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Semi-Formal Letter Writing for IELTS

Posted by David S. Wills | Dec 28, 2020 | IELTS Tips , Writing | 0

In the IELTS general writing test , you need to produce a letter and this could be broadly categorised as formal or informal. However, there is another category in between that is often appropriate: semi-formal . As these are fairly common, I would like to explain to you how to write a semi-formal letter for IELTS.

What is a semi-formal letter, other examples of semi-formal letter prompts, examples of prompts requiring semi-formal letters, features of formal and informal writing, format of a semi-formal letter.

To put it in its simplest terms, a semi-formal letter is one that falls in between formal and informal letters in terms of tone. There really is no precise definition of semi-formal except that which is neither formal nor informal.

As such, it is best to think in terms of examples to fully understand what semi-formal means and how to write such a letter. There are broadly two such situations:

Writing to a person with whom you have a professional relationship but one that is fairly close (ie a manager or colleague that you know).
Writing to a person with whom you have a personal relationship but about a difficult or unfortunate situation (ie something that would make them feel bad).

In the first situation, it could be possible to write a formal letter but as you know the person very well, you probably wouldn’t do this under normal circumstances. In the second, you could use informal language but because of the delicate nature of the situation, it would be better to avoid being overly informal and use more cautious language.

The above two examples are the most common types of prompt requiring a semi-formal reply, but they are by no means the only ones, and it is not helpful to think in such limited terms. When preparing for IELTS, you should not memorise questions and you should likewise not group ideas too firmly. The nature of the test is to reflect real-world English use.

As such, there are other examples of times when semi-formal letters may be required. These include writing to people you don’t know but about relatively trivial matters. In such cases, you would probably not choose to use formal language because the situation is at odds with it. Likewise, informal language would be a bit inappropriate for writing to someone you have never met.

Here is an example of the first situation:

You work for an international company. You have seen an advertisement for a training course which will be useful for your job. Write a letter to your manager. In your letter – describe the training course you want to do – explain what the company could do to help you – say how the course will be useful for your job

In this case, it is understandable to think that we might need to use a formal tone. After all, the setting is clearly a business one, with the recipient being our manager. For people in certain Asian countries, it might even seem unthinkable to use anything but formal language with an office superior.

However, in English-speaking countries, a person’s manager is not treated in such a deferential way. We would show them respect and do as they ask, but we would not use the sort of delicate language that we would reserve for people we don’t know.

Here is an example of the second situation:

You had arranged to go on holiday with your friend. However, you must change your plans. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: – say how much you were looking forward to the holiday – explain why you had to change your plans – suggest an alternative arrangement

In this case, your letter is addressed to a friend, so informal language seems appropriate. However, the tone of the letter would be a bit different because you are giving what is essentially bad news. It would not be appropriate to use very informal language when delivering bad news, so you should aim for a semi-formal tone instead.

(I will include sample answers to these two prompts at the bottom of this page.)

What is Semi-Formal Language?

Again, it is impossible to clearly define semi-formal language except to say that it is language that falls between formal and informal on a scale of register. This is illustrated here:

There are no words or phrases that you could definitively call “semi-formal” because there is always some overlap with the categories labelled “formal” and “informal,” but it is useful to look at vocabulary and grammar that might appear in semi-formal letters.

Here are some phrases that are common in all IELTS letters, with variants for formal, semi-formal, and informal tones:

As you can see, there is some overlap in these words and phrases, and of course as semi-formal incorporates a range of letter types, there are various possibilities for language choice here. You can see, for example, that a semi-formal letter may refer to a person by first name or title and surname. Clearly, it would be weird to refer to a friend as “Mrs Smith” but equally it might be inappropriate to refer to your boss in writing as “Susan.” For these reasons, whilst it is helpful to learn the differences between formal, semi-formal, and informal, you should also keep in mind the fact that not all letters in these individual categories will contain the same language.

I have written elsewhere about formal and informal writing but I will note again some of the key differences as they relate to semi-formal letters.

Abbreviations, for example, are common in informal writing but not in formal writing. As such, you can probably guess that we use them occasionally in semi-formal letters. It would be fine to say “I’m” or “we’re” in a semi-formal letter but don’t go over the top. Similarly, whilst acronyms may be fine in all forms of letters, I would avoid using internet-based ones for semi-formal or formal letters. That means no OMG or WTF .

Aim instead for a more neutral tone that is free of overly formal or overly informal language. Here is a simple guide:

In addition to this, I will mention that it is always a good idea to avoid overly difficult vocabulary and grammar. These are usually problematic because they are hard to implement correctly. Unless you are sure that you know how and when to use such language, just avoid it. In a formal letter, it might be appropriate, but in the others it most likely would show a lack of awareness in terms of tone.

The format of a semi-formal letter will basically be the same as any other letter. Fundamentally, all IELTS letters follow the same basic template, which of course would be modified slightly as per the specific details of the prompt:

State the purpose / introduce letter
Give details

These will differ massively from letter to letter but this relates to the purpose rather than the tone. For example, a letter to a friend might include a short personal note and a friendly message at the end, whereas a business letter might reiterate the main point or make a statement along the lines of “I hope to hear back from you…” before the sign-off. However, there is nothing specific to semi-formal letters.

Remember: There is no set number of paragraphs you should aim to write (unlike task 2, which should be done in 4 or 5 paragraphs ) and the structure should ultimately be determined by the nature of the prompt. However, you can learn some useful patterns from the following sample letters.

Sample Semi-Formal Letter #1

You work for an international company. You have seen an advertisement for a training course which will be useful for your job. Write a letter to your manager. In your letter describe the training course you want to do explain what the company could do to help you say how the course will be useful for your job

Dear Mr. Rockwell,

I recently saw an advertisement for a training course that I think would be very useful for my professional development. I’m writing to let you know about it and to make a request.

The course is in social media marketing, which of course is growing in importance every year. It aims to teach professionals in our industry how to leverage social media channels in order to expand the brand and reach new customers.

I believe that having greater knowledge of this area would allow me to develop my skills, which will of course be beneficial for the company. By having a thorough knowledge of how to market on social media, I would surely be able to increase revenue, as well as share this information with the people in my department.

As this course will give me essential skills to improve at my job, I believe the company should pay for it. I’m requesting that you approve the requisite finances to cover my course fees, as well as some extra for travel costs.

Yours sincerely,

David Wills

As this was a business letter, I have addressed it to “Mr. Rockwell” and signed off with my own full name. I have used polite and informative language but included some contractions like “I’m.” This letter begins with a slightly personal/informative sentence (“I recently saw…”) but when I come to the tricky topic of money , I switch to more formal language (“I’m requesting that you approve the requisite finances…”) Still, the use of a contraction shows that it is semi-formal.

Sample Semi-Formal Letter #2

You had arranged to go on holiday with your friend. However, you must change your plans. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: say how much you were looking forward to the holiday explain why you had to change your plans suggest an alternative arrangement

Hello Karen,

I hope you are doing well but I’m afraid I have to be the bearer of bad news. I’m not going to be able to make it to the Highlands next month as planned. Something has come up and I’ve got to cancel.

Basically, my boss has asked me to take on a new client starting next week. They are going to be a handful and I will struggle to cope as it is. The possibility of getting away for a weekend just isn’t really on the cards anymore. I’m really sad about it because I was looking forward to spending time with you as it has been a while since we saw each other.

Fortunately, I think that I will be able to get some extra time off once things settle at work. With the new client, I’ve really done my boss a favour and so I’m confident he’ll happily give me extra holiday time in the summer. We can start planning another getaway for later in the year.

Sorry again about all this. I know you were looking forward to it and so was I. However, let’s keep our fingers crossed for next time.

This letter is closer to informal than formal. There are many personal pronouns and contractions, as well as some idioms (like “bearer of bad news” and “on the cards”). However, I have mixed in some transitional words and phrases that are more common in formal letters: “Fortunately,” “However,” etc. I have started and ended this essay with first names because she is my friend, but the nature of the essay means I’ve used “Best” rather than “Cheers” or anything else that is particularly informal.

