Sample response & feedback

Letter Advising a Friend About a University Course

Question

View question5 sample responses · Bands 7.0–8.0

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 …………………… ,

Annotated response

15 correction notes

Dear Victor, Hope this letter finds you . to thank you for trusting me with such an important matter. So, here is what in response to your queries about the Pharmacy course at Monash University. I understand that you also want to pursue in Pharmacy from . , pharmacy is not an easy subject since it involves very complex techniques and and dispensing medicines or drugs, . Students will learn how different types of drugs affect the human body and mind and how they interact when mixed together.

Of course, the good thing is that has some of the best pharmacy syllabuses, faculty members and laboratory facilities to teach you just what you need to succeed. So, just visit the university website at www.monash.edu to learn more about how to apply online, or just call the admission officer to ask him or her to send you the admission form and other necessary papers in the mail, if you want to proceed further. Take care. See you soon. Warm wishes,

Mitchel

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 7.0

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.

IELTS criteria

How each score was decided

TA Task Achievement

7.0

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.

CC Coherence and Cohesion

7.0

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.

LR Lexical Resource

7.0

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.

GRA Grammatical Range and Accuracy

6.5

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.

More responses with feedback

View all 5 responses (7.0–8.0)