IELTS Letter Writing

In Task 1 of the IELTS General Writing section, you must write a letter about a given situation.
This letter will be one of the following types:
Style Characteristics Opening Ending
ormal
To someone you have not met,
whose name you don!t "now
#ear Sir $ %adam &ours faithfully
Semi'
formal
To someone you may or may not
have met, whose last name you
"now ( use
#ear %r )rown,
#ear %s Stone
&ours sincerely
Informal
To someone you "now well, whose
first name you "now and use
#ear *ohn
#ear +nita
)est regards
,arm wishes
Each "ind of letter re-uires a different style of writing, a specific beginning and ending salutation,
formal or informal e.pressions and varying types of grammatical forms. +s you read through the
sample IELTS letters below, ta"e note of how they vary depending on the level of familiarity with
the person being written to. /ractice writing your own letters from sample letter topics, until you
can produce all three "inds of letters easily and -uic"ly. Then, you will be able to complete this tas"
effectively and easily on the day of your IE0TS e.am.
+lso, every 1eneral IE0TS ,riting Tas" 2 includes three bulleted points which you need to mention in
your letter. %a"e sure you include these three points or else you will not get high mar"s, no matter
how well you write.
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10 Ways to Get Higher Marks on the IELTS Letter Writing Task
1. Identify the type of letter you are being asked to write. Is it a formal, semi-formal or informal
letter? The entire tone of your letter is based on your answer to this question. Adjust your style and
choice of words according to the tye of letter you ha!e been asked to write.
". Open and close the letter correctly. #emember that each tye of letter requires a different
oening and closing. The chart below will hel you remember this$
%. Open a formal and semi-formal letter with a formal sentence. &on't try to be friendly, as you
do not know the erson you are writing to. (et right down to business and indicate the reason you are
writing, as shown below$
Dear Sir / Madam,
I am writing to inquire about / I am writing in connection with...
Dear Mr Jones,
I am writing to inform you ... / I am writing in connection with...
). Open an informal letter with a general, friendly paragraph. *ith friends whom we know, we
care about the whole erson. *e ha!e a broader relationshi in the conte+t of which this
communication is taking lace. ,o it is best to acknowledge that friendshi first, before getting down
to the reason for your letter. In fact, the first aragrah could be urely friendly small talk, unrelated
to the reason for your writing. -ook at the e+amle below$
Dear Jane
I hope you and your family are all well. It was such a pleasure to see you again last summer. We sure
had a great time catching up with each other after so many years. ou ha!e always been a cherished
friend, no matter how much of a gap there has been since we met.
"nyway, the reason I#m writing is that I ha!e some good news $ I am getting married this summer...
.. Identify the main purpose of the letter. Are you asking for hel, aologi/ing, in!iting someone,
comlaining or thanking someone? -earn aroriate and olite e+ressions that will suort what
you need to say.
0. Learn and use standard written phrases. ,tudents sometimes struggle to finish their writing in
time. This haens when you are trying to write e!ery sentence from scratch. The fact is, in
con!entional letter writing in 1nglish, we use a number of standard e+ressions and hrases and add
on to them the secific information we wish to communicate. 2y learning how to use these
e+ressions, you will find the letter writing task much easier and will ne!er ha!e to fight for time.
3. Make sure you write at least 150 words. 4ractice writing letters till you know what 1.5 words
feels like and looks like. 6ou will lose marks if you write less. 6ou will not lose marks if you write
more7 the only restriction on writing more is in terms of time, not the number of words.
8. Learn the correct spelling of commonly used words. It is surrising how many I1-T, students
make a mistake when selling words such as 9sincerely9, 9faithfully9, 9in connection with9 and so on.
6ou can re!ent yourself from losing marks by learning the correct selling of these words and
e+ressions which you are highly likely to use on your e+am.
:. tay on topic. In order to comlete your letter within "5 minutes or less, ractice writing letters
where you stick to the oint. The (eneral I1-T, Task 1 does require you to make u a bit of a story
to comlete your letter, but don't make your story so comlicated that you run out of time.
15. Include all three !ulleted points. If you e+clude e!en one of the oints gi!en to you in the
question romt, you will lose !aluable marks. 4ractice writing letters that include the three oints
and go back and check that you ha!e included them in each ractice e+ercise you do.
