You want to book a hotel that one of your friends recommended to you for a family holiday at the seaside. Write a letter to the hotel manager to make arrangements. In your letter: - explain what accommodation you require and when you want to stay - ask what will be included in the price - enquire about activities and places of interest near the hotel
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing this letter to you because your hotel was recommended to me for the holidays of my family by one of my close friends who has visited your hotel a month ago. I am hoping to get some information so that I can book our stay there.
My friend, who has recommended the hotel to me, told me a lot of good things about your hotel, especially about the quality of service and price that are offered. But, as far as I am concerned, I would prefer a large suite of at least two rooms that can comfortably accommodate me, my husband, my mother and two of my teenage children.
I am planning to visit during the weekend, and I also understand that the price is a little higher during that time. However, while I am not too much concerned about the price of the hotel, I would certainly appreciate it if you could tell me about the services and amenities – such as Wi-Fi internet service and airport shuttle service - that come with it. Besides, information regarding what kind of activities we can enjoy there, as well as what kinds of interesting places are there to visit nearby - would also be highly appreciated.
Yours faithfully,
Emily Blunt
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use possessive form Original: for the holidays of my family Suggested revision: for my family's holiday Why it matters: The possessive form expresses the family holiday more naturally.
- 2. Correct past tense Original: who has visited your hotel a month ago Suggested revision: who visited your hotel a month ago Why it matters: A finished time expression requires the simple past rather than the present perfect.
- 3. Remove repetition Original: My friend, who has recommended the hotel to me, Suggested revision: My friend Why it matters: The recommendation has already been stated, so repeating it slows the progression.
- 4. Match noun and verb Original: price Suggested revision: prices Why it matters: The plural noun agrees with the plural verb and fits the reference to hotel charges.
- 5. Clarify transition Original: But, as far as I am concerned, Suggested revision: As for my accommodation requirements, Why it matters: This transition directly introduces the type of accommodation being requested.
- 6. Use natural phrasing Original: not too much concerned Suggested revision: not overly concerned Why it matters: The replacement uses the natural adverb and adjective combination.
- 7. Ask more directly Original: what kind of activities we can enjoy there Suggested revision: what activities are available there Why it matters: The revised wording is more direct and natural in a hotel enquiry.
- 8. Use concise wording Original: what kinds of interesting places are there to visit nearby Suggested revision: which places of interest are nearby Why it matters: This concise phrase asks clearly about nearby attractions.
- 9. Give exact dates Suggested revision: Specify the exact arrival and departure dates and the number of nights required. Why it matters: Saying only that the visit is during the weekend does not give the manager enough information to arrange the booking.
Suggested Rewrites
- for the holidays of my family for my family's holiday
- who has visited your hotel a month ago who visited your hotel a month ago
- My friend, who has recommended the hotel to me, My friend
- price prices
- But, as far as I am concerned, As for my accommodation requirements,
- not too much concerned not overly concerned
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter maintains an appropriately courteous tone, presents its purpose clearly, and addresses all three requested areas with relevant detail. Its main limitation is that the proposed timing remains vague and several phrases are awkward or grammatically inaccurate. The highest-priority improvement is to supply exact stay dates while editing embedded questions, agreement, and collocations for greater precision.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is clear, the formal register is suitable, and all bullet points are covered, although the timing is insufficiently specific.
Give exact arrival and departure dates and make the enquiries about nearby activities and attractions more specific.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information is organised into logical paragraphs, and cohesive devices guide the reader clearly despite some repetition.
Reduce repeated references to the friend's recommendation and link the accommodation and booking details more economically.
Lexical Resource
A sufficiently flexible vocabulary communicates the request precisely, though several collocations sound unnatural.
Replace awkward phrases such as 'holidays of my family' and 'not too much concerned' with more natural formal wording.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A variety of complex structures is used with generally good control, but agreement, tense, and embedded-question errors remain.
Check tense choice, subject-verb agreement, and statement word order in indirect questions before finalising the letter.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You want to book a hotel that one of your friends recommended to you for a family holiday at the seaside. Write a letter to the hotel manager to make arrangements. In your letter:
- explain what accommodation you require and when you want to stay
- ask what will be included in the price
- enquire about activities and places of interest near the hotel
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.