IELTS General Writing Task 1 – Fitness Club Membership Enquiry
Model Answer (Band 8–8.5)
Dear Membership Manager,
I am writing to enquire about joining your fitness club, which is located only a short distance from my home. I have recently decided to exercise more regularly and would like some further information before registering.
Could you please tell me what types of membership are currently available and how much each option costs? I would also appreciate details about any joining fee, discounts for longer-term memberships, and whether it is possible to pay monthly rather than annually.
In addition, I would like to know which facilities are included in the standard membership. In particular, I am interested in the gym, swimming pool, group exercise classes, and changing-room facilities. Please also let me know whether classes need to be booked in advance and if personal training sessions are charged separately.
Finally, I usually exercise after work, so I would be grateful if you could confirm your weekday and weekend opening hours. If possible, I would also like to arrange a short tour of the club before making a final decision.
Thank you for your assistance. I look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards,
Sophie Bennett
Analytical Review – Strengths, Weaknesses & Improvements
- Appropriate semi-formal tone for communicating with a fitness club representative.
- The purpose of the letter is stated clearly in the opening paragraph.
- All major areas are covered logically: membership options, fees, facilities, opening hours, and a possible visit.
- Strong natural phrases such as “enquire about joining,” “further information,” “charged separately,” and “arrange a short tour.”
- Questions are expressed politely rather than as direct demands.
- The letter contains several information requests, so careful paragraphing is necessary to prevent it from sounding like a list.
- The tone must remain professional without becoming excessively formal for a routine membership enquiry.
- Group related questions together rather than asking each one in a separate sentence.
- Use a mixture of direct and indirect question structures to demonstrate grammatical range.
- Include a brief personal reason for joining to make the letter more natural and coherent.
- ask about → enquire about
- membership choices → membership options
- yearly payment → annual payment
- extra cost → charged separately
- visit the club → arrange a tour of the club
- before joining → before registering
- Use polite indirect requests such as “I would be grateful if you could…”.
- Demonstrate grammatical variety through relative clauses, conditionals, and embedded questions.
- Maintain clear paragraph progression: purpose → fees → facilities → opening hours and visit.
- Avoid unnecessarily complicated vocabulary; accuracy and natural collocations are more valuable.
- Keep the tone consistently polite and professional throughout the letter.