Sample Semi-Formal Letter #3

You and some friends ate a meal at a restaurant to celebrate a special occasion, and you were very pleased with the food and service. Write a letter to the restaurant manager. In your letter give details of your visit to the restaurant explain the reason for the celebration say what was good about the food and the service

Dear Mr. Thompson,

I am writing to let you know that I really enjoyed a meal I had at your restaurant last weekend, and I wanted to show my appreciation for your hard work and the efforts made by your staff.

It was my wife’s birthday and so we invited a group of six friends to join us for a meal to celebrate. We were given a wonderful table with a garden view and felt that the overall atmosphere was really pleasant. From the music to the decorations, it was an enchanting evening that we will all remember for years to come.

The food, of course, was excellent. We chose the restaurant because we had been once before and really enjoyed the seafood. This time we were even more impressed, particularly by the prawns. We were also really happy with how much attention the waiting staff paid to us.

Thanks again for a wonderful evening.

This essay is closer to a formal one than an informal one because I do not know this person. However, the tone of the language is slightly informal aside from the greeting and sign-off. It is casual and discursive, with a decidedly neutral tone that could not be categorised as formal or informal.

About The Author

David S. Wills

David S. Wills is the author of Scientologist! William S. Burroughs and the 'Weird Cult' and the founder/editor of Beatdom literary journal. He lives and works in rural Cambodia and loves to travel. He has worked as an IELTS tutor since 2010, has completed both TEFL and CELTA courses, and has a certificate from Cambridge for Teaching Writing. David has worked in many different countries, and for several years designed a writing course for the University of Worcester. In 2018, he wrote the popular IELTS handbook, Grammar for IELTS Writing and he has since written two other books about IELTS. His other IELTS website is called IELTS Teaching.

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Levels of Formality

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The level of formality you write with should be determined by the expectations of your audience and your purpose. For example, if you are writing a cover letter for a job application or a college academic essay, you would write in a formal style. If you are writing a letter to a friend, writing something personal, or even writing something for a humorous or special interest magazine when informal writing is expected, you would use a more informal style. Formality exists on a scale—in the example below, a letter of application to a known colleague can result in a semi-formal style.

Here is an example:

Formal (Written to an unknown audience): I am applying for the receptionist position advertised in the local paper. I am an excellent candidate for the job because of my significant secretarial experience, good language skills, and sense of organization.

Semi-formal (Written to a well-known individual): I am applying for the receptionist position that is currently open in the company. As you are aware, I have worked as a temporary employee with your company in this position before. As such, I not only have experience and knowledge of this position, but also already understand the company's needs and requirements for this job.

Informal (Incorrect): Hi! I read in the paper that ya'll were looking for a receptionist. I think that I am good for that job because I've done stuff like it in the past, am good with words, and am incredibly well organized.

Exam Seekers

Content related to english exams and courses., write better texts – 6 tips on semi-formal writing..

Hello Exam Seekers,

How do you feel about your writing? Do you feel that you can write any type of text? Or… Do you feel that you lack some guidance towards this subject?

These are important questions when you are taking any of the CELTA Courses , or the ICELT and the DELTA courses. After all, this is the kind of writing style you are required to use when writing the assignments.

I believe it is a bit presumptuous to assume that we are ready to write anything at any time. However, I can understand where these kinds of thoughts come from. If you are following a pathway to teaching which includes a Language Degree, you probably have had to write a thesis to conclude the course, or you had to write a few essays along the way. Well, these types of texts are not easy; moreover, you need guidance to write them. You go through so many drafts, write and rewrite things, which by the end of the presentation of your thesis – or your essays and articles -, you come to the conclusion that you are the best writer ever.

And maybe you are! I’m not here to judge, but it is important to know where you are stepping when you start a course like the ones I mentioned. Moreover, it is relevant to know that, even though your writing is great, you are still going to go through some other piles of drafts.

Well, at the center that I took my CELTA and ICELT courses, there were a few requirements for people to be able to enroll in either of them. One of the requirements to enroll in the ICELT course was that people were not only at a C1 level of the CEFR (CAE) but also that they had taken the CELTA.

It actually makes sense, even though Cambridge English did not require that. Actually, if you take a look at Cambridge requirements for the ICELT, they were pretty lower than what you used to find in some centers. These centers did that because they were very rigid about the texts an ICELTee should be writing. In addition to that, they wanted to prepare people for the following courses/certificates. Most people when they finished the ICELT, they wanted to take the DELTA, a DIPLOMA course, which means that you are required to write long and complex texts.

Therefore, it is not a surprise that my first ICELT input session was about writing assignments. It was a session on SEMI-FORMAL WRITING.

What is semi-formal writing? Usually, a semi-formal type of writing is more polite than an informal one. You avoid some styles of writing and some vocabulary and try to use language that is more specific. A semi-formal style is used for communicating with people you do not know well or who are outside your regular working relations.

Some examples are: letters parents send to the school principal, or to teachers, texts you write to your landlord or boss, etc. They are similar to business letters: they are concise and informative.

So, here are some tips on this style of writing:

CONTRACTIONS :

There is no room for contractions when you use this language style. However, it is not a bad thing, if you lack in word count in the assignments, writing “it is” instead of “it’s” helps quite a lot. Moreover, the use of “there’s,” “I’ve,” etc. sounds too informal for these kinds of texts, like a conversation in real life.

You can use these connectors; however, when you want to sound posher , you should avoid these two and use others. Especially if you are trying to impress other people with your text. There are many examples of other similar connectors: > But: however, on the other hand, nevertheless, etc. > And: moreover, in addition to, furthermore, etc.

GENERALIZATIONS

When you are writing an assignment, you are usually writing a report on a situation and presenting solutions, so, you should be very specific about the types of things you write. Instead of a broad statement where an idea can be applied to groups of people, try to narrow the focus of the writing, it shows that you did intense research. So avoid using: all, everyone, always, probably, might, etc.

PASSIVE VOICE

Whereas in some countries Passive Voice is a synonym of formal language, in English, if you are writing something more formal, the passive should be avoided . ;P When we use the passive, we put the object in focus, while in an assignment you should give the subject its purpose: they are doing the action , so let them do it! Use the active voice, started the sentences using “I”, meaning that you actually did the job, researched it, is acting on it, etc.

PARENTHESIS

A text should express precisely what is written, so avoid using parenthesis. Whatever you want to say, you should say it straight away. If you really need to write, a side comment between parenthesis, first try using subordinate clauses and work on punctuation, leaving the parenthesis as a last resource.

INFORMAL LANGUAGE

If you are writing a semi-formal text, avoid informal language. There are many ways to avoid informal language: First , you should avoid the connectors “and” and “but”, there are more formal connectors than these two. Second , you can use synonyms of common words, which you can find at Thesaurus.com , which is a great help. Another possibility is to avoid using two words instead of one (when one of them is “very”. For example, when you say “ It was very cold “, you can improve your writing by saying “ It was freezing “.

Check the list below, there is a good number of words to help you write better.

Another way to avoid bad writing is to use Grammarly !!! Check my post about Grammarly . It usually helps a lot by suggesting improvements to your text or to tell you how to restructure your text avoiding lousy punctuation, repetition of words, and passive voice. However, you have to remember to choose the correct style of writing when using Grammarly :

Well, I hope that I was able to clear up some questions about this subject. And whenever you have questions, check these tips out!!! 🙂

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Extended Essay: Formal vs. Informal Writing

Extended Essay- The Basics
Step 1. Choose a Subject
Step 2. Educate yourself!
Using Brainstorming and Mind Maps
Identify Keywords
Do Background Reading
Define Your Topic
Conduct Research in a Specific Discipline
Step 5. Draft a Research Question
Step 6. Create a Timeline
Find Articles
Find Primary Sources
Get Help from Experts
Search Engines, Repositories, & Directories
Databases and Websites by Subject Area
Create an Annotated Bibliography
Advice (and Warnings) from the IB
Chicago Citation Syle
MLA Works Cited & In-Text Citations
Step 9. Set Deadlines for Yourself
Step 10. Plan a structure for your essay
Evaluate & Select: the CRAAP Test
Conducting Secondary Research
Conducting Primary Research
Formal vs. Informal Writing
Presentation Requirements
Evaluating Your Work

Differences Between Informal and Formal Essays

When writing your extended essay you should use language that is formal and academic in tone. The chart below gives you some idea of the differences between informal and formal essays. See the box below for examples of the differences in tone in informal and formal essays written on identical topics. A PDF of this chart, and the examples below, is in the box to the right , along with a list of tips for avoiding colloquial writing.

