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TASK 1 (General)
When the IELTS marker looks at a Task 1 answer, he or she has three basic questions in mind:
DEMONSTRATION - QUESTION
Sample Question 1
The course director of your previous college has invited you to attend a party for new students, and he has also asked you to give a talk about studying overseas. You have an important examination on the same day so you cannot attend the party.
Write to the director to apologize and to explain why you cannot attend. Suggest another date when you could give your talk.
HOW TO ANSWER
STEP 1 - ANALYZE THE QUESTION
What is the topic?
Find out by underlining the key words in the question.
The course director of your previous college has invited you to attend a party for new students, and he has also asked you to give a talk about studying overseas. You have an important examination on the following day so you cannot attend the party.
You have been invited to go to a party and give a talk, but you cannot go to the party.
To whom am I writing?
The letter is to the course director of your old college. Although you know him it is unlikely that you know him very well. The style of the letter should in this instance be formal or semi-formal.
What is you purpose in writing the letter?
Write to the director to apologize and to explain why you cannot attend. Suggest another date when you could give your talk or some other solution.
You can see that you are given three things to do:
STEP 2 - MAKE NOTES OF IDEAS
Make a brief not of any ideas which you might use in your answer, In the following box, the student has written some notes. On the right side is an explanationof what these notes mean.
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thanks saw friends imp. exam date fixed new coll. family well all well there? party details? hope success sorry will talk about ... first time
can come ... my tel.
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thank the director for the invitation say that you saw some college friends last week explain why the exam is important explain why the date of the exam cannot be changed talk about your new college talk about your family ask how everyone is at the old college ask for details of the party say that you hope the party is a success say you can't come to the party is a success explain what you will say in your talk about studying overseas explain it is the first time you have ever been asked to give a talk like this say when you can come tell the director how to contact you |
STEP 3 - MAKE A PLAN
Decide which of these ideas you will definitely use in the letter. Organize them. The notes from step 2 are on the left side below. In the box on the right there is a sample plan which is based on the notes. Each black dot represents a separate paragraph. Notice that not all of the ideas have been used.
STEP 4 - WRITE THE LETTER
Follow the plan.
STEP 5 - CHECK FOR MISTAKES
DEMONSTRATION - LETTER
ANALYSIS AND PRACTICE
STEP 1 - ANALYSE THE QUESTION
When analyzing the question, you want to know:
· What is the situation or topic?
· Who is the addressee? In other words, to whom is the letter addressed? (This determines how formal the letter should be.)
· What is the purpose of writing the letter? (e.g. to request, to complain, to suggest?)
Task 1 questions are usually in two parts. The first part describes the situation or topic. The second part tells you to whom your letter should be addressed and gives you a task (or purpose).
The best way to identify these pieces of information is to underline the key words as you read carefully through the question. (Remember you are allowed to write on the question sheet.) Look again at the sample underlining in Step 1 in the Demonstration answer.