives Why it matters: The plural artists have separate lives, so life must also be plural.
- 9. Order the modifiers correctly Original: arrange even a bigger venue Suggested revision: arrange an even bigger venue Why it matters: The indefinite article must precede the adverb and comparative adjective.
- 10. Separate the three purposes Suggested revision: Use distinct paragraphs for the event details, the feature you liked most, and the polite suggestion for improvement. Why it matters: Paragraphing by the three requested points would make the letter easier to follow.
Suggested Rewrites
- pretty sure confident
- This probably is This is probably
- works campaign
- choices choice
- liked the most liked most
- different kinds of questions questions
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter responds fully and warmly, giving clear event details, explaining why the audience interaction was especially successful, and offering a tactful suggestion about venue and parking capacity. Its strongest feature is the well-sustained congratulatory purpose and natural progression. The main limitation is a handful of slightly awkward collocations; prioritise more idiomatic formal wording while preserving the positive, diplomatic tone.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All three bullet points are fully developed, and the praise and criticism are balanced in an appropriately courteous tone.
Make the improvement suggestion slightly more actionable by linking a larger venue directly to the unexpectedly high attendance.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter progresses clearly from congratulations and event details to the favourite feature, polite criticism, and closing thanks.
Use short paragraphs for event details, the highlight, and the suggested improvement to sharpen an already coherent structure.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is flexible and expressive, though a few combinations such as 'advertising works' and 'music artists' are less natural.
Use idiomatic phrases such as 'promotional campaign', 'choice of music', and 'performers'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of sentence structures is used with strong control, and only minor localised imperfections appear.
Refine word order in phrases such as 'This is probably the first time' and avoid unnecessary commas around 'again'.
Write this task while it is fresh
Try the same task now. It helps you remember the feedback and write better next time.
IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
An annual event was recently held in your area. Write a letter to the organisers congratulating them on a successful production. In your letter:
- give details of the event
- mention what you liked most about the event
- make a polite criticism of something that could be improved
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.