Examples of Informal and Formal Tone in Essay Writing

The following examples highlight the differences between formal and informal tone.

Language B - English

Formal vs. Informal Writing A chart giving the differences between informal and formal essays in seven areas (author's viewpoint; subject/content (sources of evidence); tone; structure; location of the research question; vocabulary; and purpose. Also included are examples comparing informal and formal writing for essays in English, biology, and psychology.
How to Avoid Colloquial (Informal) Writing While it may be acceptable in friendly e-mails and chat rooms, excessive colloquialism is a major pitfall that lowers the quality of formal written text. Here are some steps/tips that you can follow to help improve your overall writing.
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7 Tips for Writing a Good Quality Semiformal Essay

Philip Green

In order to write a quality semiformal essay, it is crucial to note that the presentation of the content is refined, logically structured, organized and professional. Without these traits you won't be able to write it successfully.

Here are a few tips that’ll help you to enhance your skills for writing semiformal essays:

Make sure to thoroughly review the project you've been assigned in order to completely understand what’s expected from the project. To accomplish this, care should be taken when essay assignments ask for comparisons and similarities between eras, ideologies or cultures.
Also review your assignment for required word counts, tone and style, not to mention the due date. Believe me; your semiformal essay will miss out on essential grade marks if you ignore these points.
Make sure to create an engaging and strong opening. Your opening should be clear & concise statement for your work. This statement sets the tone for your entire essay, so it has to be done right the first time. Consider the opening as the first thing that’ll keep the examiner hooked onto it.
Create an outline for the rest of the essay based on your opening statement. This outline can include a complete analysis of the essay, so that it garners interest in the reader’s mind to explore further.
Be sure to add different points of view, contrasting or otherwise, in order to create a feel of discussion within your essay regarding your specific topic.
Do remember to prepare footnotes and bibliography for the essay. These must include anecdotal evidence and personal hypothesis to be used in your semiformal essay. Adding footnotes and a bibliography helps to create a foundation for your arguments and conclusion.
Draft your essay without using an overly complex structure of sentences. Ensure that your headings and subheadings have the same tone and theme. Read your essay as a third person and correct any spelling or grammar mistakes.

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Essay: formal, semi-formal and informal essays explained, alfred ajibola - thu, 24th january, 2019 @ 5:08 pm, topics in english phrase: types of phrase clause explained with its types essay: how to write the major types of essay nouns and adjectives: examples of nouns formed from adjectives meaning and examples of homonyms idioms and examples of idioms synonyms: meaning and examples of synonyms figures of speech: meaning, examples and types of figure of speech relative pronouns and compound relative pronouns explained with examples transitive and intransitive verbs explained with examples phrase explained with examples essay: formal, semi-formal and informal essays explained, academic questions in english please click here to see all questions and answers for this question and the three questions below, choose the option that best completes the sentence. the doctor _____ the illness as malaria, not dysentery. a. discovered b. diagnosed c. tested d. examined e. announced f. prescribed the principal reacted to the disrespectful action of the student with strong _____. a. indignation b. condemnation c. accusation d. demonstration e. mobilization f. impunity since the writer did not indicate his name , the editor did not publish such a/an _____ article. a. poor b. libellous c. discourteous d. impolite e. anonymous f. scandalous the play was so interesting that the _____ clapped for a long time at the end. a. congregation b. fans c. spectators d. audience e. watchers f. people answer true of false with regards to the sentence below: ' humility ' is a noun and ' humble ' is an adjective a. true b. false a part of a sentence or clause that contains a verb and something concerning the subject within that sentence is termed a/an _____. a. predicate b. object c. adverbial clause d. adverbial phrase e. half clause f. body of adverbial clause the acronym wi-fi stands for _____. a. wireless files b. wireless flips c. wireless fidelity d. wireless freedom e. wireless and free f. wireless fun the words massacre and bloodbath are _____. a. antonyms b. synonyms c. homonyms d. homophones e. heteronyms f. heterophone.

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What are Essays ?

Often times as students, we are asked to write essays. The word 'essay' is derived from the Latin word 'exagium', which means 'to present one’s case'.

An essay is defined as a short piece of writing on a particular subject; with an expression on one's perspective or point of view.

Through an essay, one is able to:

Narrate an experience

Present his or her side of a story

Tell a story

Explain or expose some hidden details about a story

Generally, essays are expressed or written in 3 forms. These are:

Formally (Formal Essays)

Informally (Informal Essays)

Semi-formally (Semi-formal Essays)

Formal Essays

Formal essays are not personal. In terms of writing, they usually follow a specific form, structure and pattern, although this may still vary based on the type of essay.

To properly write a formal essay, the subject of such essay becomes the main focus; thus there is no need for excessive salutation or 'beating around the bush' in this form of essay writing.

We will often write formal essays for official, professional, governmental or academic purposes. Take for instance, when one sees an employment opening for his or her dream job, such person will need to write a formal essay to the hiring manager.

It is worthy of note to state that slangs, idiomatic expressions and colloquialism are not required when writing a formal essay.

Please read on slangs and other figures of speech here .

In the course of writing a formal essay, it is recommended not to use the 'first person pronouns' as a form of reference.

First person pronoun include words like: 'I, We, He, She' and so on. Consider the instance below:

Instead of writing: I made fifty percent increase in sales during my first year.
We could write: Sales was increased by fifty percent during the first year.

Please read more on relative pronouns here .

Also, it is recommended we avoid contraction or shortening of words in formal essays. For instance:

Instead of writing: The manager of my previous job won't agree with me.
We could write: The manager of my previous job will not agree with me.

Please read on nouns formed from adjectives here .

Formal essays are polite in writing and neutral in style. The salutation in formal essays will typically begin with 'Dear Sir / Madam' and end with 'Yours Faithfully' followed by your signature and your name.

Informal Essays

Informal essays do not follow a specified set of structure. This is so because they are typically written to a friend, relative or a family member.

Since they are often personal, an informal essay may contain some element of humor. To this end, slang, idiomatic expressions and contractions can be used here because you are are writing to a friend or loved one.

Please read more on idioms here .

The salutation of an informal essay will usually begin with 'Dear Name' and end with something special; for instance, 'Yours Ever', 'Yours Truly' and so on.

Semi-formal Essays

Semi-formal essays have some of the characteristics of formal and an informal essay. They are generally written to groups we know about and are part of.

Such written essays will be read to the members of such group. Take for instance, one who belongs to a group may write a semi-formal essay to such group regarding an assignment, a project or a report.

You can read on phrases and clauses here .

It is worthy of note to state that slogans associated with the group may be included in a semi-formal essay. This makes a lot of sense since the slogan used is considered as an official language in the specific group to which the essay is addressed.

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The furry tufts of hair inside a cat's ear are called ear furnishings

There are only four words in the English language that end in ' dous '. These are:

Tremen dous

Horren dous

Stupen dous

Notable points in English Homonyms are words with the same spellings, same sounds but different meanings. Below are some sentences containing homonyms with their respective meanings: Keen We have a keen match against Ronaldo’s team and Messi seems to be keen . Keen : An involvement of people competing very hard for something. Keen : Very interested in something. Tear Regardless the tear you shed, Mr. Frank will still tear your examination scripts. Tear : The drop of liquid that comes out from a person's eye when they cry. Tear : To damage something by pulling or cutting it apart. Jot There isn't any jot of truth in what he said, so I didn't jot anything down. Jot : A very small amount of something Jot : To write something quickly Please read more on homonyms here Certain words in English language appear to be similar but are quite different in meaning. The table below shows some examples: Childlike Childish Stimulus Stimulant Destructible Destructive Negligible Negligent Comprehensible Comprehensive Synonyms should not be confused with the above instance. They are different words with similar meanings. Please read more on synonyms here . Some words always exist in the plural form. Examples of such words are: Scissors Shears Alms News Trousers Possessive adjective tells you the owner of a thing. For instance; This is his car. 'His' in the above statement is describing him as the owner of the car; and this makes 'his' a possessive adjective. That is your bag. 'Your' is a possessive adjective in the above statement. Note : An adjective is a word that describes a noun. Possessive pronouns show possession. A possessive pronoun will always correspond with each of the personal pronouns. For Instance: I own the book. ('I' is a personal pronoun) The book is mine . ('Mine' is the possessive pronoun) She owns a car. ('She' is a personal pronoun) The car is hers . ('Hers' is the possessive pronoun)

Subject Material

Formal, Semi-formal, and Informal English

A man on a beach half dressed in swimwear and half in a formal suit. Photo.