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Useful Words & E!ressions
To complete your IE0TS letter writing tas" within 34 minutes, it is helpful to "now some common
phrases and set e.pressions. )eing able to use these will allow you to e.press your ideas -uic"ly and
effectively, without thin"ing about each and every word. ,hile you!re learning their meaning, also
ma"e sure you can spell them perfectly. inally, try the -ui5 at the bottom of the page to see how
well you "now these important e.pression.
Apologizing
I!m sorry about...
I am sorry that...
I!m very sorry about...
I!m very sorry for...
/lease forgive me for...
I!d li"e to apologi5e for...
/lease accept my apologies.
/lease accept my sincere apologies. 6very formal7
Asking for Help
I!d be grateful if you could...
I would be grateful if you could...
I would appreciate it if you could...
Could you please...
I was wondering of you could help me.6informal7
I would li"e to "now...
Asking for Information
I am writing to en-uire about...
I am writing to find out about...
,hat I am loo"ing for is...
I would li"e to "now about$if...
Closing
I loo" forward to seeing you.
I loo" forward to hearing from you.
I loo" forward to meeting you.
Complaining / expressing issatisfaction
I!m writing to e.press my dissatisfaction with...
I!m writing to e.press my annoyance with...
I am not happy about...
...was very disappointing.
Con!e"ing regars
/lease give my best regards to your family.
/lease pass on my best wishes to your wife and children.
/lease give my regards to your parents.
Expressing satisfaction
I was delighted to hear that...
I was very happy to learn that...
I was thrilled to find out that...
I was glad to hear that...
...was very en8oyable.
Expressing concern / s"mpath"
I was sorry to hear about... 6your accident$ illness7
I am writing to e.press my concern about...
Gi!ing #a ne$s
I regret to inform you that...6semi'formal7
I am sorry to tell you that...6informal7
I regret to advise you that...6formal7
I am afraid I have some bad news.6informal7
Gi!ing goo ne$s
I am pleased to inform you that...6semi'formal7
I am delighted to tell you that...6informal7
I am happy to advise you that...6formal7
I thought you might li"e to "now that...
Gi!ing reasons
This is because...
This is because of...
This is due to... 6formal7
This is as a result of...6formal7
This is owing to...6formal7
%aking s&ggestions
,ould it be a good idea to...
/erhaps it would be a good idea to...
Thanking
Than"s.
Than" you.
Than" you very much.
Than" you "indly.
I can!t than" you enough.
9o words can e.press my gratitude.
I am e.tremely grateful for...
I very much appreciate your ::::::ing
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IELTS Letter To!i"s # $or%al
1' Asking for Information
&ou live in an English spea"ing country and you want to do some voluntary, unpaid wor" in
a developing country. ,rite a letter to a company called Cultural E.peditions, which
organi5es such trips. In your letter:
E.plain why you want to do the voluntary wor".
State what your s"ills and e.perience are.
Indicate where you would li"e to volunteer and for how long.
)egin your letter as follows: #ear Sir $ %adam
&ou should write at least 2;4 words. &ou should spend about 34 minutes on this tas".
(' Appl"ing for a )o#
&ou have decided to apply for a 8ob as a Spanish instructor that was advertised in the +pril
edition of the maga5ine Teaching /rofessional. This ad was posted by %r *ohn Sullivan,
director of the Spanish department at The 0anguage Institute of 1reat )ritain in 0ondon,
England. In your letter to %r Sullivan:
e.plain why you are writing
describe your -ualifications and e.perience
e.plain how they can contact you
,rite at least 2;4 words. &ou should spend about 34 minutes on this tas".
6<uestion ta"en from Kaplan IELTS 2009-2010 7
*' %aking S&ggestions
&ou eat at your college cafeteria every lunchtime. =owever, you thin" it needs some
improvements. ,rite a letter to the college maga5ine. In your letter:
e.plain what you li"e bout the cafeteria
say what is wrong
suggest how it could be improved
)egin your letter as follows: #ear Sir $ %adam
&ou should write at least 2;4 words. &ou should spend about 34 minutes on this tas".
6<uestion ta"en from Instant IELTS by 1uy )roo"'=art7
+' Appl"ing for a )o#
&ou are loo"ing for a part'time 8ob. ,rite a letter to an employment agency. In your letter:
introduce yourself
e.plain what sort of 8ob you would li"e
say what e.perience and s"ills you have
)egin your letter as follows: #ear Sir $ %adam
&ou should write at least 2;4 words. &ou should spend about 34 minutes on this tas".
