IELTS General Training Writing Practice Test 11

Write your own response before opening this example. This is a sample from the book, not a score or assessment of your writing.

Dear Mrs Okonedo,

I hope you are well. Last weekend, I met Daniel Reyes, who was in my class at Hillview School, and he told me that you will be retiring at the end of the year. I wanted to write and thank you before you leave.

I still remember your geography lessons very clearly, even though it is now twelve years since I sat in your classroom. You never simply asked us to copy notes from the board. Instead, you brought in maps, rocks and old photographs, and you took us on that unforgettable field trip to the coast, where we measured the waves in the pouring rain. Most of all, I remember how patient you were with students like me who found the subject difficult at first. You made me believe that I could do well, and I eventually chose geography as one of my final exam subjects.

You may be pleased to hear that I am now working as a planner for the city council, helping to design new cycle routes and parks. I often think that my interest in how places work began in your classroom.

I hope you have a long and happy retirement, and perhaps some time to travel to the places you used to tell us about.

With best wishes,

Leila Haddad

Commentary

• TA: All three bullet points are covered fully: how the writer heard the news (meeting a former classmate), specific memories of the lessons, and the writer's current job, which is linked back to the teacher. The tone is warm but respectful, which suits a letter to a former teacher.
• CC: The letter is well organised, with one paragraph for each bullet point and a suitable opening and closing. Ideas within paragraphs are linked smoothly ("Instead", "Most of all", "eventually").
• LR: Natural, precise vocabulary for the situation ("unforgettable field trip", "in the pouring rain", "final exam subjects", "a long and happy retirement").
• GRA: A good range of tenses (present, past simple, future) and complex sentences, including relative clauses ("students like me who found the subject difficult") and a reported statement ("he told me that you will be retiring").

Write your own response before opening this example. This is a sample from the book, not a score or assessment of your writing.

In many countries, shops are now open seven days a week, and some supermarkets never close at all. It has been suggested that all shops should close for one day each week to give their staff a regular day of rest. Although I understand the reasons for this idea, I largely disagree with it.

It is true that shop workers deserve proper rest and time with their families. Many of them are on low wages, and some feel unable to refuse when they are asked to work at weekends. A fixed closing day would guarantee that everyone in the retail sector had at least one day off a week, and it might also give communities a quieter day when families and friends could spend time together.

However, a full day's closure is a blunt way to give staff a rest. Consider a small food shop near a railway station. Even if it closed on its quietest weekday, some shift workers would lose their only convenient chance to buy groceries on their way home. In addition, the rule would reduce the income of businesses, especially small shops that are already struggling to compete with online sellers, which would of course remain open. This could even result in job losses for the very workers the law was intended to protect.

In my view, a better way to protect shop workers would be to strengthen their rights. A shop could stay open while a rota gives each employee a predictable day off, with colleagues who prefer that shift covering it. The benefit for families, however, depends on staff knowing the rota well in advance and being able to rely on it, so employers should be required to publish rotas several weeks ahead.

In conclusion, while shop workers' wellbeing is important, I do not believe that forcing every shop to close for a day is the right solution. Better employment rights would protect workers without harming customers or businesses.

Commentary

• TR: A clear position ("I largely disagree") is given in the introduction and maintained throughout. The writer fairly acknowledges the arguments for the idea, then uses a concrete example (a station food shop and shift workers) to weigh reliable rest for workers against access for customers. The objection applies whichever day a shop closes. An alternative (a reliable rota) is proposed and restated in the conclusion.
• CC: Logical paragraphing, with a clear central idea in each body paragraph. Linking devices ("However", "In addition", "In my view") are used appropriately, and referencing is accurate ("this idea", "the rule", "the very workers").
• LR: Precise topic vocabulary ("the retail sector", "low wages", "serious inconvenience", "job losses", "strengthen their rights", "wellbeing").
• GRA: A wide range of complex structures, including conditionals ("A fixed closing day would guarantee..."), relative clauses ("small shops that are already struggling"), passives ("could be required to"), and a "while" contrast clause.