When you speak to your sister or brother, you express yourself differently than when you talk to a teacher or a boss. In a job interview, you choose different words than you do at a party. And when you text your friends, the messages look very different from a job application. We know that we have to use appropriate language in the correct situations. If you are too formal or too informal in the wrong settings, you may blow it big time – or realise that you have underestimated the delicacy of the situation .

For anyone with English as a second language, this is a constant challenge, because the nuances between what is perceived as polite or impolite are very difficult to detect for anyone who does not have English as a mother tongue. This is something that it takes years to master.

We operate with different levels of formality in English, and the levels are associated with particular choices of grammar and vocabulary. In order to master the English language, it is important to develop an understanding of the different levels and practise using them in the correct situations.

You will often find that people refer to two levels of formality: formal and informal English. However, in this article we will, for the sake of clarity, present three different levels: formal, semi-formal (neutral), and informal language.

Let’s take a closer look at the three levels:

Formal English

Formal English is primarily used in written communication, such as official reports, academic articles, business letters, and contracts. There are also examples where spoken English can be very formal, for examples in speeches, lectures, or interviews. In general, formal English expresses respect and distance to the person you are communicating with.

Formal English is characterised by the following:

It makes use of fairly long and complex sentences. Example: The evidence taken from the observation of the behaviour of apes and children suggests that there are three clearly separable groups of simple causes for the outbreak of fighting and the exhibition of aggressiveness by individuals.
As the sentence above demonstrates, formal English also use a fairly complex vocabulary. For example, instead of the word 'buy' you would use the word 'purchase'. Instead of the word 'enough' you could use the word 'sufficient'.
There is also a strong focus on correct grammar. The more complex the sentence, the more important grammar and sentence structure become.
Phrasal verbs are usually avoided. Phrasal verbs are combinations of a verb with a preposition or adverb, as in 'get up', or 'go through'. For example: 'The client asked for a meeting' is less formal than 'The client requested a meeting'.
Contractions are never used in formal writing. Instead, go for the full form: 'he’s' = 'he is' / 'they’re' = 'they are'.
Formal English does not accept slang or textspeak. Avoid expressions like 'a million bucks' (a million dollars) and 'He’s loaded' (very rich). And you would never, ever write 'Tks & we look 4ward 2 meeting u!!!'

Semi-formal English (Neutral English)

Semi-formal English is more neutral. This is the language you would use when you talk to people you know, but perhaps not on a personal level, for example when you talk to your teacher or when you speak to colleagues in a work setting. It is used both in written and spoken communication.

The sentences are often shorter and less complex than in formal English. If you take a look at the complex sentence presented above and compare it with this, you may notice a difference: ' If we look at how apes and children behave, we see the same three reasons why fights start in each group.
The vocabulary is simpler and more colloquial than formal English. You could use everyday words like 'stop' and 'meet' instead of more formal words like 'terminate' and 'convene'.
Phrasal verbs are often used. You could very well say ‘Could you look ove r this report’ instead of the more formal ‘Could you review this report?’
Contractions like 'I’m', 'they’re' and 'hasn’t' are used, but you can also use the full form ('I am', 'they are', 'has not').
Slang and textspeak should still be avoided.

Informal English

Informal English is the type of language you would use with friends, and when speaking or chatting online. This is not the type of language you would use in homework assignments or on your exam. Informal language has some of the following characteristics:

Short and simple sentences are commonly used, and grammar plays a less important role. Often, you would skip words that seem superfluous for the meaning to be clear. For example, 'Coming?', 'Finished your homework yet?'
Phrasal verbs are more common than not. You would not request a meeting, you would ask for a meeting.
The vocabulary is colloquial and fairly simple, including slang, textspeak. and abbreviations: 'What's up?', 'BTW', 'LOL', 'Chill out'...
Reductions and contractions are also common: 'I gotta go', 'I wanna see', 'He’s gone', 'We're happy'..

Is formal language more polite?

Many believe that the more formal your language is, the more polite you are. Well, not always. Formality isn't everything. The truth is that you have to consider every situation individually. Using formal English is a sign of respect, but it also creates a distance between you and the one you are talking to. It can seem awkward and unnatural, and sometimes even cold and unfriendly. Sometimes, going for a more neutral, semi-formal English may feel safer and more inclusive. It really all depends on the situation. If you are working internationally, or receiving clients or colleagues from abroad, it is a good idea to research what standards are used.

So, pay attention to what is going on around you and how other people write, talk, and behave. And if you should end up in awkward situations where you feel that your language skills are insufficient, remember that English has a few magic words that often work miracles: ‘excuse me’, ‘thank you’ and ‘please’. These words are used much more frequently in English than in Norwegian, regardless of your level of formality.

Below, you will find files containing examples of words and expressions that are used in formal and less formal settings. Download the lists to your computer, and use them in your writing. The lists are not complete, so add other words that you know of.

Clicking here downloads a document with formal and informal words (DOCX)
Clicking here downloads a document about writing formal and informal letters (DOCX)

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Writing Tips

How to Use the Semicolon in Academic Writing

3-minute read

21st October 2016

Today, friends and frenemies (we know you’re out there), we’re looking at the semicolon, including when this punctuation mark should be used in formal writing (i.e. not for making emoticons wink ). We’ll also take a look at the difference between semicolons and colons.

Using a Semicolon to Link Sentences

The main use of the semicolon is to link two sentences. This emphasizes a connection between independent clauses that would otherwise be separated by a period. For instance, the following sentences work by themselves:

My favorite food is spam. I spend a fortune on tinned meat.

However, we could link them with a semicolon to show that they are connected:

My favorite food is spam; I spend a fortune on tinned meat.

This makes it obvious that my love of spam and my meat expenses are related.

I also wear this outfit every day. I have a serious problem. (Photo: Charles LeBlanc/flickr)

Linking sentences like this is common when the second sentence starts with a conjunctive adverb (e.g., “however” or “furthermore”) or a transition phrase (e.g., “as a result”):

I love spam; consequently, I eat it for every meal.

As above, this emphasizes the connection between the two statements.

Generally speaking, you shouldn’t use a semicolon before conjunctions like “but” or “and,” although they can be used for clarity if either of the clauses being joined contains a comma .

Using Semicolons in a List

The second important use of semicolons is to separate items in a list . Usually, commas are enough for short, simple lists (like the following):

The menu offered four choices: spam, eggs, grits or pancakes.

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However, if the listed items are more complex and already include commas, using semicolons to distinguish between them aids clarity:

The menu offered four choices: spam, fries and beans; pancakes, syrup and spam; egg, bacon and spam; or spam, spam, spam, spam and spam .

Here, for instance, using semicolons clearly shows where one item on the menu ends and another begins. Using only commas in a list like this, by comparison, could be confusing.

Semicolon or Colon?

Knowing when to use a semicolon and when to use a colon can be tricky, since colons can also be used to link two related sentences. There are two factors to consider here.

The first is that semicolons can only be used to link complete sentences, whereas the information following a colon can be as little as a single word. For instance:

There’s only one food I can’t stand: spam.

If we wanted to rewrite this using a semicolon, we’d have to use two independent clauses:

There’s only one food I can’t stand; I hate the taste of spam.

The second consideration is that the information following a colon is usually an explanation or specification of a general statement (i.e., more general: more specific ).

With a semicolon, however, the sentences linked are typically of equal weight or importance.

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Exercise 6: Writing an essay for examination from 2024 (Ultimate Guide)

Exercise 6 of the Reading and Writing paper of the IGCSE English as a Second Language (ESL) exam (0510/0511/0991/0993) is always a formal or semi-formal writing. It can be an article, an essay, a report, or a review.

