GENERAL TRAINING WRITING TASK 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
You took your family to a nearby restaurant. You were disappointed with the meal and wish to complain to the manager.
Write a letter to the manager of the restaurant. In your letter,
» explain why you were at the restaurant
» describe the problems
» write about the action you want the manager to take
Write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write your own addresses.
Sample Answer
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the services I received at your restaurant.
I visited the restaurant on June 29th, 2024, with my family to celebrate my mother’s birthday. Based on recommendations from relatives and colleagues, I had high expectations, but unfortunately, our meal and the service did not meet those expectations.
We arrived at the restaurant around half past seven and had to wait an hour to be seated. Then, when we tried to place the order, the waiters were not very attentive and it took ages to place the order. We ordered Chinese food and it was served cold. The soup lacked freshness, and the prawns were undercooked. Our main course, mushroom fried rice with vegetables, was mistakenly served as fried rice with eggs. Moreover, resolving this issue took over 40 minutes, which was frustrating. When we tried to address these concerns with the head waiter, he was unresponsive and dismissive.
I hope you will take this feedback seriously and work on improving the quality of your meals and the professionalism of your staff. Addressing these issues will help ensure a better experience for future customers.
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Yours faithfully,
Mary Woods
Describe an app you use in your mobile phone. (Describe a mobile application that you use.) You should say:
what it is?
how you use it?
what benefits do you get from it?
and explain why this mobile app is important to you.
Sample Answer1:
My smart phone has many pre-installed applications in it and some that I installed and I love using them all. However, if I had to choose one, I will definitely go for WhatsApp. I think it is one of the best applications made in the history of mankind making it so easy for us to be in touch with people we care about and then it doesn’t matter where we are in the world. It is affordable, user-friendly and easily accessible. We can not only talk, send text messages, but we can share videos, audios and photos with anyone. What an amazing thing to do!
One is free to do whatever they want to. We can form groups and be connected with so many people together, it is almost like talking to so many people together and having fun. Not only for friends and family, I have even found WhatsApp very important for my workplace. It is a one step solution for sharing documents, discussions and follow-ups with clients. The best part is that we do not have to worry about the hefty bills and roaming charges.
The reason this application is very important for me is because I have a job which requires me to travel a lot and then I have got family and friends back home. It is with WhatsApp that I am able to share my whereabouts with my loved ones and the amazing life that I have.
Sample Answer2:
There are several applications that I have downloaded on my smartphone but I think the one application that is very important for me and I cannot barely live without is definitely YouTube. The best part about the application is that I can put the videos that I like in offline mode and watch them anytime I want to and even more, the videos don’t take up my phone’s memory but are stored in some server making space for more things that I can do on my phone.
I have made my account on Google using which I use the YouTube application. This application was pre-installed in my smartphone and I remember watching a lot of videos on it, before doing a video offline. It has been almost more than four years since I have been using this application whenever I need to find out something. It could be a lecture on a course that I am taking or may be a song that I want to listen. Also, almost all movies upload their trailers on this site, which can be accessed using this application. It is more like that friend you need when there is no one around.
I remember learning DBMS, a course important for my job taking from this application and doing a great job. The reason this app is so important for me is because using it I can learn so much and be updated about the social life and then get updated about the latest news or songs or everything that is happening in this world. It is so easy and yet so powerful.
Sample Answer3:
I believe we are living in the world of applications, I mean there are so many apps out there and so much that can be done. But, the one app that is very important for me is blogger. Being a blogger it is more like God for me. There used to be times when I wanted to write down things and those were the times which were haphazard and I just didn’t knew where to write. Because writing it on phone memo, meant when I am actually putting it down, I need to re type it again which took away the creativity of it.
But, with blogger it is so much more easy. I can just write down memos into it, make some drafts and then put them into proper format when I feel like or when I go down to typing in the laptop. Even better I can very easily edit any of my own posts and get to know the people visiting the blog. And for doing all of it, neither do I require any laptop nor any specific requirements. A simple smart phone and that is it.
The reason it is important for me is because, no matter the final blog I put out is from my laptop but the drafts, I make them mostly using this application. Also, it is so much more easier to do things, be creative and enjoy writing just at my fingertips.
Describe a skill that you learned from older people You should say:
What the skill is ?
Who did you learn it from ?
How did you learn it ?
And, how do you feel about it ?
Sample Answer
I think older people are well-versed in a lot of things that youngsters can learn. Today, I would like to talk about a skillthat I learned from my grandfather.
I was never into cooking before, until the day when I went to my grandparents’ house to spend my summer vacations. I can still recall, it was a dull afternoon and I was just sleeping on a couch and suddenly my grandfather called me out in the kitchen and asked me for some help there. The beautiful aroma of the food was mouth-watering, and I asked him out of excitement if he could teach me what he was cooking. He instantly said yes. He showed me the ingredients and spices used. Out of the long list that he mentioned, I vividly remember boiled chicpeas, fresh vegetables, clove, cardamom and turmeric powder etc. I helped him in chopping vegetables and garnishing the dish. It was full of fun.
Ever since then, I developed a keen interest in cooking, and, not only do I do it for myself but also love to serve others on special occasions with the handmade delicacies that I got to learn from him. I really feel that it was a jubilant experience for me to be able to not only learn this vital skill, but also I was able to spend some good quality time with him. This skill really made me feel happy, and I will always be grateful to my grandfather for teaching me and helping me develop a new interest.
Speaking -Part 3 (Follow up questions)
Here are some examples of follow up questions that examiner may ask during your speaking (part 3) related to cue card ‘Describe a skill that you learned from older people’.
Q1. What can children learn from their parents?
I believe in the old saying – Learning begins at home. Right from how to behave with others, be polite and respectful, value education and learning, staying fit and healthy, to dealing with difficult life situations, children can learn valuable life lessons from their parents.
Q2. What skills can young people learn from older people ?
There are innumerable skills, that young person can gain with the help of older people, such as cooking, gardening, communication, storytelling, and many more. Older people have greater experience of life and thus, under their guidance, youngsters can definitely learn a lot of things that can make life more meaningful.
