You are going to visit New Zealand for an 'English and Homestay' program. You have just received details of your homestay host family. Write your first letter to the family. In your letter: - introduce yourself - ask the family some questions to get information that is important to you - tell the family about your arrival date and time
Sample Response
Dear Mr and Mrs Smith, I'm Milad Rahimi from India, have recently registered for a two-week English Homestay programme at your house in New Zealand. I am delighted to have you as my hostsfascinated to have you as my mentor during the programme. I really appreciate your letter that I received yesterday and writing for some information and to notify you of my arrival date. I am delightedreally delighted that you have agreed to host me for the programme. This will enable me to immerse myselfdefinitely enable me to fully immerse myself in the English cultureCulture and further enhance my understanding of your traditionstradition and way of life. As I will be visitingAs I am coming to New Zealand for the first time, I am not familiar with the weather and I don’t know what kinds of clothingwhat kind of clothes I should bring with me. Would you please advise me on what to packadvise me about that? I should also mentionI would also like to inform you that I am a vegetarian. Moreover, I would appreciate your suggestionsI need your suggestion on whatabout the things I should bring for my staywith me to your house. Finally, I would appreciate your advice on the typestype of books I should read about New Zealand to help me understandthat might help me understand your culture. I will arrive in Auckland on 2020th September at around 7:30 pm provided my flight is not delayedif my flight makes no delay. I look forward to meeting you soon. Yours sincerelySincerely, Milad Rahimi
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter fulfils all three requirements with a friendly introduction, several relevant practical questions, and a precise arrival date and time. Its strongest feature is the useful range of information requested about clothing, household needs, and cultural preparation. The main limitation is awkward phrasing and an overly formal style in places; the priority is to use warmer, more natural language suited to a first letter to a host family.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The writer introduces himself, asks several relevant questions, and gives clear arrival details in a generally suitable friendly tone.
Add one or two personal details about interests or daily habits and ask directly whether the family can accommodate a vegetarian diet.
Coherence and Cohesion
The ideas progress logically from introduction to questions and arrival, but the single-paragraph format and multiple linking phrases make the letter dense.
Divide the letter into short paragraphs for introduction, practical questions, cultural preparation, and arrival arrangements.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary shows good range for travel, culture, and the homestay, although several choices sound overly formal or imprecise.
Replace phrases such as 'fascinated to have you as my mentor' and 'need your suggestion' with warmer, idiomatic wording.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A variety of structures communicates the message clearly, but errors in the opening sentence, coordination, articles, and conditionals recur.
Write a complete opening clause and use natural forms such as 'I am writing to ask', 'some suggestions', and 'if my flight is not delayed'.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You are going to visit New Zealand for an 'English and Homestay' program. You have just received details of your homestay host family. Write your first letter to the family. In your letter:
- introduce yourself
- ask the family some questions to get information that is important to you
- tell the family about your arrival date and time
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.