WRITING FOR

IELTS
Session two
 A letter:
1. A letter of request
2. A letter of condolence
3. A letter of appreciation
4. A letter of advice, feedback or suggestion
General 5. A letter of apology

Writing: 6. A letter of complaint

Max 20 mins
Task 1 At least 150 words.
33% of your total writing mark
Letter: informal
A pet belonging to a friend of yours recently passed away.
Write a letter to console your friend. In your letter include:
your condolences
what kind of animal it was
something you think will raise your friend’s spirits
Letter: informal
Dear Mary,
I'd like to express my deepest condolences to you and your family
at this time. I'm so grieved by this loss and hope this letter offers you
some comfort.
I want to share with you some fond memories I have of your dog, Misty.
I recall first meeting him in the park and being struck by how obedient
he was and how warmly he acted towards strangers. I know how protective
he was of your family and how gently he treated your children. You
should feel proud of the manner and temperament you bestowed upon
him through your training.
I hope the memories I have narrated above bring some comfort to you
and your family. Misty was a great dog, and I do not believe any of us will
ever forget him, nor the happiness he brought to all of those around him.
Your friend always,
Ryan
Letter: formal

You were recently impressed by a staff member at a store.

Write a letter describing your appreciation. In your letter
include:
what the situation was
how you were helped
what you are going to do as a result of this good
experience
Letter: structure
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to you to express my appreciation for the extra effort
exhibited by one of your staff. Their attention to my needs improved my
experience with your company tremendously. Allow me to elaborate on
what happened.
Basically, after boarding BrightAir flight BA10X2, I realized I had left
one of my carry-on bags in the terminal. As our plane was still at the
gate, I notified flight attendant Cathy Burke. Ms. Burke immediately
dashed off the plane to retrieve my lost luggage. I was astonished and
pleasantly surprised by her concern for my well-being, and I wanted to
let you know that she is a member of your team who makes a difference
to your customers.
I hope my letter highlights to you the heightened people skills Ms. Burke
brings to your organization. Because of her actions, I will surely fly your
airline again and recommend it to all of my friends.
Faithfully yours,
Ryan Smith
Letter: structure
1. The salutation
a. To whom it may concern,
b. Dear Sir or Madam,
c. Dear Mr. ..../ Dear Ms. ...(Surname)
2. The statement of purpose
3. The situational details
4. The statement of request
a. Looking forward to hearing back from you,
b. Thank you for your assistance in this matter in
advance,
5. The farewell
Letter: structure
1. The salutation
a. To whom it may concern,
b. Dear Sir or Madam,
c. Dear Mr. ..../ Dear Ms. ...(Surname)
2. The statement of purpose
3. The situational details
4. The statement of request
5. The farewell
a. Sincerely yours
b. Faithfully yours
Letter: structure
1. The salutation
2. The statement of purpose
a. I am writing this letter to you ...
b. I am writing to…
c. I am contacting you with regard to/ regarding…
d. I am writing on behalf of…
e. I am writing you in response to your invitation, with
the reference to your proposal
f. I am writing to inquire about
3. The situational details
4. The statement of request
5. The farewell
Letter: structure
1. The salutation
2. The statement of purpose
3. The situational details
4. The statement of request
a. Apology:
i. I apologize for any inconvenience this might have caused
ii. I am terribly sorry, but I am afraid that
iii. I must apologize about
iv. Please accept my apologies with regard to
v. I would like to apologize for
vi. Please accept my sincere apologies
5. The farewell
Letter: structure
1. The salutation
2. The statement of purpose
3. The situational details
4. The statement of request
a. Request:
i. Could you please
ii. Could you possibly
iii. I would be grateful if you
iv. I would truly appreciate it if you...(past)
v. Would it be possible to
vi. I wonder if you could/ I was wondering if you...
vii. Would you be kind enough to
5. The farewell
Letter: structure
1. The salutation
2. The statement of purpose
3. The situational details
4. The statement of request
a. Complaint:
i. I believe something should be done about
ii. I must complain about
iii. I can not resist myself to inform you that
iv. I am very much dissatisfied with
v. I'm writing to express my dissatisfaction about/with
vi. I'm writing to express my annoyance with
vii. ..........was very disappointing.
viii. .......... was utterly displeasing
Letter: structure
1. The salutation
2. The statement of purpose
3. The situational details
4. The statement of request
a. Complaint:
i. Perhaps we could
ii. Perhaps you can
iii. I would like to suggest that
iv. May I suggest that
v. Could you please
vi. I would highly appreciate it if you
vii. Perhaps it would be a good idea to
5. The farewell
Letter: structure

