Letter Advising a Friend About a University Course

A friend of yours is thinking about applying for the same course that you did at university. He/She has asked for your advice about studying this subject.

Write a letter to your friend. In your letter

give details of the course you took at the university

explain why you recommend the university

give some advice about how to apply

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear …………………… ,

5 sample answers, estimated Band 7.0–8.0. Your turn?

Write it first, then read the sample answers and reviews below. You'll see the gap at once.

  • Question ready
  • 20-minute exam timer
  • Results in about 20 seconds
  • 1 free preview a week

From essays on this question

Letter points: Letter Advising a Friend About a University Course

WhyThis is anInformal letter — it asks you to cover every bullet point in a friendly tone.

SoWe group the points under each bullet point of the task.

Give details of the course you took at the university

9 points

Explain why you recommend the university

6 points

Give some advice about how to apply

6 points

Same question · Different responses

Sample responses and feedback

Response 01

Must fixSuggested

Answer · 208 words · 3 paragraphs · 15 comments

Score details

Response 01
Estimated band7.0/ 9

Overall assessment

The letter covers all three bullet points in a friendly, appropriate register and provides concrete detail, such as the website and application routes. Its main limitation is uneven language control, with awkward phrasing and slightly mechanical linking that occasionally distract from an otherwise clear message.

TA

Task Achievement

The letter clearly addresses all three prompt bullets, describing the Pharmacy course, explaining the university's strengths, and giving practical application advice in a suitable informal tone.

7.0
CC

Coherence and Cohesion

Ideas are organised in a logical order matching the bullets, though some transitions like 'By the way' and 'Of course' feel mechanical and the paragraphing could be cleaner.

7.0
LR

Lexical Resource

Vocabulary is generally adequate and appropriately informal with some topic-specific terms like 'dispensing medicines', but imprecise choices such as 'best pharmacy syllabuses' limit flexibility.

7.0
GRA

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

A range of structures is attempted, but the awkward ordering of 'I sure also would like', the degree-name form and relative-clause punctuation reduce accuracy. Some very long sentences also make the advice less easy to follow.

6.5

What to work on next

Polish sentence construction and transitional phrasing so ideas flow more naturally while keeping the friendly tone.

From essays on this question

Useful vocabulary: Letter Advising a Friend About a University Course

From essays on this question

Sentence patterns: Letter Advising a Friend About a University Course

Practise this question

Write your response

Task 1 General question loaded.
Part 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. Write at least 150 words.

Words: 020:00 starts on first word