You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
You are planning to take a vacation. Write a letter to a friend.
In your letter:
- describe the vacation spot you have chosen
- explain how you plan to spend your time there
- invite your friend to join you on your vacation
Write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear _____________
The invitation letter is a common Task 1 in the General Training Writing test. When it is directed to a family member or friend, which is generally the case, you should write in a more informal tone, and full grammatically complete sentences are not always required (as they would be in the Task 2 essay). You can see an example of this in the very first structure where there is no subject (in this case it would be I). Note too, the other features of informal writing such as contractions (I’m, didn’t, it’d, Let’s), a coordinating conjunction (But) to begin a sentence, and the exclamation mark exhorting the friend to act at the end of the letter.
Nevertheless, the writer still shows the examiner a good range of grammar structures, including longer compound sentences, and two complex forms in the second part of the first paragraph. See too how there are passive forms (was built, is …known) in the second and third paragraphs.
The letter covers all three bullet points in order. Although paragraphing in T1 is not critical as it is in T2, the separation of the points into distinct paragraphs aids the reader in progressing through the text.
Mock IELTS WT1 answer
Dear Marcus,
Hope this finds you well. I’m excited to say that I’m going on holiday to Thailand on the 1st of next month. As you know, I was there briefly a while back, but because it was a working trip, I didn’t have much free time to see any of the sights. Now, I’ll have more time, which means I can look around and have some fun.
I’ll start by seeing the sights in Bangkok but plan then to head out west a bit to Kanchanaburi. This is where the infamous Death Railway of World War 2 was built by prisoners of war, so there are several historical sites to see, including the famous railway Bridge over the River Kwai where trains still run every day.
But Kanchanburi province is also well known for its national parks and natural attractions such as caves and waterfalls, and so it has a lot more to offer besides history.
You said you had some vacation time due soon, so why not come with me for the two weeks? It’d be even more fun together. We both like kayaking, so imagine how great it would be to take a trip down the River Kwai in this way.
Looking forward to hearing from you. Let’s do it!
Best wishes,
Mike
[214 words. The salutation to begin the letter does not form part of the word count since this is given to you in the question itself.]
How to Continue Your IELTS Study
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