Use the greeting, sign-off and paragraph plan below for this informal letter, write it on a 20-minute timer, then compare it with a band-8 model letter.
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
You went on holiday with a friend who recommended a hotel, but it turned out to be noisy and dirty.
Write a letter to your friend. In your letter
Write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Ahmed,
GoPrep wrote this practice question in the style of the exam. It is not an official IELTS question.
A letter to a friend ends warmly, for example Best wishes or Love, followed by your first name.
Spend the first few minutes planning, then write.
0 words of 150 minimum
Your answer stays on this page only. Copy it before you leave.
Write your own answer first, then compare: how it answers the exact question, what each paragraph does, and which phrases you could borrow.
Dear Ahmed,
I hope you're well. I wanted to tell you about our holiday, because I think you ought to know what the hotel you recommended was actually like.
I'm afraid it wasn't good at all. Our room looked out onto a main road, and the traffic was loud from early morning until late at night. There was also a bar downstairs that played music until 2 am. The bathroom had mould on the ceiling, and we found cockroaches on the second day.
It really spoiled the trip. We hardly slept, so we were exhausted and irritable,, and the staff weren't interested in our problems. In the end, we moved to a different hotel, which cost us an extra 200 euros.
I know you stayed there a few years ago and enjoyed it, so I'm sure it has simply got worse. I think you should write a review so other people know what to expect, and maybe tell your friends not to book it.
Take care,
Karim
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| I have to be honest, | introduce a frank opinion |
| I was really annoyed when | say you were upset |
| I can't believe that | express surprise or anger |
| Can you do something about it? | ask a friend to help |
| Anyway, I just needed to get this off my chest. | say you wanted to share a worry |
Answer random Part 1, 2 and 3 questions on an exam timer.
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Compare an IELTS band with TOEFL, Duolingo and PTE scores and CEFR levels.
Look up the IELTS score a university asks for, with the source.