Sample response & feedback

Advice to a Friend on a First Camping Holiday

Question

View question5 sample responses · Bands 7.0–8.0

A friend of yours is thinking of going on a camping holiday for the first time this summer. He/She has asked for your advice. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter explain why you think your friend would enjoy a camping holiday describe some possible disadvantages say whether you would like to go camping with your friend this summer You do NOT need to write any addresses. Begin your letter as follows: Dear …………………… ,

Annotated response

11 correction notes

Dear Reggie, It is great to know that you're intending to go for a camping holiday in the coming summer, and also thank you for . I think you should take the opportunity and make it this summer. I think that you should from my past camping experience, I can say that you'll quite enjoy it. After all, this camping holiday will offer you the opportunity to take a long walk in the wilderness and . You can also go to a nearby lake for fishing or swimming which you have always wanted to do. But, the best thing about this camping holiday will be that it'll actually improve your mood and rejuvenate you like nothing else.

Having said that, there are some disadvantages of as well, such as sharing bathrooms with other people at the campsite, bad weather, and dealing with bug bites and dangerous animals. Anyway, to go camping with you this summer, but since my cousin is visiting me from abroad this summer, I'll have to give up on that idea. Take care and . Warm wishes, Carlos

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 7.0

The letter covers all three bullet points in a friendly tone, giving personal reasons for recommending camping and a clear explanation of why the writer cannot join. Its main weaknesses are awkward expressions, a missing article, and repetition before the concrete advice begins. Clearer paragraph divisions and a developed example of a disadvantage would make the advice easier to follow.

IELTS criteria

How each score was decided

TA Task Achievement

7.0

The letter covers all three bullet points from the prompt with a clear purpose, consistent friendly register, and developed relevant detail such as fishing, swimming, and the cousin's visit.

CC Coherence and Cohesion

7.0

The required points follow a logical order, but consecutive “I think” recommendations repeat the same message. The long opening block and the combination of disadvantages, the decision about joining, and the farewell would benefit from clearer paragraph divisions.

LR Lexical Resource

7.0

Vocabulary is reasonably varied and natural for the topic, including 'rejuvenate', 'wilderness', and 'bug bites', with only minor awkward collocations such as 'take me into confidence'.

GRA Grammatical Range and Accuracy

6.5

The letter uses relative clauses and complex sentences with generally clear control. The missing article in “such camping holiday” is an identifiable error; “would have loved” can legitimately express regret about a future plan that is no longer possible.

More responses with feedback

View all 5 responses (7.0–8.0)