You are going to another country to study. You would like to do a part-time job while you are studying, so you want to ask a friend who lives there for some help. Write a letter to this friend. In your letter: - give details of your study plans - explain why you want to get a part-time job - suggest how your friend could help you find a job
Sample Response
Dear Thomas,
I hope you are doing wellgreat. I'm excited to let you know that I'll be moving to Toronto next month to pursue a master’s degree in computer sciencepursue my Master’s degree in Computer Science at the University of Toronto. Since you have been living in Canada for a while now, I was hoping you could help me find a part-time job while I study.
The main reason I want to work part-time is to gain international work experience and improve my communication skills in EnglishEnglish communication skills. Additionally, a part-time job would help me cover some of my living expenses, making my stay in Canada more manageable. Given my background in software development, I would love to find a part-time IT rolejob related to IT, such as a tech support role, a web development position, or programming tutoringa tech support role, web development, or even tutoring in programming. However, I am also open to other opportunities.
Since you are familiar with the local job market, could you suggest where I should start my job search? If you know of any openings or can introduce me to someone who is hiring, that would be a great helpreally helpful.
Looking forward to catching up soon!
Best regards,
Li Wei
Why this response received Band 8.0
The letter addresses every requested point directly, with clear study details, well-developed reasons for working, and practical ways the friend could help. Its friendly register, logical paragraphing, and accurate language make the message easy to follow; the main limitation is only that a few job examples could be expressed more precisely. Prioritise refining those small wording choices while preserving the concise, natural tone.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The letter fully develops the study plans, reasons for seeking work, and specific ways the friend could assist, using an appropriate personal tone.
Add a brief indication of likely working hours or study commitments to make the job request even more practical.
Coherence and Cohesion
Paragraphing is purposeful, progression is clear, and cohesive devices connect the request naturally without drawing attention to themselves.
Keep each paragraph focused as here, while tightening the transition from preferred IT roles to broader opportunities.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is flexible, precise, and natural across study, employment, finance, and personal communication contexts.
Refine the parallel wording of job examples so each item clearly names a role, such as “web developer.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of simple and complex structures is used accurately, with only minor lapses that do not impede communication.
Maintain strict parallel structure in lists and check small conventions such as degree-name capitalisation.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You are going to another country to study. You would like to do a part-time job while you are studying, so you want to ask a friend who lives there for some help. Write a letter to this friend. In your letter:
- give details of your study plans
- explain why you want to get a part-time job
- suggest how your friend could help you find a job
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.