A friend you met last year has invited you to visit him/her in his/her country. You have never been there before and need some information before you leave. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: request advise about a gift for his/her family ask about activities and clothing in his/her country find out about the food.

Dear Pat, I hope you’re doing well!

I’m

Use synonyms

writing to let you know that I’ve

finally

Linking Words

booked my flight to Tirana, and

I’m

Use synonyms

so excited to visit you in your hometown. My flight is scheduled for the 25th of next month, which gives me plenty of time to get

organized

Change the spelling

organised

show examples

I’m

Use synonyms

going to need a bit of advice before I head out.

For instance

Linking Words

, is there anything special your mom has been interested in lately? I’d love to bring her a gift from here.

Also

Linking Words

, could you let me know what kind of activities we’ll be doing? I want to make sure I pack the appropriate clothing.

Last

Linking Words

but not least, since

I’m

Use synonyms

vegan, I was wondering if restaurants there generally offer vegan-friendly options? I can’t wait to see you and discover your lovely country! Cheers, Nataly

Nihadlakkioui.504

Mar 25, 2026

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task response

Ask a bit more about food. You ask about vegan food in restaurants, but you can also ask what food people eat at home.

task response

Write a little more about clothes. You ask about activities and clothes, but one more line can make this part more full.

coherence and cohesion

Your letter is easy to follow. To make it even better, add one more linking word like also or so.

coherence and cohesion

Each part is clear, but the last body part has two ideas. You can put food in a new paragraph.

task response

You answer all parts of the task.

task response

Your tone is warm and right for a friend.

coherence and cohesion

The letter has a clear start, middle, and end.

coherence and cohesion

The greeting and closing are good and natural.

Word Count

IELTS says that you should write a minimum of 150 words in writing task 1. If you go under word count you will lose marks in task response.

A very long letter will not give you a higher band score.

Aim for between 160 to 190 words in writing task 1. This will ensure a concise letter and will be realistic in terms of time management. You have only 20 minutes to write the letter and you need around 5 minutes of planning time, so you will not be able to write a long letter in 15 minutes.

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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4
Linking words
meeting the goal of 7 or more
1
Word repetition
meeting the goal of 3 or fewer
1
Grammar mistakes
detected issues

0123456789.0505

Overall Band Score

Coherence and Cohesion: 8.0

Logical structure

Single idea per paragraph

Greeting and closing

Accurate linking words

Variety in linking words

Lexical resource: 8.0

Varied vocabulary

Accurate spelling & word formation

Grammatical Range: 8.0

Mix of complex & simple sentences

Clear and correct grammar

Task Achievement: 7.0

Complete response

Suitable writing tone

Appropriate word count

7 paragraphs

137 words

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Topic Vocabulary:

gift, present, family, advice, country, visit, travel, clothes, weather, warm, light, shoes, food, meal, dish, try, spicy, sweet, family home, local place, famous place, comfortable, useful, tradition, bring, enjoy

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