You recently read a newspaper article about someone you know personally and found that some information was wrong. Write a letter to the editor. In your letter: - describe the subject of the article - describe the error in the article - say what you expect the editor to do
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I like to read your newspaper as often as I can because of the objective news and informative articles you try to publish. But, I am writing this letter to inform you that the article you wrote on Mr. Gaurav Patel, published on 25th of August, unfortunately, has some wrong information. In that article, it was written that Mr. Gaurav became involved with some political activities after his retirement which is not true. In fact, during that time, he was merely trying to help a particular political party in organising some kind of charity works in his area to help the poor and distressed people. By the way, I can say this because I know Mr. Gaurav Patel personally for more than ten years and we both live in the same area. He is a very benevolent fundraiser and a very rich but honest industrialist. So, as you know the truth now, please take some appropriate actions to correct the mistake either by writing a follow-up article or by publishing an editorial correction, whichever you deem fit. Thanking you for your attention and consideration. Yours faithfully, Amit Agarwal
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use formal transition Original: But Suggested revision: However Why it matters: The comma after this coordinating conjunction is incorrect, and a formal transition suits the letter better.
- 2. Improve verb choice Original: article you wrote on Suggested revision: article you published about Why it matters: This collocation describes a newspaper article more naturally and precisely.
- 3. Use precise wording Original: some wrong information Suggested revision: inaccurate information Why it matters: This is a more precise and formal description of the factual error.
- 4. Add relative-clause comma Original: after his retirement which Suggested revision: after his retirement, which Why it matters: The non-defining relative clause needs a comma before “which”.
- 5. Correct uncountable noun Original: some kind of charity works Suggested revision: charitable work Why it matters: “Work” is uncountable here, and “charitable” expresses the intended meaning concisely.
- 6. Use present perfect Original: I know Mr. Gaurav Patel personally for more than ten years Suggested revision: I have known Mr. Gaurav Patel personally for more than ten years Why it matters: The present perfect is required for a relationship that began in the past and continues now.
- 7. Avoid misleading contrast Original: a very rich but honest industrialist Suggested revision: a wealthy and honest industrialist Why it matters: “And” avoids implying that wealth and honesty normally conflict.
- 8. Use singular action Original: some appropriate actions Suggested revision: appropriate action Why it matters: “Action” is normally uncountable in the phrase “take appropriate action”.
- 9. Use reporting collocation Original: news Suggested revision: reporting Why it matters: “Objective reporting” is a more natural description of a newspaper’s work.
- 10. Use formal date Original: 25th of August Suggested revision: 25 August Why it matters: This date format is concise and conventional in a formal letter.
- 11. Use concise verb Original: unfortunately, has Suggested revision: contains Why it matters: A direct verb states the problem more clearly and removes the awkward adverb placement.
- 12. Use active reporting Original: it was written that Suggested revision: the article stated that Why it matters: The active construction identifies the source of the inaccurate statement clearly.
Suggested Rewrites
- But However
- article you wrote on article you published about
- some wrong information inaccurate information
- after his retirement which after his retirement, which
- some kind of charity works charitable work
- I know Mr. Gaurav Patel personally for more than ten years I have known Mr. Gaurav Patel personally for more than ten years
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter fully addresses the correction request with a clear explanation of the error, credible supporting context, and an appropriately formal remedy. Its main limitation is presentation: the response is delivered as one dense paragraph, while several transitions and collocations sound slightly awkward. The highest-priority improvement is to organise the purpose, evidence, and requested action into distinct paragraphs and refine less natural expressions.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is clear, all three bullet points are developed, and the formal tone suits a letter to an editor.
Make the description of the article's broader subject slightly more explicit before identifying the inaccurate claim.
Coherence and Cohesion
The ideas progress logically from the article and error to supporting context and the requested correction, despite weak paragraphing and a few abrupt links.
Separate the purpose, factual correction, and requested remedy into distinct paragraphs and replace conversational transitions such as 'By the way'.
Lexical Resource
A good range of topic-specific vocabulary conveys the situation precisely, although expressions such as 'wrote on', 'charity works', and 'appropriate actions' are not fully natural.
Use more idiomatic collocations, such as 'article about', 'charity work', and 'appropriate action'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The letter uses varied complex sentences with generally strong control, but a few tense, article, and punctuation lapses remain.
Improve accuracy in structures such as 'I have known Mr. Gaurav Patel for more than ten years' and punctuate relative clauses carefully.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You recently read a newspaper article about someone you know personally and found that some information was wrong. Write a letter to the editor. In your letter:
- describe the subject of the article
- describe the error in the article
- say what you expect the editor to do
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.