In this article, you will discover how to write an almost-perfect essay that impresses the examiner and gets you the highest band. So, are you ready? Let’s dive in!

So, what is an essay?

An essay is a short piece of writing on a particular subject. The purpose of an essay is to present an argument or point of view about a particular topic and give examples or reasons to support it. The topic will be a question or an issue which people generally have different opinions about.

The essay could present both sides of the argument, or just one, depending on the instructions given in the task. So, if the instructions ask you to give your opinion, you can address just this one point of view, or you can discuss the arguments for and against. But if the task instructions state that arguments for and against should be included, then you should address both points of view.

The Tone and Register of an Essay

In the exam, the essay is usually for your teacher, so the tone and register should be formal or semi-formal . Therefore, it should avoid language that is too idiomatic and colloquial.

Now, before diving into the details of how to write a successful essay, let’s first explore a few differences between articles and essays.

Differences between an article and an essay

An essay is very similar to an article with only a few key differences.

An article is usually published in a newspaper or a magazine, so as far as the exam is concerned, the audience is often students at your school (school magazine article), or sometimes your teacher or the local newspaper.

The audience of an essay is often your teacher (who requested the essay in the first place).

An article is generally written to inform and persuade the reader that a certain viewpoint is correct.

An essay is generally written as a response to a question or a proposition (often by your teacher). It presents an argument or point of view about a particular topic and gives examples or reasons to support it.

Tone and style:

Articles generally have a more objective tone and style, focusing on presenting information in a neutral or balanced manner.

Essays are generally subjective, reflecting the writer’s opinion and perspective.

An article may have a heading to grab the reader’s attention (though not compulsory in the exam).

An essay does not require a heading.

The format of a one-sided argument essay

A one-sided argument essay can have two formats, depending on whether you include a counterargument from the opposing viewpoint or not.

Paragraph 1: Introduction (including your opinion)

Paragraph 2: First point supporting your opinion with an explanation

Paragraph 3: Second point supporting your opinion with an explanation

Paragraph 4: State a counterargument (an idea from the opposing viewpoint) and counter the counterargument (i.e., explain why this counterargument is invalid). In other words, state a point made by people who have a different opinion from yours and explain why they are wrong.

Paragraph 5: Conclusion (including your opinion again but in different words)

Paragraph 2: One or two points supporting your opinion with an explanation

Paragraph 3: One or two points (different from those of the previous paragraph) supporting your opinion with an explanation

Paragraph 4: Conclusion (including your opinion again but in different words)

The format of a two-sided argument essay

Paragraph 1: Introduction (without your opinion)

Paragraph 2: One side of the argument

Paragraph 3: The other side of the argument

Paragraph 4: Conclusion (including your opinion)

Introduction

The purpose of the introduction is to inform the reader about the main point (topic) of the essay and engage the reader to make them interested in the topic. The main components of an effective introduction are:

Topic sentence

Start your essay with a brief topic sentence that outlines the argument that the essay will discuss. Give forceful statements rather than “I think that”, “maybe” or “perhaps”. For example, “Teenagers love fast food.”, “Nowadays, music plays an indispensable role in our lives.”, etc.

To write an effective topic sentence, you might use adverbial time phrases and generalizations . Here are some examples of each.

Adverbial time phrases

Nowadays/these days/currently
Every day/week/year
Recently/for many years/decades
In the past
10 years ago
In the last (few/five) (days/weeks/months/years/decades)

Generalization

A large number of / The vast majority (of)
Several/some
Not many/hardly any/ few
In almost all cases
In the majority of cases
In a large number of cases
In most cases
In some cases
On the whole/ Overall
Rhetorical question(s)

Use rhetorical questions (questions that don’t require an answer but make your reader think) to get the reader interested in the topic and encourage them to read on. For example:

How much longer do animals have to suffer?
Could you live with yourself if you missed out on this opportunity?
How could we possibly stand the …?
What would happen if …?
Could your conscience cope with …?
Is it really worth …?
Do you want to be part of …?
Should students do sport at school?
Should teenagers completely avoid fast food?
We all love convenience food. But is it the best thing for our waistlines, our wallets and our world?
Your opinion (if it is a one-sided argument essay)

If you are writing a two-sided argument essay, DO NOT give your opinion in the introduction.

If you are writing a one-sided argument essay, you MUST give your opinion (whether you support or oppose the viewpoint expressed in the statement).

Here are some opinion phrases to help you express your opinion.

In my opinion/view
From my perspective
From my point of view
I concur/agree
I believe/think (that)
It seems to me that
I am in favour of
I am against the idea of
I am strongly opposed to
I disagree/cannot accept

You may also kill two birds with one stone and begin your essay with a rhetorical question that introduces the topic to the reader, thus acting as a topic sentence. Here are some examples.

“Have you ever thought how school life would be if the school day started later? In my perspective, this will have countless benefits.”

“Should students do sport at school? This is a question which people have different opinions about.”

One-sided essay structure:

Body paragraph 1: First idea supporting your opinion with an explanation

Body paragraph 2: Second idea supporting your opinion with an explanation ( should be different from the first idea )

Body paragraph 3: State a counterargument (an idea from the opposing viewpoint) AND counter the counterargument (i.e., explain why this counterargument is invalid). In other words, state a point made by people who have a different opinion from yours and explain why they are wrong.

Body Paragraph 1: one or two points supporting your opinion with an explanation

Body Paragraph 2: one or two points (different from those of the previous paragraph) supporting your opinion with an explanation

When introducing the counterargument in the 3 rd body paragraph, use any of the following phrases.

Opponents of this idea claim/assert/argue that …
Those who disagree/are against these ideas may say/insist that …
Some people allege/argue/contend that …
Some people may suggest/point out that …
A common counterargument is that …
It can be argued that …

When countering the counterargument in the 3 rd body paragraph, use any of the following phrases depending on the context.

Although true to a certain extent, …
While this may be true to some extent, …
While it is true that …, it is important to consider…
While some may believe that … recent studies have shown that …
What this invalid argument misses is …
What these people fail to notice/take note of is …
The evidence, however, disproves this argument because …
However, upon closer examination, it becomes clear that …
However, a closer analysis reveals that …
However, this flawed argument overlooks the fact that …

Two-sided essay structure:

Body paragraph 1: One side of the argument either in favour or against ( mention 2 different ideas )

Body paragraph 2: The other side of the argument either in favour or against ( mention 2 different ideas )

General guidelines for both kinds of essays:

Read the question carefully and draft a plan for your essay in the blank space below the question using a pencil. Here are some steps to follow.
Separate the blank space into two parts, one for and one against.
Jot down any points that come to your mind in the correct part, along with any interesting vocabulary or expressions suitable for the task. Remember to write briefly and in bullet points.
Decide whether you will write a one-sided essay or a two-sided essay. If the instructions in the question state that you must include arguments for and against, then choose the best 2 points supporting each side and write a two-sided essay. If it’s not mentioned that you must include arguments for and against, then the choice is yours.
Consider how you will begin your essay and how you will engage the reader at the start. For example, write some variations of the topic sentence and rhetorical questions that you could use.
Choose the most effective ones and begin writing. Remember to spend no more than 5 minutes on the plan.
Start your body paragraphs with a topic sentence rather than just jumping into the advantages or disadvantages (especially if you’re writing a two-sided essay). This helps to organize your writing and makes the purpose of the paragraph clear to the reader. For example, in an essay discussing the advantages and disadvantages of fast food, it is better to start your first body paragraph with a topic sentence like “There are some obvious advantages of fast food. Firstly, …” rather than just getting into the first point and writing, “To begin with, it’s quite tasty.”.
You can use the few prompts given in the question, but it is better to use your own ideas if you want to get higher marks. If, however, you are out of ideas, use the ideas in the question and make sure to paraphrase them (write them in different words) and develop them well.
Support your ideas with reasons, evidence, or examples . Keep in mind that the examiner knows the evidence or examples will be made up and doesn’t expect these to be correct. Yes, you can make up your own statistics! Just make sure it’s not overly unrealistic.
Keep to the topic (don’t wander away from the main subject of the essay). Remind yourself constantly by looking again at the question.
Use a variety of linking words and cohesive devices (mainly formal) to create a smooth and logical flow in your writing. Here are some examples.

