IELTS General Training Letter: Thanking a Host Family
Write an informal thank-you letter to a family you stayed with abroad, mentioning highlights and inviting them to visit you.
- Time
- 20 min
- Length
- 150-190 words
Writadia · B2 · IELTS GT letters
NameClassDate
Your task
Last month you stayed with a family in another country for two weeks while you were on a course.
Write a letter to the family. In your letter:
- thank them for their hospitality
- describe something you particularly enjoyed during your stay
- invite them to visit you
Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses. Begin your letter as follows: Dear ...,
Writing toolkit
Open these only when you need them. Try the first draft on your own.
Plan it in steps
- Informal tone: you lived with them.
- Start warmly and thank them specifically.
- One detailed memory: a meal, a trip, a conversation.
- Invitation with concrete details: when, what you'd do.
- Friendly closing.
Useful phrases
Thanking
Memories
Inviting
Closing
Tap a phrase to add it to your text. Gaps (…) are selected so you can type over them.
Vocabulary
- hospitality
- kindness to guestsThank you for your hospitality.
- make someone feel welcome
- be friendly to a new personYou made me feel welcome.
- spare room
- an extra bedroom for guestsWe have a spare room.
- show someone around
- take a visitor to see placesI'll show you around the city.
Model answer (182 words)
Read it after you’ve written your own version. Notice the highlighted parts. The numbers explain why they work.
Dear Anna and Tomas,
I just wanted to say a huge thank you for everything you did for me during my two weeks in Prague. You made me feel so welcome from the very first evening, when you waited up for my late flight with a bowl of soup.1
What I enjoyed most was the Saturday we spent at your cottage by the river. I still laugh when I remember Tomas trying to teach me to fish, and the dumplings Anna cooked that evening were the best meal of my whole trip.2 I've already tried to make them at home, but they weren't quite the same!
It would be wonderful if you could come and stay with us in Lisbon next summer. We have a spare room, and June is the perfect time to visit, before it gets too hot. I could show you around the old town, and we could take the train to the beach at Cascais.3
Please give my love to little Eva and thank her for the drawing. It's on my fridge!
Take care and write soon, Marta
- Thanks + a specific detail.
- Bullet 2: one memory, with detail.
- Bullet 3: a concrete invitation.
Teacher notes
Informal ≠ careless: informal letters still need paragraphing and accurate grammar. Contractions and phrasal verbs are appropriate here.
Extra challenge
Imagine Anna replies, accepting the invitation. Write her letter in 100 words.
Lesson plan
- 5 minWarm-up
Show the situation on the classroom screen and ask: “What would you write in this situation?” Take two or three quick answers.
- 6 minWord pool
Open “Word pool” on the classroom screen. Students make one sentence each with: hospitality, make someone feel welcome, spare room, show someone around.
- 7 minModel text
Reveal the model sentence by sentence in “Model text” mode. At each sentence ask: “What job does this sentence do?” Write these phrases on the board: “I just wanted to say a huge thank you for ...”, “You made me feel so welcome from the very first day.”, “I'll never forget the day we ...”.
- 15 minWriting
Start the timer. Students write their own text; anyone stuck can use the plan in the toolkit. (150-190 words)
- 5 minPeer review
Students swap texts and fill in the peer-review sheet.
- 2 minWrap-up
Set the extra challenge as homework.
The task’s own teacher notes give extra ideas for the warm-up and focus.
Assessment rubric
| Criterion | Band 7+ | Band 6 | Band 5 | Band 4 or below | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Task Achievement | Clear overview; key features selected and compared. | Overview present; some details irrelevant or missing. | No clear overview; details listed mechanically. | Task largely not addressed. | |
| Coherence and Cohesion | Logical flow; varied, natural linking; clear paragraphs. | Generally organised; linking sometimes mechanical. | Weak organisation; few or faulty linkers. | Ideas not linked. | |
| Lexical Resource | Wide, precise vocabulary; few slips. | Adequate range; some errors that do not block meaning. | Limited range; noticeable repetition and spelling errors. | Very limited; meaning often lost. | |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | Variety of complex structures; most sentences error-free. | Mix of simple and complex forms; errors rarely reduce clarity. | Mostly simple forms; frequent errors. | Errors seriously affect understanding. | |
| Total | |||||
Criterion names are the official IELTS criteria; descriptors are short classroom summaries. Each criterion carries equal weight.