6<uestion ta"en from Instant IELTS by 1uy )roo"'=art7
,' Complaining to a -ank
&ou have received a letter from your ban", as"ing you to ac"nowledge receipt of a new
ban" card. =owever, the card was missing from the envelope. ,rite a letter to the ban"!s
head office. In your letter:
e.plain why you are writing
e.press concern about the missing card
as" them what they intend to do
)egin your letter as follows: #ear ::::::::,
&ou should write at least 2;4 words. &ou should spend about 34 minutes on this tas".
6<uestion ta"en from Action Plan for IELTS by >anessa *a"eman and Clare %c#owell7
.' Informing an Airline
0ast Tuesday you flew from 9ew &or" to /aris. ,hen you arrived home, you discovered that
you had left your cabin bag on the plane. ,rite a letter to the airline. In your letter, you
should e.plain:
where and when you lost your bag
what your bag loo"s li"e
what its contents were
)egin your letter as follows: #ear Sir $ %adam
&ou should write at least 2;4 words. &ou should spend about 34 minutes on this tas".
6<uestion ta"en from Kaplan IELTS 2009-2010 7
/' Appl"ing for a )o#
&ou have seen an advertisement for part'time wor" in a hotel for three months over the
summer. ,rite a letter to the manager. In your letter:
say what e.perience you have
as" what the wor" involves
en-uire about conditions
)egin your letter as follows: #ear Sir $ %adam
&ou should write at least 2;4 words. &ou should spend about 34 minutes on this tas".
6<uestion ta"en from Action Plan for IELTS by >anessa *a"eman and Clare %c#owell7
0' %aking 1ecommenations
&ou normally go shopping in the area where you live. =owever, you thin" some of the
facilities for shoppers could be improved. ,rite a letter to your local newspaper. In your
letter:
say in general what you li"e about shopping in your area
say what is wrong with the facilities
suggest how they can be improved
)egin your letter as follows: #ear Sir $ %adam
&ou should write at least 2;4 words. &ou should spend about 34 minutes on this tas".
6<uestion ta"en from Instant IELTS by 1uy )roo"'=art7
2' Appl"ing for a )o#
&ou would li"e a temporary 8ob wor"ing in the summer camp which runs sports and outdoor
activities for children and young people ne.t summer. ,rite a letter to the organi5ers of the
summer camp. In your letter:
e.plain what sort of 8ob you would li"e to do
describe your personality
say what e.perience and s"ills you have
)egin your letter as follows: #ear Sir $ %adam
&ou should write at least 2;4 words. &ou should spend about 34 minutes on this tas".
6<uestion ta"en from Instant IELTS by 1uy )roo"'=art7
13' Complaining a#o&t a 4ro&ct
&ou live in a small university town. 0ast wee", you drove to a big city about two hours away
to buy a new laptop at a good price. &ou wor"ed on the laptop all wee" and finished writing
a long assignment that is due shortly. =owever, this wee", the laptop doesn!t even switch
on. ,rite to the store. In your letter:
tell the store where you live ( what happened
e.plain the problem with the laptop
state what action you would li"e the store to ta"e
)egin your letter as follows: #ear ::::::::
&ou should write at least 2;4 words. &ou should spend about 34 minutes on this tas".
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IELTS Letter To!i"s # Infor%al
1' In!iting a frien
&ou are studying English at a private language school attended by many international
students. &ou are planning a surprise birthday party for a friend who has been feeling
particularly sad and homesic". ,rite to another classmate and invite him $ her to the party.
In your letter:
e.plain the reason for the party
give the date and time of the party
suggest what the classmate could bring to the party
)egin your letter as follows: #ear ::::::::
&ou should write at least 2;4 words. &ou should spend about 34 minutes on this tas".
(' A!ising a frien a#o&t a holia"
+n English'spea"ing friend wants to spend a two'wee" holiday in your region and has
written as"ing for information and advice. ,rite a letter to your friend. In your letter:
offer to find somewhere to stay
give advice about what to do
give information about what clothes to bring
)egin your letter as follows: #ear :::::::
&ou should write at least 2;4 words. &ou should spend about 34 minutes on this tas".
