Last month you had a holiday overseas where you stayed with some friends. They have just sent you some photos of your holiday. Write a letter to your friends. In your letter: - thank them for the photos and for the holiday - explain why you didn't - write earlier - invite them to come and stay with you
Sample Response
Dear Emma and Jenifer, I cannot thank you enough for the hospitality you have shown me during my stay at your house. Also, I am writing to say thanks for the great photos you have couriered me. I am hoping you two would visit me during the summer vacation. I was greatly surprised by the beauty of Venice in Italy and the days I spent with you. Each day was magical. The fabulous canals in Venice lined with Renaissance and Gothic palaces were heavenly. However, you two had been excellent hosts and I can never express how much I enjoyed my time with you. A huge thank you for making my holidays special and sending some of the very best photos we took during this holiday. My apology for not writing to you earlier. I had been busy with the office and I guess you already know how sometimes I struggle to manage everything in my life. I had to travel to Brisbane twice to meet my mom whose health condition is deteriorating these days. I would love to have you both with me during the summer vacation. Please plan for the trip and I am sure you will enjoy your time in Australia. Take care and stay fine. Warm wishes, Kelly
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use past tense Original: have shown me during my stay Suggested revision: showed me during my stay Why it matters: The completed holiday calls for the simple past rather than the present perfect.
- 2. Use natural wording Original: photos you have couriered me Suggested revision: photos you sent me Why it matters: “Sent” is the natural verb for photos in this friendly context.
- 3. Fix the transition Original: However Suggested revision: Moreover Why it matters: The sentence adds praise rather than contrasting with the preceding description.
- 4. Correct the tense Original: had been excellent hosts Suggested revision: were excellent hosts Why it matters: The simple past correctly describes their role during the completed visit.
- 5. Use singular holiday Original: holidays Suggested revision: holiday Why it matters: The task refers to one holiday, so the singular noun is required.
- 6. Use the fixed expression Original: apology Suggested revision: apologies Why it matters: The conventional expression uses the plural form “apologies” here.
- 7. Use direct wording Original: I am writing to say thanks Suggested revision: I am writing to thank you Why it matters: The direct verb “thank” is more natural than the phrase “say thanks” here.
- 8. Use precise description Original: heavenly Suggested revision: breathtaking Why it matters: “Breathtaking” describes the visual impression more precisely and naturally.
- 9. Complete the sentence Original: A huge thank you Suggested revision: Thank you so much Why it matters: This supplies a finite verb and removes the sentence fragment.
- 10. Avoid repetition Original: this Suggested revision: our Why it matters: “Our holiday” avoids repeating “this holiday” and better reflects the shared experience.
- 11. Choose the natural verb Original: meet Suggested revision: visit Why it matters: “Visit” is the natural verb for travelling to see an unwell family member.
- 12. Use concise wording Original: health condition is deteriorating Suggested revision: health is deteriorating Why it matters: “Health” already expresses the condition, so the extra noun is unnecessary.
Suggested Rewrites
- have shown me during my stay showed me during my stay
- photos you have couriered me photos you sent me
- However Moreover
- had been excellent hosts were excellent hosts
- holidays holiday
- apology apologies
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter has a warm, convincing tone and fully addresses the thanks, explanation and invitation, with engaging details about the holiday and the proposed visit. Its main limitation is organisation: the response is one dense block and repeats both the thanks and invitation, while some tense choices are inconsistent. Prioritise dividing it into clear functional paragraphs and using past tense for the completed holiday and present or future forms for the invitation.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All three bullet points are fully addressed with a warm, suitable tone and relevant personal detail about the holiday, delayed reply and invitation.
Make the invitation even more useful by adding a specific proposed time, length of stay or activity in Australia.
Coherence and Cohesion
The ideas follow a sensible sequence, but the single dense paragraph and repetition of thanks and invitation weaken the overall organisation.
Use separate paragraphs for appreciation, the reason for the late reply and the invitation, mentioning each main purpose once.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary is varied and expressive, though phrases such as "couriered me," "my holidays" and "stay fine" are somewhat unnatural.
Prefer natural informal-letter phrases such as "sent me," "made my holiday special" and "take care."
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of sentence structures communicates clearly, but tense and modal choices are inconsistent and one fragment reduces accuracy.
Use past tense for the completed stay, "I hope you will visit" for the invitation, and a complete clause such as "I apologise for not writing earlier."
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
Last month you had a holiday overseas where you stayed with some friends. They have just sent you some photos of your holiday. Write a letter to your friends. In your letter:
- thank them for the photos and for the holiday
- explain why you didn't
- write earlier
- invite them to come and stay with you
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.