You are writing to a pen pal who lives in another country. Write a letter to your pen pal.
This letter asks you to make a cultural tradition come alive for someone who has never experienced it, while still keeping the warm, personal tone of a pen pal letter.
The question
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
You are writing to a pen pal who lives in another country. Write a letter to your pen pal.
In your letter,
describe a tradition or custom from your country
explain when and how it is celebrated
say why you think it is important to you
You do not need to write your own address. Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Sophie,
Write at least 150 words.
What this letter needs
The main challenge is the descriptive middle bullet point, which can tip into a textbook-style explanation if you're not careful. A strong answer keeps concrete sensory detail — specific foods, specific dates, a specific custom like jumping over fires — but frames it through personal experience rather than general fact, and the closing bullet point about importance works best when it's personal and honest rather than a generic statement about 'preserving culture'.
Structure
Salutation — Dear Sophie, — a first-name salutation suits a pen pal relationship that has become a genuine, ongoing friendship.
Opening — Open by referring back to something your pen pal asked or said, which naturally introduces the topic of the tradition.
Body 1 — Name the tradition and give a brief general introduction to it, connecting back to something your pen pal asked.
Body 2 — Describe when and how it's celebrated with concrete, specific detail — dates, foods, actions — so it feels vivid rather than encyclopedic.
Body 3 — Explain why the tradition matters to you personally, going beyond a general statement to a specific, honest reason.
Closing — Close by inviting them to experience it themselves and asking about a tradition of theirs, keeping the exchange two-way.
Model answers
Band 6.0 model answer
159 words
Dear Sophie,
I hope you are having a great time in your country. In your last letter, you asked me to tell you about a tradition from Azerbaijan, so I want to tell you about Novruz, which is one of our most important festivals.
Novruz is celebrated every year on 20 or 21 March, to welcome the spring. Before the holiday, families clean their houses and grow wheat sprouts called semeni. On the day itself, people jump over small fires, visit their relatives, and eat special sweets like shekerbura and pakhlava.
I think this tradition is important because it brings the whole family together. Everyone helps to prepare for it, and it reminds us to respect our elders and appreciate nature. It is also a time when I feel very connected to my culture.
I hope you can visit Azerbaijan one day and see Novruz for yourself. Please tell me about a tradition from your country too!
Love, Orkhan
Why this is Band 6.0
Describes the tradition clearly with specific details: 'people jump over small fires, visit their relatives, and eat special sweets.'
Covers when and how it's celebrated plainly and accurately.
Gives a simple, genuine reason for its importance: 'it brings the whole family together.'
Band 7.0 model answer
192 words
Dear Sophie,
I hope this letter finds you well and enjoying the last of the summer! You asked in your last message to hear about a tradition from Azerbaijan, so I thought I'd tell you about Novruz, which is easily one of the most important celebrations in our culture.
Novruz takes place every year on the 20th or 21st of March and marks the arrival of spring. In the weeks leading up to it, families thoroughly clean their homes and grow wheat sprouts called semeni as a symbol of new life. On the day itself, people jump over small bonfires for good luck, visit relatives, and share traditional sweets like shekerbura and pakhlava.
To me, this tradition matters because it's really the one time of year the whole extended family comes together under one roof. It also keeps us connected to our elders and to nature in a way that everyday life often doesn't allow, which I think is becoming rarer these days.
I'd love for you to experience it in person one day. In the meantime, tell me about a tradition from where you live — I'm genuinely curious!
Love, Orkhan
Why this is Band 7.0
Describes the tradition with more vivid, specific detail: 'grow wheat sprouts called semeni as a symbol of new life.'
Reason for importance is more developed: 'it keeps us connected to our elders and to nature.'
Uses natural, varied phrasing, such as 'easily one of the most important celebrations in our culture.'
Invites genuine exchange at the close: 'tell me about a tradition from where you live — I'm genuinely curious!'
Band 8.5 model answer
222 words
Dear Sophie,
I hope this finds you soaking up the last of the summer sunshine! You mentioned in your last letter that you'd love to hear about a tradition from home, so let me tell you about Novruz, without a doubt one of the most cherished celebrations in Azerbaijani culture.
Novruz falls every year on the 20th or 21st of March, marking the arrival of spring and, symbolically, a fresh start. In the run-up to it, households are scrubbed spotless, and families grow little trays of wheat sprouts called semeni to represent new life and renewal. On the day itself, people leap over small bonfires for good luck, do the rounds visiting relatives, and pile their tables high with sweets like shekerbura and pakhlava.
What makes it so important to me isn't really the food or the fires, though I love both, it's that Novruz is genuinely the one time each year the whole extended family gathers under one roof without needing a special occasion as an excuse. It keeps us rooted to our elders and to nature in a way that gets harder to hold onto as life speeds up.
I'd love for you to witness it in person someday, honestly. Until then, do tell me about a tradition from your part of the world, I'm dying to know.
Love, Orkhan
Why this is Band 8.5
Vivid, specific description throughout: 'people leap over small bonfires for good luck, do the rounds visiting relatives.'
Personal reflection feels genuine: 'What makes it so important to me isn't really the food or the fires, though I love both.'
Idiomatic phrasing used fluently, e.g. 'as life speeds up.'
Complex grammar handled naturally, such as 'without needing a special occasion as an excuse.'
Ends with real warmth and curiosity: 'I'm dying to know.'
Model answers written and reviewed by The English All-in-One IELTS team. They are teaching models showing what each band looks like, not real candidate scripts.
This is a informal letter question. The answers above show you what each band looks like when it is finished. What they cannot show you is how to get there from a blank page in twenty minutes.
That is what our Writing Study Library is for: the structure we teach for this exact question type, the paragraph pattern that goes with it, and the sentence openers for each stage — so the letter is planned before you start writing rather than assembled as you go.
Answers checked here may be published on this page, without your name, to help other learners. Nothing else about you is stored.
Common questions
How much historical or factual detail should I include about the tradition?
Just enough to paint a picture — specific, concrete details like a date, a food, or an action are more effective than a full historical explanation, which risks sounding like an essay.
Is it okay to use words from my own language, like 'semeni'?
Yes — one or two untranslated words, briefly explained, add authenticity and show real cultural knowledge, as long as the letter stays clear overall.
How do I make 'why it's important' sound personal rather than generic?
Root it in something specific about your own experience or family, rather than a general claim like 'it's important to preserve culture,' which examiners see very often.
Should I ask my pen pal about their own traditions in return?
It's a natural, warm way to close a pen pal letter and reflects the genuinely two-way nature of that kind of relationship, though it's not one of the compulsory bullet points.
