You would like to participate in a work-related seminar in another country. Write a letter to the person in charge of the seminar. In your letter: - ask for information about the seminar dates - ask for details of the programme - ask about accommodation - ask about the cost
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writingwriting this letter to express my interest in participating in the upcoming professional seminar to be heldseminar scheduled to take place in London, UK, and to requestand request you to give me more details about it. I have heard about the seminar from a colleague, and I believe it would greatly benefit my professional development.
I would like to request that youplease provide me with detailed information regarding the dates, programme scheduleitinerary, and topics to be covered during the seminar. Additionally, I would appreciate details of the accommodation options availabledetails about accommodation options available for participants, including any recommended hotels or lodging facilities near the venue. Understanding the costs of attending the seminarcost associated with attending the seminar, including registration fees, accommodation expenses, and any other expensesany additional costs, would also be helpful for planning purposes.
As an enthusiastic learner and dedicated professional, I am eager to expand my knowledge and skills through this seminar. Attending such events allows me to stay up to date with industry trendsstay updated with industry trends and best practices, ultimately contributing to my growth and effectiveness in my role.
Thank you for considering my request, and I look forward to receiving the requested information soon.
Yours faithfully,
Ivan Fox
Why this response received Band 8.0
The letter is strongest in its complete coverage of all four requests, clear formal tone, and precise practical detail about accommodation and costs. The main limitation is local grammatical awkwardness in the central request sentence, particularly the construction ‘request that please provide’, and some wording is more elaborate than necessary. Recast the requests with concise polite forms such as ‘Could you please provide…’ to improve accuracy and directness.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The letter clearly establishes its purpose and appropriately requests the dates, programme details, accommodation options, and full range of likely costs.
Separate the four requests into distinct questions so the organiser can respond to each point with maximum clarity.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas are sequenced logically from the reason for writing through the practical requests and professional motivation to a courteous close.
Divide the dense central paragraph after the programme request to make the accommodation and cost questions even easier to scan.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary is precise, appropriately formal, and flexible, particularly in phrases concerning professional development, lodging, fees, and planning.
Prefer concise combinations such as ‘programme schedule’ over the slightly redundant ‘programme itinerary’ to sharpen expression.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The letter demonstrates a wide range of well-controlled complex structures, with one local error in the phrase ‘request that please provide me’.
Correct that request to ‘I would be grateful if you could provide me with detailed information’ for accurate, polished formality.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You would like to participate in a work-related seminar in another country. Write a letter to the person in charge of the seminar. In your letter:
- ask for information about the seminar dates
- ask for details of the programme
- ask about accommodation
- ask about the cost
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.