WRITING TASK 1 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. 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 advice about a gift for his/her family ask about activities and clothing in his/her country find out about the food You do NOT need to write any address. You should write at least 150 words.
Sample Essay with Corrections
Expert Feedback
The letter demonstrates several strengths, including a clear structure and a friendly tone appropriate for a personal letter. It effectively addresses all three prompts, making it engaging for the reader. However, there are critical areas for improvement, particularly in grammatical accuracy and vocabulary variety. The corrected version includes specific examples for gifts and activities, enhancing the depth of inquiry. Additionally, transitions between paragraphs have been improved for better coherence. Suggestions for further improvement include varying vocabulary related to clothing and food to avoid repetition and ensuring grammatical accuracy throughout. Overall, the tone remains warm and inviting, suitable for the context of a letter to a friend.
Detailed Scores
What this means:
The letter is generally coherent, with a logical flow of ideas. However, some transitions could be smoother. For instance, the shift from discussing gifts to clothing could benefit from a clearer linking phrase. Using cohesive devices more effectively would enhance the overall clarity.
How to improve:
- Use a clear paragraph structure
- Connect ideas with appropriate linking words
- Maintain logical progression
- Use referencing effectively
What this means:
The letter contains several grammatical errors, such as 'received your invitaton' (invitation), 'in country' (in your country), and 'preparated' (prepared). These errors affect the overall accuracy. While the meaning is clear, improving grammatical accuracy and using a wider range of sentence structures would enhance the score.
How to improve:
- Use complex sentence structures
- Maintain grammatical accuracy
- Use a variety of sentence patterns
- Check for common grammar errors
What this means:
The vocabulary used is appropriate for the context, with some good expressions like 'unique from my country' and 'must-try foods.' However, there are some repetitive phrases, such as 'clothes' and 'food,' which could be varied. Incorporating a wider range of vocabulary would improve this score.
How to improve:
- Use a wider range of vocabulary
- Demonstrate awareness of collocations
- Avoid word repetition
- Use more sophisticated vocabulary accurately
What this means:
The letter addresses all three prompts: requesting advice about a gift, asking about activities and clothing, and inquiring about food. However, the response could be improved by providing more specific questions or details, which would enhance the depth of the inquiry. For example, mentioning a specific type of gift or activity could make the letter more engaging.
How to improve:
- Address all parts of the task fully
- Support ideas with specific examples
- Develop each point thoroughly
- Stay relevant to the topic
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