a. Giving good news:

i. I am happy to advise you that... (formal)
ii. I am pleased to inform you that... (semi-formal)
iii. I am delighted to tell you that... (informal)
iv. I thought you might like to know that... (informal)
v. I am happy to inform you that... (semi-formal)
b. Giving bad news:
i. I regret to advise you that... (formal)
ii. I regret to inform you that... (semi-formal)
iii. I am sorry to tell you that... (informal)
iv. I am afraid I have some unpleasant news... (informal)
1.

 Structure & cohesion

While ancient sites and museums appeal to a large number of tourists, native people show little
interest in visiting these places. This essay will examine the main causes of locals’ negligence and
possible solutions to this problem.

People are divided in their opinion regarding how modern technology has improved sociable
behavior or has decreased social communication. The following essay outlines both sides of the
argument and I give my opinion.
 Structure & cohesion

To begin with, natives are not attracted by historical structures and memorials of their homeland
anymore. In other words, they have gone to visit them certainly for several times so taking a tour and
viewing this kind of places that they have seen so far, is not going to be as fascinating and exceptional
as the first time.
 Structure & cohesion

On the one hand with improvement of technology and increasing the use of the Internet people
sometimes become addicted to it and social interaction has decreased for example some young people
prefer spend their time on being in internet rather than socializing with their friends and going out with
them or shopping online and read reviews instead of hearing their friends’ opinions.

Taking everything into consideration, I have come to the conclusion that administration play crucial
role to attend senior citizens and responsible to check them in comfort zone rather than their families.
 Structure & cohesion

For examples: research has found that developed countries get obtain 80 percent of budgets from the
taxes, it means after force work retired, government are responsible about them.
 Structure & cohesion

Some possible solutions are schemes to attract people and also lowering the ticket price. The
authorities should plan some events and also try to exhibit something different. In spite of the fact that
ancient places are absolutely valuable but the government must depict them from various aspects to
catch people’s notice again. Moreover, a reasonable reduction in the fees can lead to an increase in the
number of visitors. For instance, the officials can make a rule to charge locals as half as international
tourists.
 Structure & cohesion

All in all, local residents do not enjoy seeing archaeological sites because there is nothing new to
explore, whereas the tourists fancy exploring these places, which they are not familiar with. The
government can take inhabitants’ attention back by organizing clever plans and also cutting prices.
 Structure & cohesion

The way I see it, the main problem is that these organizations suffer from a lack of creativity in
presenting their exhibitions thus, natives who are already familiar with the museums in their hometown
have nothing new and exciting to look forward to. As a result, visit rates from locals tend to decrease.
In the heart of that lies another problem which is the entry fee. Understandably, people, Especially the
ones who come from a low-income household, do not have the desire to spend money on something
they have already experienced, however there are a wide variety of ways to solve these issues.

Allocating more funding to museums and monuments in order to create more innovative and
interesting experience for visitors can be a major step. One example of that is creating a visual
narration of the history of a particular piece and how it came to be a valuable item. Another way to
attract more locals is to cut down the entry fee on certain days by holding different festivals.
 Structure & cohesion

Having the considerable strain the home for the aged put on health care system due to the heavy
expenses, it is essential the administration and the children of the old people take responsible for
spending money. There are arguments who is more in charge of pay for this care; however, we will
discuss here.

