IELTS General Writing 2 - Task 1

• Look very carefully at the task input, that is: the description of the situation, the person you have to send a letter to, and the three points that you have to include. Decide whether the letter should be quite informal (e.g. if it is to a friend) or more formal (e.g. to an official).
• Decide what kind of information you will provide yourself, and make a few notes.
• Using the three bullet points as your plan, write your answer.
• Check the length of your answer.
• Read your answer through and make any changes which you think will improve it.
• Correct the grammar, spelling and punctuation as necessary.

This is an answer written by a candidate who achieved a Band 5 score. Here is the examiner's comment:

The reason for writing is very clear in this letter but it is not clear who the letter is to. The writer gives information to cover all three bullet points, but only one is well extended, and the whole response is underlenght at 135 words, so it loses marks for this.

The information is organised and it is easy to follow the message. A range of linkers is used across the answer and they are generally accurate, but in some places, especially the first paragraph, sentences are not well-linked.

The range of vocabulary is sufficient for the task and there are some quite precise expressions. There are no errors in word form, but some very basic spelling errors occur. In terms of grammar, the range is rather limited with many very short sentences and few complex structures. Grammar is generally well-controlled, however, with only a few minor errors and occasional inappropriate punctuation.