IELTS General Task 1: Letter Telling a Friend About Your New City

IELTS Writing Practice — AI-Powered Feedback

Writing Prompt

You have recently moved to a new city in another part of the country, and a friend has written to ask how you are settling in.

Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:

describe the city you have moved to
explain what you like and dislike about living there so far
invite your friend to come and visit you

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses. Begin your letter as follows: Dear Alex,

Show Band 8–9 model answer

Dear Alex,

It was lovely to get your message, and I’m glad you asked how things are going here. As you know, I’ve moved to Brighton on the south coast, and it already feels very different from our old town.

The city itself is vibrant and slightly chaotic, in a good way. The seafront is lined with cafés and small galleries, and there’s always some kind of street performance going on in the evenings. The old lanes, with their narrow alleyways and quirky shops, are probably my favourite part of the city.

So far, I really like the atmosphere: people seem open-minded and relaxed, and there’s a sense that something interesting is always happening. I’ve also started cycling along the promenade before work, which is a great way to clear my head. On the downside, it’s noticeably more expensive than where we were before, especially rent and eating out. It’s also quite crowded at weekends, when tourists flood in and the buses become packed.

I’d love for you to see it for yourself. Why don’t you come down for a long weekend next month? You could stay in my spare room, and we could explore the lanes, try a few local pubs, and walk along the cliffs.

Best,
Sam

Why this response works

This letter fully addresses all three bullet points, clearly describing the city, expressing balanced likes and dislikes with specific detail, and giving a natural, friendly invitation. The tone and style are consistently informal and appropriate for writing to a friend. Coherence is strong, with logical paragraphing and smooth progression of ideas. A wide range of vocabulary is used accurately and flexibly (e.g. “vibrant,” “open-minded,” “flood in”), and grammatical structures are varied with only very minor, natural L1-style choices. Overall, it models a high-level General Training Task 1 response.