In conclusion, the elderly are entitled to receive services from both the government and families.
Mutually, the financial problems should be dealt with by administrations to a large extent rather than
taxpayers.
 Structure & cohesion

On the one hand, there are various reasons why advent of new technology is alienating people from
each other. The first and foremost reason is that technology has changed the taste of people by
providing us a wide range of facilities from sophisticated gadgets to easy to use tools.
 Punctuation

From my perspective technology has not decreased social interaction but has changed it. people
prefer to chat or do video call instead of face-to-face interaction and also introverts have more chance
to communicate.
 Grammar

For instance, I have some friends in Italy and Russia that I haven’t seen them.
 Grammar

However, when one as a tourist goes to another country or even another city in his/her country is
enthusiastic about experiencing something new.
 Grammar

For instance, if children allocate most of their leisure time to play with their toys, not only would they
attain valuable communication skills, but the feeling of their curiosity could be elevated.
 Grammar

Take children as an example, they are more likely to indulge in modern day devices rather than playing
sport in the playground with their peer group.
 Grammar

On line platform like twitter, facebook, snap chat provide the fact that there is no geographical
constrains.
 Grammar

This issue result in immorality incidents.

Even though some might believe the unfavorable effects of having such a belongings, the benefits of
these games are playing a pivotal role in developing children life skills.

One of the most effective technique to boost this age group is through introducing problem-solving
tools.

An ideal example would be stackers for toddlers which not only makes them to learn to struggle for
what they want through trial and error but also teach color recognition.
Grammar
Repetition
Cohesion
 Cohesion

To begin with, some teens may overwhelmingly be interested in collecting varieties of entertaining
tools. This action would have a detrimental role in behaviour and manner of a child. In fact, children are
not mature enough to have insight into their passion. So, this low self-awareness of them could make
their personality aggressive or encourage them to have an anti-social behaviour. For example, if a child
is having numerous toys, he might not be fulfilled with just a few numbers of such items; therefore,
having a number of amusing toys would make them greedy and they usually crave for different
entertaining devices.
 Misuse of words and
awkwardness

Consequently, their children may not be tolerate.

This essay elaborated on remarkable aspect of having innumerable playing alternatives furnishes the
environment for nurturing progression and novel ideas.

The professional designers possess repeated effort to offer up-to-date such these equipment to grab
user` s attention at anytime and anywhere.
 Misuse of words and
awkwardness

The crucial role should be designated to the government which means that they must buckle down and
get on with the point likewise through some advertisement techniques rather than only speaking about
it.
 Misuse of words and
awkwardness

The professional designers possess repeated effort to offer up-to-date such these equipment to grab
user` s attention at anytime and anywhere.
 Misuse of words and
awkwardness

However it is my firm conviction that social interaction under the influence of hi-tech devices has
improved, it failed to be neglected that technology has inverse effects in some ways.
 Task achievement

Another factor to consider is, when human come to old age, become weakness, as a result they become
vulnerable. Consequently, their children may not be tolerate. This issue result in immorality incidents.
For instance, nowadays we see growth in the rate of aggression and misbehavior against parents in
their household by child. Nevertheless, states should locate senior citizens to old people center and
rehabilitation and treatment on their own supervision.
Task achievement
Task achievement
Spelling
Word Count
 Punctuation

Being encouraged by numerous advertisements to purchase some specific products in quantity

without paying heed to quality has been accepted by more and more people. This allegation is flawed
,as far as I am concerned.
 Punctuation

The first tact to note is that ,while some people concentrate on quality ,others are concerned with price
.Likewise,advertisement designers try to stress different aspects of the product, either quality or cost
of that.
 Punctuation

In the heart of that lies another problem which is the entry fee. Understandably, people, Especially the
ones who come from a low-income household, do not have the desire to spend money on something
they have already experienced, however there are a wide variety of ways to solve these issues.
Although there are some privacy concerns, but there are applications and websites that are safe.

While elderly people used to spend time together with their children when they become old.

However it seems the family is responsible to care for them, on the one hand some peoples claim that
the state should do this.

