You Celebrated Your Birthday Last Week in a Restaurant - IELTS Writing Task 1 Formal Letter

The IELTS Writing Task 1 Formal Letter topic, ‘You Celebrated Your Birthday Last Week in a Restaurant’, needs to have a proper tone and be well organized within a time limit of 20 minutes. In this task, you need to discuss a good experience and show gratitude while maintaining a polite and professional tone. In this way, you will be able to write letters of appreciation, feedback, complaints, requests, and recommendations to the organizations or service providers with ease. By practicing with such realistic situations and analyzing the sample answers, you get an opportunity to learn how to structure your answer logically, connect ideas, and maintain a formal tone. With consistent practice for the IELTS Writing sections, you can improve both Task Achievement and Coherence and Cohesion band scores while writing coherently and confidently within 20 minutes.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in IELTS Writing Task 1 Formal Letter ‘You Celebrated Your Birthday Last Week in a Restaurant’

While the formal letter to a restaurant may seem easy to attempt, you might come across a few common mistakes which can affect your band scores. Due to this, it is necessary for you to be aware of the strategies on How to Write a Formal Letter while getting familiar with the errors which you need to avoid. Remember that you will be assessed based on ability to express gratitude, keeping a formal tone while logically organizing the ideas, and including key details in a limited time frame of 20 minutes. By understanding the errors provided below, you will be able to write more precisely, coherently, and confidently.

1. Using informal tone

• This lowers accuracy in tone which directly affects the parameter of task achievement.
• Try to use polite and professional language
• Do not include any casual expressions in the answer.

2. Not mentioning the purpose of the letter

• It creates confusion due to the missing parts of the task and resulting in poor performance.
• In the opening paragraph, you should clearly mention the reason for writing.

3. Including non-relevant details

• It disrupts the flow of ideas which would affect your logical arrangement of such ideas.
• Including only those that are directly related to the restaurant experience can elevate the quality of your answers.
• Divide the letter into distinct paragraphs with one idea each.

4. Overusing emotional language

• Using emotional aspects can make the letter sound informal or unnatural.
• Appreciation should be expressed politely and with objectivity.

5. Grammatical and spelling mistakes

• Such errors can reduce your accuracy and clarity.
• Reserve some time to check for mistakes of the basics in IELTS Grammar.
• Always make a brief plan and try to complete the task within 20 minutes.

Question - IELTS Writing Task 1 Formal Letter ‘You Celebrated Your Birthday Last Week in a Restaurant’

Sample Answer 1 on ‘You Celebrated Your Birthday Last Week in a Restaurant’

Dear sir/mam,

I am writing this letter to express my gratitude and contentment over the birthday event that I organized in your restaurant. My birthday is one of the most important occasions in my life that I expectantly wait for. I try to make it better year after year, and I am glad that I chose you this year.

All of my friends and family members were extremely elated with the arrangements made at your end, and it was the best party I have ever thrown on my birthday to this date. We loved the exquisite cuisines and especially, the thukpa, which I know you are proficient at. The ebullient atmosphere, zesty music and above all, the impeccable service of your staff was laudable.

However, I entreat you to have a variety in the beverages as that would add to your glory. Apart from that, thanks a lot for making it worth our while.

Yours faithfully,

Prakhar Panchbhaiya

Sample Answer 2 on ‘You Celebrated Your Birthday Last Week in a Restaurant’

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am highly appreciative of your restaurant for the stellar service we received during my birthday party last week. We were pleased with the entire experience and the heartfelt arrangements.

The dishes were delectable and the assortment offered were succulent. The service was swift and polite, with the employees constantly making sure that we were comfortable. I admire the professionalism of the staff which was a factor that added to our pleasant experience.

Besides, the restaurant's atmosphere was a hospitable and calm place. The soothing ambiance made the place just right for the celebration of a great event. Even though the experience was unforgettable, there are two areas that could make the process even more enjoyable. One of which was introducing a reservation confirmation text and the other one was faster service time during peak hours.

I appreciate your contributions and would recommend your restaurant to others as well. I would love to come back soon.

Yours Faithfully,

Nadia Saraf

Vocabulary on ‘You Celebrated Your Birthday Last Week in a Restaurant’

• Contentment 

Meaning – A feeling of inner peace and satisfaction
Example – The achievement of her long-term goals gave her a very strong feeling of contentment.

• Elated

Meaning – Extremely happy
Example – He felt elated when he got the good news about his promotion from his boss.

• Ebullient

Meaning – Cheerful and full of energy
Example – The whole team found strength from her ebullient nature.

• Laudable

Meaning – Activities which have been respected
Example – The waste reduction strategies initiated by the company was laudable.

• Entreat

Meaning – To plead
Example – The locals tried to entreat the government regarding the safety arrangements needed.

• Stellar

Meaning – Highest quality
Example – Her presentation was so stellar that none of us can forget it. 

• Delectable

Meaning – Extremely delicious
Example – Desserts are the most popular and delectable item in this restaurant. 

• Succulent 

Meaning – Food which is juicy, tender, and has a lot of flavour
Example – As soon as they arrived, a succulent grilled chicken dish was served by the chef.

Getting a high band score in the IELTS Exam is determined by the use of the correct tone, logical structure, and all the required details which are relevant to the topic. Remember that you will be assessed based on your ability to communicate clearly, with the appropriate tone, and in a professional context. Analyze the sample answers to improve coherence, task achievement, and grammatical accuracy for getting closer to a band 8+.

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