6<uestion ta"en from Instant IELTS by 1uy )roo"'=art7
*' Apologizing to a frien
&ou borrowed an important te.tboo" from a classmate last term. &ou now reali5e your
classmate had returned home overseas and you still have the boo". ,rite a letter to to
him $ her. In your letter:
apologi5e for the mista"e
find out how important the boo" is to him $ her
say what you will do
)egin your letter as follows: #ear :::::::::::::
&ou should write at least 2;4 words. &ou should spend about 34 minutes on this tas".
6<uestion ta"en from Action Plan for IELTS by >anessa *a"eman and Clare %c#owell7
+' Thanking a frien for a holia"
&ou have recently been to stay with an old friend for a few days. &ou hadn!t seen each
other for a long time. ,rite a letter to the friend. In your letter:
say how you felt about the visit
refer to something en8oyable that you did while staying with him $ her
invite your friend to visit you
)egin your letter as follows: #ear ::::::::
&ou should write at least 2;4 words. &ou should spend about 34 minutes on this tas".
6<uestion ta"en from Action Plan for IELTS by >anessa *a"eman and Clare %c#owell7
,' A!ising a frien a#o&t $ork
+n English'spea"ing friend is coming to study in your town ne.t year and has written as"ing
for information and advice. ,rite a letter to your friend. In your letter:
Offer to find a place for him $ her to live
1ive advice about how to find a part'time 8ob
1ive information on where he $ she can learn your language
)egin your letter as follows: #ear ::::::::::
&ou should write at least 2;4 words. &ou should spend about 34 minutes on this tas".
6<uestion ta"en from Instant IELTS by 1uy )roo"'=art7
.' 5orgetting something at a frien6s
&ou stayed at your friend!s house when you participated in a conference in +ustralia. &ou
left a briefcase with important documents in your room. ,rite a letter to your friend. In the
letter:
than" your friend for the stay
describe the briefcase
as" him$her to return it to you by post
)egin your letter as follows: #ear :::::::::
&ou should write at least 2;4 words. &ou should spend about 34 minutes on this tas".
/' 1emining a 5rien
+ year ago, you lent your favorite boo" to a friend who you thought would en8oy it.
?nfortunately, your friend has forgotten to return it. The boo" has sentimental value to you
as it had been presented by your grandmother. ,rite a letter to your friend. In the letter:
as" how he or she is doing
remind him $ her about the boo"
e.plain why you need it bac"
)egin your letter as follows: #ear ::::::::
&ou should write at least 2;4 words. &ou should spend about 34 minutes on this tas".
0' Congrat&lating a 5rien
&our best friend 8ust had her first baby. &ou are currently overseas but will be returning to
your hometown in a wee". ,rite to your friend. In your letter:
congratulate your friend
tell her when you will be returning home
as" when you could drop in to meet her and the baby
)egin your letter as follows: #ear :::::::::
&ou should write at least 2;4 words. &ou should spend about 34 minutes on this tas".
2' 1e7&esting Help
&our parents will be celebrating their @4th anniversary ne.t month. &ou are planning a big
celebration, but you are not sure how to ma"e the occasion really memorable. ,rite to your
best friend, *oan, who is a professional event planner. In your letter:
e.plain why the occasion is special
as" for her assistance
set up a time to meet at your friend!s convenience to discuss your plans
)egin your letter as follows: #ear *oan,
&ou should write at least 2;4 words. &ou should spend about 34 minutes on this tas".
13' Amitting a %istake
&ou attended an old friend!s wedding in another city, about A hours away, a wee" ago. It
was an outdoor wedding held on a rainy day and you had ta"en along a rather e.pensive,
elegant umbrella. ,hen you returned, you were tired and went straight to bed. &ou had a
very busy wee".This wee"end, when it started to rain, you reali5ed you had the wrong
umbrella. &ou must have ta"en someone else!s umbrella, which was very similar to your
own, when leaving the wedding reception. ,rite to your friend who got married. In your
letter:
congratulate him $ her on the beautiful wedding
e.plain the situation
as" how you can return this umbrella and locate your own
)egin your letter as follows: #ear *oan ::::::::::
&ou should write at least 2;4 words. &ou should spend about 34 minutes on this tas".
