Unemployment: day 51
Today was my wife’ birthday. My daughter made a birthday cake for her mother. She and I went shopping for getting the ingredients such as a cake sponge and dairy cream. My wife was extraordinary pleased at the handmade cake which her daughter made.
Correct version
Today was my wife’s birthday. My daughter made a birthday cake for her mother. She and I went shopping to buy the ingredients, such as a sponge base and double cream. My wife was extremely pleased with the homemade cake that her daughter had made.
IELTS Improvement Points
Collocation:
go shopping to buy [something]
→ Natural expression. In English, we say “go shopping to buy…” rather than “go shopping for getting…”.
extremely pleased with
→ Correct and idiomatic phrase. “Extraordinary pleased” is incorrect. Example: She was extremely pleased with the results.
homemade cake
→ More natural than “handmade cake”. “Handmade” is used for crafts (e.g. handmade jewellery), while “homemade” refers to food.
Template:
[Subject] was [adverb] pleased with [object].
→ Useful evaluative structure. Example: He was deeply pleased with his exam score. Adds range in expressing emotions.
[Subject] went shopping to buy [items], such as [examples].
→ Shows purpose clearly. Good for Task 1 (process description) or Task 2 (giving reasons).
Vocabulary:
sponge base
→ More accurate than “cake sponge”. Refers to the plain cake foundation for decorating.
-Vocabulary: double cream
→ The correct British English term for very thick cream used in cakes and desserts. (In American English it would be “heavy cream.”)
-Vocabulary: extraordinarily (adverb)
→ If you want to use “extraordinary” in this sense, it should be “extraordinarily pleased”. However, “extremely” or “very” is far more natural in everyday English.
