IELTS Writing Correction Service
Writing Samples
Band 5

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

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Dear Sir or Madam, I'm writing
this
Linking Words
 letter to inquire you about the details of my accommodation. First of all, I would like to
thanks
Wrong verb form
thank
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for
Correct pronoun usage
you for
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 agreeing to be my English and Homestay host. I will arrive at your house in September. I am Shabnam, Uzbek by nationality. I want to know more specific things about you. How many members do you have in your family? So, I will be
traveling
Change the spelling
travelling
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 to New Zealand for the first time. That's why, I want to know about the etiquette of being a guest. I bought a ticket for the second
September
Change preposition
of September
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 and I will be in New Zealand around 18:00 o'clock. If you could fetch me from the airport, it would be great. I look forward to hearing back from you. Yours faithfully, Shabnam

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task achievement
Provide more detailed information about yourself such as age, profession, interests or hobbies. This helps to establish a better connection with the host family.
coherence cohesion
Consider organizing your questions and information in a more structured way. For instance, dedicate one paragraph for introducing yourself, one for questions, and one for travel details.
suitable writing tone
The letter maintains a polite and respectful tone throughout, which is suitable for a first communication with a host family.
task achievement
Including your arrival date and time, along with a request for transportation, is a practical and thoughtful detail.
greeting and closing
Your letter has clearly marked greeting and closing sections, helping it to read like a proper letter.

The Greeting

Depending on the style and aim of the letter, you will need to adapt your greeting.

Always start an informal letter in the ways:

  • Dear + name
  • Hi / Hello + name

‘Dear...’ is more appropriate, so stick with this.

For a formal letter there are two options for the greeting:

  • Use Dear Sir or Madam if you don’t know the name of the person you are writing to.
  • Use Dear + surname if you do know their name, e.g. Dear Mr Smith or Dear Mrs Jones.

Discover more tips in The Ultimate Guide to Get a Target Band Score of 7+ »— a book that's free for 🚀 Premium users.

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