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 Aguinaldo Silva, working as a researcher at the University of São Paulo, Brazil for over a decade. I have read in a newspaper that you are going to organise a seminar on 'Automated Neural Networks' and I think it would be helpful for my current research. As I could not find much information online, I would request further details. I learned that the seminar will be held next November in San Francisco, California, USA. I would therefore like to knowNow, I need to know the exact date and schedule of the seminar. Another important piece of information that I need in order to plan my trip is the exact location of the event. Since such seminars are usually very intensive, I want to know if there will be any special rates or booking arrangementsspecial conditions for reservations at nearby hotelsin the nearby hotels. Has Kevin Boban confirmedreally confirmed his participation as a guest speaker? If soIf it is true, that would be great news for me since my research is being driven mainly by one of his recent discoveries. Will we have a specific day to network and exchange knowledge with other participants atof the event? Last year I went to the Artificial Intelligence seminar in GenevaGenebra and I felt really comfortable having an exclusive day for networking with other professionals instead of having short sessions throughout the whole event. Last but not least, I need some information about the cost and payment methods for participatingmethods of payment to participate in the seminar. I hope to hearHope to hear from you soon. Yours faithfully, Aguinaldo Silva
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter clearly establishes the writer’s professional interest and asks relevant, well-developed questions about dates, programme content, accommodation and cost in an appropriately formal tone. Its main limitation is organisation, because the entire body appears as one paragraph and some supporting detail about the previous seminar is longer than necessary. Prioritise separate paragraphs for logistics, programme questions and fees while keeping each request direct.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All four requested areas are covered clearly and purposefully, with relevant questions that show why the programme matters to the writer.
Make the accommodation request more specific by asking about recommended hotels, seminar rates, or organiser-arranged lodging.
Coherence and Cohesion
The sequence of requests is logical and cohesive, but placing the full body in one paragraph and expanding the previous-seminar example reduce efficiency.
Group dates and location, programme details, accommodation, and payment into short focused paragraphs.
Lexical Resource
The response uses a broad and generally precise professional vocabulary, with only occasional awkward wording or a proper-name spelling lapse.
Use concise formal phrases such as “I would appreciate confirmation” and write “Geneva” accurately.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex questions and subordinate clauses are handled with good control, while only a few minor tense and sentence-fragment issues occur.
Use the present perfect continuous in “I have been working” and write the closing request as the complete sentence “I hope to hear from you soon.”
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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.