Letter

Band 6+: You recently received a gift from your friend for your birthday. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: • Thank them for the gift • Explain why you liked it • Tell them how you plan to use it

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Dear John,

Is everything going well? It has been a while since we last spoke.

I just received the present given from you. It was such a big box! My building manager even reminded me that picking it up quickly, the guardhouse is too small to keep it.

Anyway, I was so surprised that you sent the birthday gift for me, it has been such a long time since I got a birthday gift. The box was so huge, but weight was light. I opened it with excitement , and found it was a cat shaped of body pillow!

I was so touched, you knew that I was pretty depressed for a long time since my cat was passed away last year, and the gift was meaningful for me. I think I will sleep with the pillow every night, I can sleep much better with the pillow.

I will always remember this gift, you are so thoughtful, even we are in different countries, I can still feel your concern. We should arrange some time to catch up. I can’t wait to hear your latest update.

That’s all for now, thanks your gift so much! Hope to hear from you soon.

Best regards,

David.

Word Count: 203

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Overall Band Score

(+/- 0.5)

Vocabulary Complexity:
A1 - Beginner
Aim to use more advanced language.

Grammar Mistakes: N/A

Vocabulary Repetition:

since: 3

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Task Response

The letter effectively addresses all three bullet points: it thanks the friend, describes the gift (a cat-shaped body pillow) and its use, and explains why it is special (reminds them of their late cat and provides comfort). The tone is warm and appropriate for a personal letter. There are minor lapses in grammar and word choice (e.g., 'given from you', 'picking it up quickly', 'thanks your gift'), but these do not detract from overall clarity or task achievement. To improve, refine sentence structures and proofread for small errors.

Coherence & Cohesion

The letter is generally easy to follow, and the ideas are presented in a logical order: opening, thanks, description, and explanation of significance. However, there are some abrupt transitions and a few sentences that could be more smoothly connected. For example, the shift from the building manager's comment to the surprise about the gift feels a bit disjointed. The paragraphing is adequate, but the second paragraph is quite long and could be split to improve clarity. To enhance coherence, consider using more linking words and phrases (e.g., 'In addition', 'Moreover', 'As a result') and ensure each paragraph has a clear central idea.

Lexical Resource

The letter uses a reasonable range of vocabulary, with some good attempts at descriptive language (e.g., 'cat shaped of body pillow', 'meaningful', 'thoughtful'). However, there are some awkward and unnatural phrases, such as 'picking it up quickly' and 'the guardhouse is too small to keep it', which could be rephrased more naturally. Also, 'cat shaped of body pillow' is not idiomatic; it would be better as 'a body pillow shaped like a cat'. To improve, aim for more precise and natural word choices, and avoid direct translations from your native language. Expanding your vocabulary for expressing emotions and describing objects would also be beneficial. Boost vocabulary complexity to elevate the overall score.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

The letter contains several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings that affect clarity. For example, 'the present given from you' should be 'the present you gave me'; 'picking it up quickly' is missing a subject and should be 'to pick it up quickly'; 'it has been such a long time since I got a birthday gift' is acceptable but could be more natural as 'it has been a long time since I received a birthday gift'; 'my cat was passed away' should be 'my cat passed away'; 'thanks your gift' should be 'thanks for your gift'. There are also punctuation issues, such as a missing comma after 'excitement' and an unnecessary space before the comma. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct use of prepositions, and sentence structure. Reading more English texts and practicing writing with attention to grammar will help.

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Band 6+: You recently received a gift from your friend for your birthday. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: • Thank them for the gift • Explain why you liked it • Tell them how you plan to use it

Check Your Answer On This Topic?

Generate A Band-9 Sample Answer?

Overall Band Score

Task Response

Coherence & Cohesion

Lexical Resource

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

Answers On The Same Topic:

You recently received a gift from your friend for your birthday. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: • Thank them for the gift • Explain why you liked it • Tell them how you plan to use it

You recently received a gift from your friend for your birthday. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: • Thank them for the gift • Explain why you liked it • Tell them how you plan to use it

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You missed your friend's engagement party due to an emergency. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: apologise and explain why you couldn't come; mention how you felt about missing it; offer to meet soon or make it up.

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Generate A Band-9 Sample Answer?

Overall Band Score

Task Response

Coherence & Cohesion

Lexical Resource

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

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