The first and foremost reason is that technology has changed the taste of people by providing us a
wide range of facilities from sophisticated gadgets to easy to use tools.
Academic Graph (bar, line or pie graph)
Table
Writing: Chart
Task 1 Process (how something works, how
something is done)
 Types
25 50
Item 5 Item 1
20% 20%

20 40

15 30

10 20
Item 4 Item 2
20% 20%

5
10

0 Item 3
0
Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 Item 4 Item 5
Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 Item 4 Item 5 20%
 No contractions
No “I” or “you” or opinion
Always paraphrase where possible
Academic DON’T try to include everything
Writing: Writing an overview is a must
Be careful with verb tenses and chart time
Task 1 Try to write 4 paragraphs
No conclusion!
Don't repeat!
 Find the relevant features:
Look at the labels
Look at the color-coding
Academic Look at general trends
Writing: Look at the outstanding data
Task 1
 The chart below gives information about the

household percentage of spending on essential

Academic goods in China for the years 1995 and 2011

Summarise the information by selecting and

Writing: reporting the main features and make comparisons

Task 1 where relevant.

 Introduction
Paraphrase!
1-2 sentence
The two pie graphs show the percentage of money allocated to
four essential categories by the Chinese. The money spent on food,
clothing, medicine and household goods is marked as percentages
out of total expense, demonstrating expenditure in 1995 and 2011.
 Overview: Key features
Trends, High points, Low points,
differences, similarities
Overall, food and clothing remained the largest categories in
both years, whereas medicine and household goods remained
the smallest. Nonetheless, there were measurable changes in all
four categories over the years. Changes to the household
budget shares of food and medicine were particularly
noticeable.
!For mixed charts, write one sentence about each chart.
!! For process, mention the number of stages, the beginning
and ending
 Overall
...significantly outnumbers ...
... exceeds ... by a significant margin
Academic ... are relatively similar
Writing: ...increased substantially
...decreased sharply
Task 1 There is a sharp drop/ steady increase
para two Fluctuated
Tapered off
Had a consistent/ an inconsistent trajectory
 Paragraph three:
Describe data
Both of the top two categories, clothing and food, shrank
during this 16 year period. Clothing lost just 1% of its
share, increasing from 19% to 18%, while food expense
dropped more dramatically, starting at 68% but losing 9
points of share by 2011.
 Paragraph four:
Mention anomalies
In both 1995 and 2011, medicine and household goods
represented the lowest and second-lowest spending
categories, respectively. Nevertheless, both gained a
larger share of household spending in China by 2011.
Medicine jumped 7 points from 4% to 11%, while
household goods made a smaller but still-noticeable
increase from 9 to 12 percent.
 Great change / Huge difference:
Adjectives Adverbs
Overwhelming Overwhelmingly
Substantial Substantially
Academic Enormous Enormously
Significant Significantly
Writing: Considerable Considerably
Task 1 Dramatic Dramatically
Sharp Sharply
para three Marked Markedly
 Medium change / Moderate difference:
Adjectives Adverbs
Somewhat Somewhat
Academic Moderate Moderately
Minor change / Small difference:
Writing: Adjectives Adverbs
Task 1 Fractional Fractionally
Marginal Marginally
para three Slight Slightly
 After
Although/ though
As
Because
Before Account for...
Academic even if/ even though/ if/ Whether
Writing: In order that/ provided that
Once
Task 1 Rather than
Crucial Since
So that
words Unless
Until/ when/ whenever/ While
Whereas
Academic
According to the table
Writing: Based on the pie chart
Task 1
Mixed
chart
Culture & society
Cornerstone Opt for
preserve Privilege
Rituals Stereotype
Transmit Accurate representation
Social memes Contemporary culture
Altruistic behavior A diversified culture
evoke Integration
Ceremony Assimilation
Cultural norms Cultural exchange
The fabric of society National Identity
Hand down Civilization
Heritage Diversity
Folklore
Handicraft
Technology
Artifact
Practical
Be a boon to one's life
advent
Contextual cues
State of the art
Top-notch
Implement features
advances
indispensable
Tech-savvy
Breakthrough
Innovative
Computer literacy
Environment
Drought Contamination
Catastrophe Green products
Exacerbate Emission
Natural reserves pollutant
Deplete Discharge
Sustainable practices Byproduct
Eliminate Wasteland
Recycling and Upcycling Smog
Donating Landfills
Disposable Poaching
decomposable material Natural habitat
Destruction
Dwindling number
Extinction
Advertisement & Business & Media
Commercial breaks Bestseller
Celebrity endorsements Box-office hits
Prime Time Sci-fi books/films
Show adverts Low budget films
Advertising agency Special effects
Product placement Plot
Classified ads Couldn’t put it down
Brand royalty Real page-turner
Native advertisement Consume content
Portable device
Be presented with
Communicate
convey a message
Acquire information
Relationships & People
Get on really well Perceptive
Have a lot in common Analytical
Go back years Established habits
Love at first sight Established relationships
Tying the knot Fraternize
Fall head-over-heels in love Onerous
Healthy relationship A seasoned professional
Drift apart Sleep-deprived
Acquaintances Hectic
close friends Schedule
Nearest and dearest Overwhelming
Malleable Underwhelmed
Vulnerable Receive recognition
Realm of expertise Be praised
Strongsuit Admirable
Overprotective Enhanced ability
City & Travelling Metropolitan
Residential area
Adventurous
Rundown
Wildlife safari
Public transport
Holiday resorts
Inner-city
Package holidays
Boarded up
Hordes of tourists
Chain stores
Travel agents
In the suburbs
Check-in desks
On the outskirts
Charter flights
Urban
Picturesque villages
Rural
Unplug and unwind
Commute
"Money is no object"
Commercial
Wordly
Downtown