When presenting the first point (used in the 1 st body paragraph of both one-sided essays and two-sided essays)

There are some obvious advantages of
Those in support of … believe that …
People who think … say that …
The main argument in favour of/against is
The main point/reason is
The most important point/reason is
The first point/reason is
First of all
First and foremost

When adding more points to the same side of the argument

In addition,
Furthermore,
Additionally,
Not only … but also…
As well as.
Another noteworthy point is …
Apart from that
What is more

When contrasting ideas (typically used to introduce the opposite viewpoint in the 2 nd body paragraph of a two-sided essay

Some people argue that …
Nevertheless
Even though
In spite of
On the other hand
On the contrary
By contrast

When giving examples

For example
For instance
One clear example is
To illustrate
In other words

When reasoning:

Results and consequences: as a result, consequently, therefore, thus, hence, for this reason, as a result (of), which means that, etc.
Reasons and causes: owing to, because (of), on account of, due to, since, as, etc.

When highlighting and stressing

Particularly
In particular
Specifically

The purpose of the conclusion is to sum up what you have said and express (or re-express) your opinion.

In the conclusion:

Briefly summarize your main points using concluding phrases. Here are some examples.
In conclusion
To conclude
To reiterate
On the whole
All things considered
After weighing the benefits and drawbacks
I believe that …
Thus, I am of the opinion that …
Given these points

Remember to use different words from those used to express the points in the body.

Give your final opinion (regardless of whether it’s a one-sided or a two-sided essay) and any solution or suggestion if applicable.

The solution or suggestion might be part of your opinion if you’re writing a two-sided essay and want to take a balanced view on the issue rather than siding with one side. For example, “Overall, I believe eating fast food occasionally isn’t a problem, but fresh home-cooked food is best.” Use the opinion phrases stated earlier in the Introduction section to express your opinion, and if it’s a one-sided essay, make sure to use different words from those used in the introduction.

End with a strong, impactful statement that leaves the reader with something to think about. This could be a rhetorical question or a statement that encourages the reader to decide what they think about the same viewpoint. For example:
“To conclude, I wholeheartedly believe that everyone should pursue higher education. Why not embrace this invaluable opportunity to fast-track your career, build your confidence, and broaden your social circle?”
“Overall, I believe eating fast food occasionally isn’t a problem, but fresh home-cooked food is best. Do you not think so?”
“After weighing the benefits and the drawbacks, it is apparent that convenience food, while palatable, may negatively impact other areas of your life. Think about this before you reach for your next snack!”

It’s worth mentioning that this step is PREFERABLE . So don’t stress too much about ending your essay with an impactful statement or a rhetorical question. Just make sure that the conclusion reflects the argument presented in the main body of the essay and that your final opinion is clear to the reader.

Points to keep in mind

Read the task carefully to make sure that the ideas and supporting information you include are relevant to the topic. Students often lose focus and write about wider, more general issues associated with the topic, which significantly affects their marks.
Organize your essay into 4-5 paragraphs . Leave a line between paragraphs or indent the first line of each new paragraph. Don’t do both!
Take care of spelling, punctuation, and grammar . This is important as the examiner will look at the accuracy of your language.
Use a combination of simple, compound, and complex sentences . A series of long sentences will make your writing difficult to read, and a series of short simple sentences will make your writing boring to read. Balance is the key.
Use a wide range of formal vocabulary, including some advanced and less commonly used ones .
Include a range of topic-related vocabulary to show that you have a good understanding of the topic.
Use a wide variety of formal linking words to link ideas in sentences and paragraphs. Examples have been mentioned earlier.
Use advanced punctuation sparingly (1-3 in the whole essay), for example, colon (:) and semicolon (;).
Include language appropriate for expressing opinions, agreeing, and disagreeing. In addition to mentioning your opinion in the introduction and/or conclusion, your viewpoint can also be included in the body paragraphs (whether it’s a one-sided or a two-sided essay) by:
Mentioning personal examples or experiences (which implies that you agree with this point of view)
Explicitly agreeing while presenting a point in the body paragraph. Here is an example: “People who think sports lessons are a good idea say that students need exercise, and I agree that doing sports helps to make you healthy and avoid getting overweight.”
Aim to complete towards the maximum word limit (approximately 160 words). Exceeding the word limit slightly (15-20 words) is fine as long as you write accurately and complete the task within the correct time. If you exceed the word limit by any number of words, be it even 100, no marks will be cut directly, but you increase your chances of making more mistakes and spending more time than required for this exercise, which may affect your mark indirectly. If you write towards the lower limit or below, you are highly unlikely to achieve the highest band for Content as your content is not well developed.
Spend about 30 minutes on this exercise : the initial 5 minutes for planning and the last 2-3 minutes for checking your work for simple spelling, punctuation, and grammatical mistakes.
Write legibly

Don’ts

Do not write a heading.
Avoid colloquial or ‘chatty’ language (which includes informal vocabulary, abbreviations, or slang such as how r u, OMG, BTW, etc.).
Avoid listing (firstly, secondly, thirdly, etc.). There is no problem in writing “firstly”, but avoid writing “secondly” and “thirdly”.
Avoid repetition of vocabulary and beginning your sentences with the same words . Sometimes, students write 3 or more sentences in a row starting with “The”!
Avoid including too many different ideas in your essay. It is better to include fewer ideas and develop one or two in greater depth rather than writing many ideas which are not well-developed.
Avoid writing an overlong introduction and conclusion. It would be more effective to utilize the limited word count to develop your ideas within the body of the essay. Also, avoid pre-learned language for these parts of the essay, as this may not be totally relevant or might sound unnatural.
It’s preferable to avoid contractions , but they can be used as the essay can have a semi-formal tone and register. In both cases, remember to be consistent throughout. So, if you used contractions, use them throughout your whole essay, and if not, avoid them altogether.

Practice a lot of past papers and get feedback on your writing. We know that essay writing is newly added to the syllabus, but you can still practice writing essays in response to past years’ article writing questions as they are very similar.

Finally, don’t forget to check out our samples page and if you find this helpful, please share it with your friends.

Good luck! Go get that A*!

21 responses to “Exercise 6: Writing an essay for examination from 2024 (Ultimate Guide)”

Dear ESL KINGS Team,

Your notes have always helped me, including the samples ofcourse. I have made a number of progress, but there is still some questions I have.

To begin with, when would it be perfect/suitable for you to start uploading essay samples? My exam is on May 8 and I really do require their needs. I know that article is basically almost like an essay, But I still haven’t seen a proper essay For esl ever.

Moving on, I wanted to ask that are the International examiners more strict? I am asking this because the samples you have provided have made me totally fall apart as I was shocked by the language required to score top marks. My emails are average on a scale of 13/15 while my formal writings are between 10 – 12, and since I never have experienced the real examiner, I am scared I will even get less then that. It’s my hugest goal to Get around 95 marks from 100 in ESL. For now, If I can estimate I will get around 93 marks which I still don’t find in appeal.

Please do help me with this.

Warm regards, Ayaan Yousuf.

Dear Ayaan,

Thank you for your kind words! We’re glad you’re making progress!

Unfortunately, we may not be able to upload any more samples at the moment as we’re very busy with our exams. However, you may check out Cambridge’s essay sample available here . We appreciate your understanding.

It’s absolutely normal to feel that your writing is not as good as the samples because they are not a standard every student must follow to achieve good mark. They are just meant to inspire you: you can use any of their vocabulary, ideas or structures in your own writing to improve it. You can still score very good marks with a language below that of the samples. Our advice is to focus now on practicing as much as you can instead of how many marks you will score, and you will be able to get your desired grade inshallah.

Best regards, ESL Kings team

Thank you for providing such helpful resources and samples. Your examples are very good and advanced, but I feel my writing isn’t as good. Is this something to worry about, or is it normal? Will the examiners be very strict, or somewhat lenient, considering this is ESL?

Thank you for your kind words! It’s absolutely normal to feel that your writing is not as good as the samples. This is completely understandable and actually a good sign because it provides room for improvement.

We suggest that you get your writing marked by a teacher, a family member, a friend or even yourself; this will give you an idea of where your writing actually stands. And keep practising as much as you can, taking into account the tips we provide in the notes, and you will definitely see progress.