Task checklist
- I thanked them warmly and specifically.
- I described one highlight in detail.
- I made a concrete invitation.
- The tone is informal and friendly.
Teacher comment
Peer-review sheet
Students swap texts and give each other feedback with this sheet.
Before you finish
Before you finish
- I thanked them warmly and specifically.
- I described one highlight in detail.
- I made a concrete invitation.
- The tone is informal and friendly.
Writadia · B2 · IELTS GT letters
Assessment rubric: IELTS General Training Letter: Thanking a Host Family
| Criterion | Band 7+ | Band 6 | Band 5 | Band 4 or below | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Task Achievement | Clear overview; key features selected and compared. | Overview present; some details irrelevant or missing. | No clear overview; details listed mechanically. | Task largely not addressed. | |
| Coherence and Cohesion | Logical flow; varied, natural linking; clear paragraphs. | Generally organised; linking sometimes mechanical. | Weak organisation; few or faulty linkers. | Ideas not linked. | |
| Lexical Resource | Wide, precise vocabulary; few slips. | Adequate range; some errors that do not block meaning. | Limited range; noticeable repetition and spelling errors. | Very limited; meaning often lost. | |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | Variety of complex structures; most sentences error-free. | Mix of simple and complex forms; errors rarely reduce clarity. | Mostly simple forms; frequent errors. | Errors seriously affect understanding. | |
| Total | |||||
Criterion names are the official IELTS criteria; descriptors are short classroom summaries. Each criterion carries equal weight.
Task checklist
- I thanked them warmly and specifically.
- I described one highlight in detail.
- I made a concrete invitation.
- The tone is informal and friendly.
Teacher comment
Writadia · B2 · IELTS GT letters
Peer-review sheet: IELTS General Training Letter: Thanking a Host Family
WriterReviewer
Read your partner’s text carefully. Be kind and specific: say why, not just “good”.
Task checklist
| Yes | Partly | No | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I thanked them warmly and specifically. | |||
| I described one highlight in detail. | |||
| I made a concrete invitation. | |||
| The tone is informal and friendly. |
Questions
- Does the text cover every point in the task?
- Are there paragraphs? What is each one about?
- Write two linking words the writer used.
- Is there a sentence you had to read twice?
Two stars and a wish
★ Something I liked
★ Another thing I liked
→ One suggestion
Writadia · B2 · IELTS GT letters
Lesson plan: IELTS General Training Letter: Thanking a Host Family
- 5 minWarm-up
Show the situation on the classroom screen and ask: “What would you write in this situation?” Take two or three quick answers.
- 6 minWord pool
Open “Word pool” on the classroom screen. Students make one sentence each with: hospitality, make someone feel welcome, spare room, show someone around.
- 7 minModel text
Reveal the model sentence by sentence in “Model text” mode. At each sentence ask: “What job does this sentence do?” Write these phrases on the board: “I just wanted to say a huge thank you for ...”, “You made me feel so welcome from the very first day.”, “I'll never forget the day we ...”.
- 15 minWriting
Start the timer. Students write their own text; anyone stuck can use the plan in the toolkit. (150-190 words)
- 5 minPeer review
Students swap texts and fill in the peer-review sheet.
- 2 minWrap-up
Set the extra challenge as homework.
The task’s own teacher notes give extra ideas for the warm-up and focus.
Did you use this task in class?
If you used it, tell us. It helps us see which tasks work.