Quaint
Modern
General adjectives
Fantastic Responsible
Absurd Sentimental
Amazing Severe
Unbelievable Discreditable
Efficient Assertive
Outstanding Tempting
Stringent Tangible
Outstanding Eminent
Adventurous Indispensable
Reserved Reasonable
Organized Spontaneous
Dedicated Impeccable
Incurable Spectacular
Understanding Striking
Tolerant Substrantial
Mischievous Prevalent
Inexperienced
Generous
Synonyms:
SUBJECT– Domain, Course, Specialization, Core Discipline, Field, Major, Resource
PROBLEM – Issues, Hurdles, Troubles, Troubles, Barriers, Deterrent, Mess,
Obstacles, Roadblock
LEARN – To Study, Grasp, Acquiring, Imbibe, Gain, Explore, Enrich, Flourish, Attain
Knowledge, Extra-curriculars
LEARNERS – Students, Pupils, Scholars, Knowledge, Gainer
KNOWLEDGE – Wisdom, Intellect, Information, Skill, Resource, Mastery
FREEDOM – Liberty, Independence, Relief, Liberation, Set Free, Emancipation
IMPORTANT – Predominant, Imperative, Crucial, Pivotal, Vital, Significant, Notable,
Momentous, Remarkable, Historic, Outstanding, Fundamental, Basic, Essential
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY – Scientific Know-How, Applied Science, Automation,
Mechanization, Hi-Tech, Techie
SITUATION – Circumstance, Condition, Atmosphere, Context, Instance
CHILDREN – Tots, Kids, Ward, Pre-Teens, Blooming Buds, Adolescents,
Youngsters, Progenies, Offspring, Descendants
Less common words: Approach(n)
Attribute
Estimate
Holy grail
Melancholy
Common practice
Expose- exposure
inefficient
Embellish
Explore
Lucid
keen observation
Archaic
facilitate
Audacity
Perform- Performance
Diligent -- diligence
Advocate
Mundane
Narrative
Unprecedented
Abysmal
Extrapolate
Superior
Banish
Be warranted
Retract
Diverging/ converging evidence
Empathetic
Variance
Less common words:
Diminished returns Hinges on the fact that...
In retrospect Potentially
Disrupt Persistent
Something revolves around something Detect
Interoception Determine
Reflect- reflection Deliberate
Characterized by Opt for
provide Thoroughly
A majority of Deeply
Primary, primarily Give credit when it is due
Derive utility from Convenient
Crucial
Simultaneously