General Writing Sample Task 1 #71

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You have seen an advertisement for a community college that needs teachers for night classes.

Write a letter to the community college. In your letter:

  • say which advertisement you are answering
  • describe which course(s) you want to teach, and what it/they would be about
  • explain why you would be a suitable teacher

Write at least 150 words.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

IELTS Tip

In this task, a prompt poses a problem or describes a situation that requires a written response in letter format. For example, you may be required to write a letter to an imaginary person such as a friend or a teacher, or it may be a formal letter to a stranger or an official. You are required to use informal, semi-formal or formal writing styles. The style you choose will depend on your relationship to the target reader. Bullet points in the task instructions outline what should be included in the letter.

The task requires you to:

• respond appropriately to a task
• show familiarity with letter-writing styles,
• include the information highlighted in the bullet points
• use appropriate and accurate language

Sample Band 9 answer

I am writing to City Evening College in reference to an advertisement I saw in The Vancouver Sun on May 14th for language teachers at your college.

I am interested in teaching Korean and Korean Cookery. I have seen that your guide for last term does not include these courses, but I understand there are now large numbers of second and third-generation Koreans living in this part of the city who may be keen to learn more about their language and culture.

I have a Bachelor of Science degree and a teaching diploma. I hold special qualifications in language teaching and cookery. I was a science teacher in Korea, but moved to San Francisco in 2010. There, I taught Korean for Beginners and Korean Cookery at two community colleges. The language course assumed students had no prior knowledge of Korean. It gave them simple everyday language, as well as recognition of the alphabet. The cookery course focused on easy meal preparation and the art of pickling, or kim chi.

In Vancouver, I could teach the same courses as previously, or we could devise new ones, depending on what the college considered its market to be.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Kim Stevenson

(206 words)


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