The letters in IELTS General Writing Task can be formal, semi-formal or informal. For example, you write a complaint letter about some service or a product, to thank a friend, to notify the boss about the changed circumstances, to ask for help, apologize, etc.
The letters in IELTS General Writing Task can be formal, semi-formal or informal. For example, you write a complaint letter about some service or a product, to thank a friend, to notify the boss about the changed circumstances, to ask for help, apologize, etc.
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FORMAL LETTERS We write to a company / hotel / restaurant / your boss We know the name of the person we are writing to |
INFORMAL LETTERS We write to a friend or a relative |
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SEMI-FORMAL LETTER We write to a teacher asking to provide you with a reccommendation |
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After you have read the assignment, it is very important to determine the writing style: formal or informal. This will define:
How you start a letter and how you finish it
What words and phrases to use
Formal letters
For example, the task may look like this:
WRITING TASK 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
You are due to start a new job next week but you will not be able to because you have some problems.
Write a letter to your new employer. In your letter
• explain your situation
• describe your problems
• tell him/her when you think you can start.You should write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write your own address.Begin your letter as follows:
Dear ...............,
You write a letter to your new employer, which implies formal style.
So, the task includes several points:
Write a minimum of 150 words
Start your letter with the words Dear ...,
Explain the situation
Describe your problems
Tell him / her when you think you can start
To successfully complete this task, you must complete all 5 points. If you forget something - the score decreases, because you completed the task partially.
WRITING TASK 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
On a recent holiday you lost a valuable item. Fortunately you have travel insurance to cover the cost of anything lost.
Write a letter to the manager of your Insurance company. In your letter
• describe the item you lost
• explain how you lost it
• tell the insurance company what you would like them to do
You do NOT need to write any addresses.Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Sir or Madam,
Here you write to the manager of the insurance company, who do not know and have never seen. The style is formal. We start the letter formally: Dear Sir or Madam,
Informal letters
Here you write to a friend or relative; the person you know.
For example, the task may look like this:
WRITING TASK 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
You want to sell some of your furniture. You think a friend of yours might like to buy it from you.
Write a letter to your friend. In your letter
• explain why you are selling
• describe the furniture
• suggest a date when your friend can come and see the furnitureWrite at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear ...............,
This task asks you to write a letter to a friend who may be interested in buying your furniture. Use abbreviations and informal words: let’s meet, why don’t you call me? A few things I’d like to sell, let me know, give me a ring.
In this letter, we kindly ask a friend to look after the pet. We make up a friend’s name, imagine a pet and answer all three points of the assignment.
A friend has agreed to look after your house and pet while you are on holiday.
Write a letter to your friend. In your letter
• give contact details for when you are away
• give instructions about how to care for your pet
• describe other household dutiesWrite at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear .....................,