A friend, who lives abroad, has invited you to come and stay with him/her on your next holiday. You are too busy to accept the invitation. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: thank him/her for the invitation explain why you cannot come give him/her other news.

Dear Tim, How are you? I hope you have been doing well since our

last

Linking Words

trip together visiting London. Thank you for inviting me to spend the Christmas holidays at your place. But, it would not be possible for me at all to come visit you in Scotland during the winter because of other commitments. As my brother's family has come over to stay with me in Ireland for the next few weeks, I am busy between work and entertaining them. Having them over has kept me on my toes constantly, trying to balance my work meetings and taking time off to show them the scenic spots across the country. It has been exhausting and extremely fun at the same time. As Christmas is next week, I will not be able to make it to your place, for which I am really sorry. Regarding my new job, which I had told you about earlier, it has already started

last

Linking Words

month. As you know, I was keen on working in the finance sector and,

finally

Linking Words

, I am getting to do what I was hoping for. It is really exciting working with other professionals from different countries, and early next year, I am supposed to visit the Caribbean for a month-long project. I am hoping to see you in the summer next year when I will be able to come visit you. Best Regards, Mike

anonymous

Aug 9, 2025

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clarity

Be clear at once that you cannot come. A short line helps.

structure

Try to put one idea in one paragraph. News and reasons can go in different blocks.

cohesion

Link ideas with small words like and, but, also.

tone

Keep the tone warm and polite, and be brief.

style

Warm and friendly tone.

content

All three parts of the task are in the letter.

content

Ends with a future plan to meet.

Use cohesive linking words accurately and appropriately

Linking words are very important in your essay.

To score effectively on your IELTS exam, you should make an effort to implement short concise sentences coupled with linking words.

Almost every sentence in your essay should have a linking word of some sort.

In fact, the only sentences that can omit linking words are your background sentence and thesis.

Linking word examples:

firstly
secondly
thirdly
in additional
moreover
also
for example
for instance
therefore
however
although
even though
despite

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2
Linking words
meeting the goal of 7 or more
0
Word repetition
meeting the goal of 3 or fewer
0
Grammar mistakes
detected issues

0123456789.0505

Overall Band Score

Coherence and Cohesion: 7.0

Logical structure

Single idea per paragraph

Greeting and closing

Accurate linking words

Variety in linking words

Lexical resource: 9.0

Varied vocabulary

Accurate spelling & word formation

Grammatical Range: 9.0

Mix of complex & simple sentences

Clear and correct grammar

Task Achievement: 8.0

Complete response

Suitable writing tone

Appropriate word count

8 paragraphs

233 words

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A friend, who lives abroad, has invited you to come and stay with him/her on your next holiday. You are too busy to accept the invitation. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: thank him/her for the invitation explain why you cannot come give him/her other news.

Use cohesive linking words accurately and appropriately

Some people think that young people should choose their professions themselves. Others believe that their parents should choose for them. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Some people think that animal testing for medicine and cosmetics should be banned. Others think it is necessary to guarantee human safety.

Many people work long hours, leaving very little time for leisure activities. Does this situation have more advantages or more disadvantages?

Air polution is dangerous to humans. What are the main causes of air pollution? What can be done about it?

With the rise of e books comes the decline in paper books. Some people see this as a good step forward while others do not. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this trend?