IELTS General Training Writing Practice Test 7

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

Dear Anika,

I'm sure you've heard the news that Graham Ashby is retiring at the end of next month, after twenty-two years in the accounts department. Our manager has asked me to organise a farewell event for him, and I was hoping you might be able to help.

Graham has been such an important part of the team that I think we should give him a proper send-off rather than just a cake in the office. My plan is to book the function room at the Riverside Hotel on Friday 26 June, from 6.30 p.m. The hotel can provide a buffet, and I'd like to invite people from other departments as well as former colleagues who have worked with him over the years. I'm also planning to collect money for a leaving present. Since Graham loves gardening, I thought a voucher for the garden centre would be ideal.

As you've worked with Graham for longer than anyone else, I wondered whether you would be willing to give a short speech on the evening. It would also be a great help if you could contact some of the people who have left the company, as I'm sure you still have their details.

Please let me know if you can help, and whether you have any other ideas.

Best wishes,

Rhys

Commentary

• TA: All three bullet points are covered fully. The opening explains who is leaving and why the event is being organised, the second paragraph gives clear details of the plans, and the third makes two specific requests. The tone is friendly but suitable for a colleague.
• CC: The letter is well organised, with one main purpose in each paragraph. Linking is natural ("rather than just", "as well as", "Since", "It would also be a great help").
• LR: The vocabulary suits the situation ("a proper send-off", "function room", "leaving present", "former colleagues"), and polite request forms are varied ("I wondered whether you would be willing to", "It would also be a great help if").
• GRA: A good range of tenses and structures is used accurately, including the present perfect ("you've worked"), indirect questions and conditional forms.

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

In recent years, an increasing number of people have chosen to watch new films at home instead of going to the cinema. In my view, this trend has been caused mainly by changes in technology and cost, and while it has some clear benefits, I believe that on balance it is a negative development.

This change has a number of causes. The most important is the growth of streaming services, which allow viewers to watch a huge range of films for a monthly fee that is often less than the price of a single cinema ticket. Many new films now appear on these services only a few weeks after they are released, or even on the same day. At the same time, large high-quality televisions have become much cheaper, so the experience of watching at home is far better than it was twenty years ago. Convenience is another factor. Families with young children, for example, may find it difficult and expensive to arrange a trip to the cinema, while at home they can pause a film whenever they need to.

This development certainly has advantages. Watching at home is cheaper and more flexible, and it makes films accessible to people who live far from a cinema or who find it difficult to go out, such as elderly people or those with disabilities.

However, I believe that something valuable is being lost. Going to the cinema is a shared social experience: laughing or being frightened together with a room full of strangers is very different from watching alone on a sofa. In addition, if fewer people go to the cinema, many local cinemas may close, which would reduce the number of places where people in a community can meet. It could also mean that fewer ambitious films are made, since these often depend on cinema audiences to cover their high costs.

In conclusion, the move towards watching films at home is driven by cheaper streaming services, better home technology and convenience. Although it offers real benefits, I would argue that it is a negative trend overall, because it weakens an important shared cultural experience.

Commentary

• TR: Both questions are answered. The causes are explained with relevant examples, and the writer gives a clear, consistent position: the trend has benefits but is negative overall. The introduction states this position, and the conclusion confirms it.
• CC: Paragraphs are logically ordered (causes, advantages, disadvantages, conclusion), and cohesive devices are used naturally rather than mechanically ("At the same time", "Convenience is another factor", "However", "In addition").
• LR: The vocabulary is precise and idiomatic ("streaming services", "a monthly fee", "a shared social experience", "ambitious films", "cover their high costs"). There is little repetition.
• GRA: The writer uses a wide range of complex structures accurately, including relative clauses, conditionals ("if fewer people go to the cinema, many local cinemas may close") and passive forms.