Examiners know of course that this is a second language exam and they mark based on the criteria mentioned in the mark scheme, which is more lenient than a first language exam.

Appreciate this post! Very helpful to me as a teacher.

Thank you! We really appreciate your positive feedback!

Thank you so much for giving us the ideas how to write an essay. Specially, phrases how to begin sentences from each paragraph

You’re welcome 🙂 We’re glad it helped!

Wonderful materials for my students who are going to take the exam next May. Thank you so much

Thank you so much for your kind feedback! We’re glad our notes are benefiting your students! Good luck to them!

Thank you so much for your help! Could you also post some sample essays, it would be very helpful for us!!

Hi Sara, thank you for your comment! We will definitely consider adding them after completing the review writing notes which we are currently working on.

What do you mean by do not write a heading? Do you mean we shouldn’t have a title for the essay?

Yes, an essay doesn’t require a title. Trying to come up with one will use up your exam time unnecessarily.

Is there going to be direct deduction of marks if written?

yes no title in essay

Hello, I’m having my exam in 4 months and I can’t believe I didn’t know about this website before, seriously I wholeheartedly appreciate what you do, I heard there’s a service where you can correct or give feedback on pieces of writings and grade them, is it available?

Thank you so much for your nice comment! We really appreciate it! Our marking service was available, but unfortunately, it is now suspended as it requires a lot of time and effort, which we can’t provide at the moment. We apologize for this! And we wish you good luck with your exam!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR EFFORT AND TIME CREATING THESE SUPER AMAZING NOTES AND TIPS FOR WRITING EXERCISES

Thank you for your kind words! We’re really glad you found them helpful!

IELTS Letter Writing Tips: Essential Top 10 Tips

Essential IELTS Letter Writing Tips for General Training Writing Task 1. Learn the right approach and techniques to get a high score in your IELTS GT letter. This page was last updated in 2023.

On this page, you will find:

Instructions about IELTS Letter Writing with Tips
Types of IELTS Letters
Letter Aims
Opening your Letter
Signing Off
Structure & Paragraphs
Planning your Letter
Model Letters

1. Instructions for IELTS Letters

You will be given instructions and three points to include in your letter.Below is an example of the type of instructions you can get:

You recently had a holiday visiting your friends and you stayed in their house. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: thank your friend for staying with them tell them what you enjoyed most about the holiday explain you are sending photos of the holiday with the letter

Tips for IELTS letter writing:

Spend 20 mins on this letter. Spend 3 -5 mins planning and then the rest writing. Always leave 2 mins to check your letter for spelling or grammar mistakes. You will need a full 40 mins for task 2, so don’t go over 20 mins for task 1. It is your responsibility to control the time in your writing test. Keep your eye on the clock.
You should write over 150 words (aim for between 160 and 180 to be safe). Writing a letter over 200 words is a waste of time. You don’t get a higher score for length.
Your letter is worth 33% of your final writing score. See this page: How your final writing score is calculated
You do NOT need to write an address on the letter. The first words will probably be “Dear” and then a name or title.
Pay close attention to who you are writing to and the relationship you have with that person. This will decide your style of writing and your tone.
Pay attention to the aim and purpose of the letter. You must fulfil the purpose of the letter.
It is essential that you use the three bullet points to structure your letter and provide the foundation for the information. This doesn’t mean that you write in bullet points, it means that you use the bullet points to create the content for paragraphs, for example the information for the first bullet point will be one paragraph.
All points must be included clearly in your letter. If you fail to include all the points in your letter, your band score will be lower. This relates to Task Achievement which is 25% of your marks.
You must use your imagination to fill in details and decide the names of the people in your letter.
Begin your letter by addressing the person and then an opening line. Always sign off appropriately. The way you address the person and the opening line will change depending on the style of letter, the person you are writing to and the purpose of the letter.

2. Types of IELTS Letter

There are three different types of letters: personal (informal), semi-formal and formal. Each type of letter will use different language. It will have a different beginning and a different way of signing off. Before you start writing, you should decide which type of letter you must write by identifying the task given. Below are examples of the three different types of letters.

Informal Letter (or Personal Letter)

You would like to invite a foreign friend to visit you for your birthday Write a letter inviting your friend. In your letter: tell your friend about your birthday explain how much the visit would mean to you suggest that your friend stays at your house for the visit

A personal letter is to someone you have a personal relationship, a friend who you meet or used to meet in your free time to socialise with inside your home. The content is about something social or personal, such as a holiday, party. Both the person and content are informal in nature.

Semi-formal Letter

You give advice to your friend who is seeking work. Write a letter advising your friend about a job tell your friend which job it is explain why you think it is a suitable job advise your friend about the application process

You would like to ask your boss for time off work. Write a letter requesting time off work. In your letter: explain why you are requesting time off work give details of dates explain how you will ensure you will keep up with your work

As you can see, I’ve provided two examples of a Semi-Formal letter. Both are semi-formal, but one is slightly more informal and the other is slightly more formal.

Semi-Formal / Informal: This means it is not 100% informal. Your relationship with the person is informal but the letter content is very serious, such as about work or education. Your letter might start with “Dear John” or “Hi John”, this means a more informal style of writing, but with much more serious content.
Semi-Formal / Formal: This means the letter is not 100% formal because you know the person. But you don’t know this person in your private life or home life so this relationship is not informal. This person is someone you know professionally, such as a colleague, boss, teacher, or a neighbour. The style will be more formal, but your language will not be completely the same as a fully formal letter. The way you address the person might vary: your colleague “Dear Bob”, but your boss or neighbour “Dear Mr Brown”.

Note: You might find teachers vary slightly in how they categorise letters. Some teachers only have two categories of letters (Formal and Informal) and some teachers have three categorise but they might vary from mine. Teachers do not do this to confuse you. Each teacher chooses their categories because they think it is the best way to help you understand the letter style and content. Therefore, choose the categorisation that works best for you to have a clear understanding.

Formal Letter

You are interested in applying for a scholarship program to study at a foreign University. Write a letter to inquire about the course. In your letter: explain which course you are interested in tell what you know about the University explain why you should receive the scholarship

A formal letter is to someone you have no relationship with about a very formal matter. The person is actually a position in a company, organisation or university. So, you are writing to the position, rather than a person. Examples of formal letters are to a magazine editor, hotel manager, local council, a college or university (not a teacher) or customer services department at a company. You would address the letter as “Dear Sir/Madam” because you don’t even know the gender of the person you are writing to. To sum up, the person is unknown and content is formal.

3. Letter Aims

Letters can be based on different content which will affect the style of the letter. Below is a list of some of the common contents for letters. Although there are hints about whether the letters are usually formal or not, please note that you will know the style by reading the instructions given to you.

complaints (usually formal)
invitations (usually personal or semi-formal)
applications or resignations (usually formal)
request (any style common)
making arrangements (often formal)
explanation (sometimes semi-formal or personal)
informative / news letter (often personal/ semi-formal but formal can also appear)
apology (could be any style)

4. Letter Openings

Letters usually start with an opening statement which explains the reason for writing the letter. This opening statement varies depending on whether you are writing a formal or informal letter. Below are two examples of an opening statement. Can you spot which one is formal, semi-formal and informal?

A) I am writing this letter with regards to the scholarship program to study at London University which I read in Sunday Times on December 1st, 2014.

B) It’s been so long since we last were in touch but I haven’t forgotten all the wonderful times we spent together last year. It’s my birthday coming up and I wanted to invite you over to stay at my place for the celebration.

C) I’m just writing to say thank you for the offer of joining your company.

5. Signing Off

Depending on the style and aim of the letter, you will need to adapt your sign off. Below you can see how the salutations (the way you address the person at the start) matches the sign off.

