IELTS General Training Writing Practice Test 6

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

Dear Sofia,

Thank you so much for the beautiful invitation, which arrived yesterday. I was absolutely delighted to hear that you and Daniel are getting married. Congratulations to you both! I've always thought you were perfect for each other, and I'm sure you'll be very happy together.

Unfortunately, I'm afraid I won't be able to come to the wedding. As you know, I started a new job in Toronto in March, and my company is sending me to a conference in Singapore that week. I'm giving one of the main presentations, so I really can't miss it. I'm so disappointed, because I'd love to be there to see you on your big day.

I hope you'll let me make it up to you. I'm planning to come home for two weeks in September, so perhaps the three of us could go out for dinner while I'm there. I'd like to take you both to that little Italian restaurant by the harbour where we used to celebrate our birthdays. It would be my treat, of course, and you could show me all the photos.

Please send me the details of your gift list, and give my love to Daniel.

With much love,

Maya

Commentary

• TA: All three bullet points are covered fully. The congratulations are warm and personal, the reason for not attending is clear and believable, and the suggestion for a later celebration is specific (a date, a place and an activity). The purpose of the letter is clear from the opening lines.
• CC: Each paragraph deals with one bullet point, and the letter flows naturally from thanks to apology to suggestion. Linking is appropriate for an informal letter ("Unfortunately", "As you know", "so perhaps").
• LR: The tone is consistently friendly and informal, with natural expressions such as "perfect for each other", "your big day", "make it up to you" and "It would be my treat".
• GRA: A good range of structures is used accurately, including future forms ("I'm giving", "I'm planning to"), conditionals ("I'd love to be there") and "used to" for past habits.
• Possible improvements: The letter could be slightly more specific about the wedding itself, for example by mentioning the date or the place, to make the apology more personal.

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

Rising levels of obesity and other lifestyle-related illnesses have led many people to ask how governments can improve public health. Some believe that the answer is to build more sports facilities, while others argue that this alone would achieve little. In my view, sports facilities are useful, but they are only one part of the solution.

Those who support building more facilities argue that many people do not exercise because they have nowhere convenient to do so. In some areas, the nearest swimming pool or sports centre may be a long journey away, or too expensive to use. If attractive, affordable facilities were available locally, more people might take up regular exercise, and children in particular would benefit from having safe places to play sport. In my own town, for example, the opening of a new outdoor gym in the park has been very popular with teenagers.

However, there are strong reasons to doubt that facilities alone would make a major difference. Many of the people whose health is most at risk are those who are least likely to use a sports centre, perhaps because they work long hours, lack confidence or simply do not enjoy sport. In addition, diet is at least as important as exercise. A new gym is unlikely to help someone whose meals consist mainly of processed food and sugary drinks. For this reason, other measures, such as taxes on unhealthy food, clearer food labelling and health education in schools, are also needed.

In my opinion, the most effective approach is to make healthy choices part of everyday life. Cities could be designed so that walking and cycling are safer and easier than driving, and workplaces could encourage staff to be more active during the day. Sports facilities have a role to play, but they should be combined with these wider changes.

In conclusion, while building more sports facilities can encourage some people to exercise, it cannot by itself solve the problem of poor public health. A wider range of measures, focusing on diet and daily habits as well as sport, is likely to be far more successful.

Commentary

• TR: Both views are discussed in detail, and the writer's own opinion is clear in the introduction, developed in a separate paragraph and restated in the conclusion. Ideas are relevant and supported with explanations and a personal example.
• CC: The essay is well organised, with a clear progression from one view, to the other view, to the writer's own position. Cohesive devices are used accurately and without overuse ("However", "In addition", "For this reason", "In my opinion").
• LR: The vocabulary is varied and precise ("lifestyle-related illnesses", "take up regular exercise", "processed food", "make healthy choices part of everyday life").
• GRA: A wide range of structures is used flexibly and accurately, including second conditionals ("If attractive, affordable facilities were available…"), relative clauses and passive forms.
• Possible improvements: The paragraph on the writer's own opinion could include a brief example of a city or workplace scheme to make the argument more concrete.