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
IELTS Letter To!i"s # Se%i#$or%al
1' Arranging Accommoation
&ou are being sent on a one month wor" assignment in San rancisco, California. &ou need
a place to stay while you are there. ,rite a letter to the %aury Samson Ceal Estate +gency.
In your letter:
e.plain the situation
describe the "ind of accommodation you would li"e
provide the dates you will need it
)egin your letter as follows: #ear %r Samson,
&ou should write at least 2;4 words. &ou should spend about 34 minutes on this tas".
(' Asking for 4ermission
&ou are studying overseas. &ou need to return to your country before the end of the
semester for a family event. ,rite a letter to your supervisor. In your letter:
Ce-uest time off
E.plain why you need to leave early
Ceassure him $ her that your studies will not suffer
)egin your letter as follows: #ear %r $ %s :::::::
6<uestion ta"en from Action Plan for IELTS 7
*' Complaining to a Lanlor
&ou have been living in a rental apartment for the past year. Cecently a new neighbour
moved in who has loud parties several times a wee". ,rite a letter complaining about this
to the landlord. In your letter:
e.plain the situation
describe why it bothers you
suggest a solution
)egin your letter as follows: #ear %r $ %s :::::::::::::,
&ou should write at least 2;4 words. &ou should spend about 34 minutes on this tas".
+' %aking a S&ggestion
&ou e.ercise regularly and have been a member of many different gyms. Cecently, you
moved into a new neighborhood and 8oined a new gym. &ou have noticed that people at this
gym do not bother to wipe down the machines after use and often leave dirty towels on the
benches in the change rooms. ,rite to %r Doto, the manager. In your letter:
e.plain who you are
describe the problem e.actly
ma"e suggestions to improve the gym
)egin your letter as follows: #ear %r Doto,
&ou should write at least 2;4 words. &ou should spend about 34 minutes on this tas".
,' -ooking Accommoation
&ou are going to ta"e a short holiday in Singapore and you want to rent a holiday
apartment while you are there. ,rite to the tourist information office. In your letter:
e.plain what you need
say when you plan to be there
as" for information about prices
)egin your letter as follows: #ear %r $ %s ::::::::::
&ou should write at least 2;4 words. &ou should spend about 34 minutes on this tas".
.' Explaining to a 8eigh#o&r
&ou are having a graduation party ne.t Saturday night. &ou have invited ;4 people to
celebrate at an outdoor barbecue evening, which may continue into late into the night.
,rite a letter to your elderly neighbour. In your letter:
e.plain what will be happening
offer your apologies in advance
invite her to 8oin the celebration
)egin your letter as follows: #ear %r $ %s :::::::::
&ou should write at least 2;4 words. &ou should spend about 34 minutes on this tas".
/' Asking for permission
&ou are supposed to hand in a mid'term pro8ect for your psychology class by 9ovember 2st.
=owever, your brother is getting married in =awaii at the same time and the entire family is
traveling there for the occasion. &ou would li"e an e.tension on the due date for submitting
the pro8ect. ,rite to your professor. In your letter:
e.plain the situation
remind the professor of your fine academic record to date
as" for an e.tension of the due date
)egin your letter as follows: #ear ::::::::
&ou should write at least 2;4 words. &ou should spend about 34 minutes on this tas".
0' %aking a S&ggestion
&ou live in a high'rise building, which has a communal laundry room. There are many
washers and dryers there, but even more residents. Sometimes people don!t come in time
to empty the machines and other residents have to wait for a washer or dryer. &ou thin" the
building management should purchase 24 e.tra laundry bas"ets and ma"e them available
for such times, so the machines can be freed up. ,rite to the /roperty %anager, %rs
,illiams. In your letter:
e.plain how long you have been a resident
describe the problem
propose your solution
)egin your letter as follows: #ear %rs ,illiams
&ou should write at least 2;4 words. &ou should spend about 34 minutes on this tas".
2' Asking for 4ermission
&ou have received a 8ob offer for a position you have wanted for a long time. &ou are
e.pected to start on *uly 2st. =owever, you can only start a wee" later due to personal
reasons. ,rite a letter to %r *ac"son, your new boss. In your letter:
show your enthusiasm for the 8ob offer
e.plain the problem
suggest what you can do
)egin your letter as follows: #ear %r *ac"son,
&ou should write at least 2;4 words. &ou should spend about 34 minutes on this tas".