Dear Sir / Madam = Yours faithfully, (formal letters – to a hotel manager, magazine editor, company complains department)
Dear Mr Robson = Yours sincerely, (semi-formal / formal letters – to a boss, teacher, neighbour)
Dear John = Best regards (semi-formal / formal – to a colleague at work)
Dear John = Best wishes (semi-formal / informal letters – to a friend about work or something serious)
Dear Dave = Best wishes (informal- to a friend about something social)
As you can see, some sign offs use a Sir/Madam, sometimes we use the title with the surname (family name) and sometimes we use the first name (given name) without a title.
You use Sir/Madam when you don’t know the name of the person you are writing to. But please note, not to use such a title in your speaking test.
If you have a semi formal relationship with the person whose name you know, who you have met and who you know, you use “Mr Brown”. This is to a person who you don’t know social with in your private life and who is in a position of authority above you, such as a boss, teacher etc.
You can use “Dear John” with a semi-formal / formal letter to a colleague. Certainly, you don’t socialise with this person outside of work, but they are on the same level as you at work and you have more relaxed working relationship with them.
We use no title and no last name when we write to a friend. We only use their first name (given name).

Below are some examples of final comments before signing off, can you tell which ones are formal and which not?

It’ll be great to catch up again soon. Give my best to everyone in the family. (informal)

I look forward to hearing from you. (formal)

Note: there are other ways of giving a final comment but it depends on the content of the letter you are writing. See my model letters (links below) to see this.

You should write a name at the end of your letter. You can use your name or you can invest one. Likewise, to address the person you are writing to, you can invent a name.

6. Grammar: Formal and Informal

Formal and informal (friendly) letters contain different language and style of writing. While informal letters can contain contractions ( I’m writing …), these contractions are unacceptable in formal writing so you need to write the words in full ( I am writing …. …).

In a formal letter, you could write “I am writing with regards to ….”, whereas for a semi-formal letter you can write “I’m writing about…” or “I’m writing to let you know that ..” or “I just want to tell you that..”. So, it is important to adapt your writing to suit the style of the letter. Also remember to use a range of different sentence structures in order to get a high score.

You’ll also get a score for a range of sentence structure and grammar features as well as tenses. Pay attention to articles(the / a / plural nouns), prepositions, word order etc.

7. Vocabulary: Formal and Informal

For vocabulary, be very careful using academic language in a personal letter. This would be inappropriate and will reduce your band score rather than increase it. Here are some examples of the difference between formal and informal language:

You will be collected at the airport = I’ll pick you up at the airport
The next available appointment is on Thursday = how about we meet up on Thursday?
I would like to invite you to visit my house on…. = Why don’t you pop round to my place on …..
I highly recommend that you come in August = it’d be great if you came in August
Please respond at the earliest convenience = Get back to me as soon as you can
Unfortunately I will not be able to attend on … = Sorry, but I won’t be able to make it on ….

IELTS will give you bullet points as content. It is your task to expand these bullet points into paragraphs with details. You need to invent those details. And, of course, details require appropriate vocabulary.

8. Spelling and Punctuation

The examiner will check your accuracy in your spelling and your punctuation (this means your use of commas and full stops). If you make frequent errors in spelling or in punctuation it is unlikely to get over band score 6. Spelling is part of the marking criterion of Vocabulary and punctuation is part of the marking criterion of Grammar.

9. Structure and Paragraphs

You must also organise your letter into paragraphs. This is an essential part of your letter writing and the examiner will be marking you on your ability to use effective paragraphing. In IELTS writing task 1 (GT), the letter structure below is most common as it usually follows the three points which you must include in your letter. However you must adapt it to suit the task given to you by IELTS. So spend time reading the instructions and deciding your paragraphing.

address to the person (name and possibly title as explained previously on this page)
opening statement – reason for writing and in an informal letter to a friend it might also include a personal greeting.
body paragraph A (first bullet point expanded into a paragraph with detail)
body paragraph B (second bullet point expanded into a paragraph with detail)
body paragraph C (third bullet point expanded into a paragraph with detail)
closing statement (if needed)
signing off
name (choose a name or use your own)

10. Planning Your Letter

You should spend at least 3 or 4 minutes planning your letter. Covering all the points in your letter, adding details, using the appropriate style of letter writing and using paragraphs well count for about 50% of your marks. So it’s worth taking time to plan your letter well. Follow the points below for a well planned letter:

read the instructions
identify what style of letter you must write
read through the points you must include in your letter
think about how many paragraphs you will have and where to put each point
plan what information you will add to each point
decide how to open the letter
think about the language you will use (both grammar and vocabulary) – it must suit the style of the letter
decide how to close the letter
plan the content of each body paragraph
start writing

11. Model Letters for IELTS GT

Apology Letter: Model Answers Formal & Informal
Amendment Letter: Model Answer 2017
Complaint Letter: Model Answer
Complaint Letter: Error Correction
Letter to a Friend: Model Answer
Invitation Letter: Model Answer
Collection of IELTS Sample Letters for Practice

Also Review

How to Improve your IELTS GT Letter
Differences between GT & Academic Writing

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You have seen an advertisement in an Australian magazine for someone to live with a family for six months and look after their six-year-old child. Write a letter to the parents. In your letter • explain why you would like the job • give details of why you would be a suitable person to employ • say how you would spend your free time while you are in Australia

Dear Parents,

I am writing to express my keen interest in the job advertised in the Australian magazine this week. The primary criteria involve residing with family and caring for a six-year-old child. Having recently relocated from Canada to Australia, I am currently in a six-month waiting period before commencing a teaching position. This job opportunity aligns perfectly with my schedule, as the current employee’s early retirement coincides with my availability.

Firstly, Let me introduce myself; I am Rita, known for my award-winning specialized sports techniques for kindergarten students at The York School in Canada. For instance, coaching an eight-year-old boy in roller skating led to his gold medal. My passion for nurturing children’s physical growth drives my enthusiasm for this position, particularly in countering the trend of children spending more time indoors so you and your child can gain some physical benefit after employing me.

Furthermore, I have a profound love for travel, complementing my teaching endeavors. I have already compiled a list of destinations I wish to explore, including natural attractions like lakes, rivers, and waterfalls. Additionally, I am eager to attend cultural events such as the Adelaide Fringe Festival, the world’s second-largest annual arts festival. I look forward to meeting you to discuss the possibility of employment. Yours sincerely, Ms. Rita Kapoor

Requesting you to please score it this the first time I have written this. Pls…

Just a quick comment. You should not address this letter as “Dear Parents”. You would know the name of the people you are applying to because it’s a position within a particular family. So, “Dear Mr and Mrs Brown” would be correct.

I have missed you on you tube. You no longer post videos, hope you are great.

Esther, Your friend from Nigeria ❤️

Thanks. I’m hoping to post an update video on my personal situation soon, but I’m just waiting for the right time.

The provided bar graph illustrate the percentage rate of as population aged 65 and over in Japan, Sweden and USA between 1940 and 2040

overall, it is readily apparent that the Japan had the lowest percentage rate in the first year. However, it is going to outraced both countries while, sweden and Japan has the Similar upward trend.

In 1940, Japan faced the downward trend between middle of the than it rocketed and over 25% in the upcoming year (2040) , yet sweden had the similar trend as compare to Japan , Sweden also going to show the upward trend in the future year (2040) while, being outraced by Japan

On the other hand, USA has highest percentage rate in 1940, however in the year (1980-2020) it stable and rise a bit in the upcoming year (2040).

Dear Jaspreet,

How have you been since we last met?

I don’t know if you remember, But I’m writing to invite you to my 22nd birthday which I’ll be celebrating in Hotel Delta on 23rd Nov 2023.

I still remember the moments we cherished together while on vacation in the United Kingdom, I will be more than happy if you’ll be able to come. Your presence would mean the world to me. Having you by my side on this significant occasion would make it even more memorable.

Also when you’ll be coming, Make sure to plan for at least 2 weeks because I want you to stay in my house which I recently bought. During your stay, we’ll have plenty of time to reconnect, explore the area, and create new memories.

Can’t wait to see you!

Warm regards, Japsimran Singh

Your words have the ability to uplift and inspire people from all walks of life.

Thanks. That’s really kind. I’m glad I have the impact to encourage others.

I recently came across a topic to write a letter to a singer do you think it should be formal?

It really depends on the instructions given with the topic. Most letters to singers will be fan letters which aren’t particularly formal but more informal in nature. But as I said, it depends on the other instructions given by IELTS.

It’s been a long since we last met, I hope things are going well your side. Although it’s been a one long year since we met, it still feels very fresh in my mind as it rejuvenated our good old days.

It’s my birthday coming up this June and I was wondering if you can take your time and visit me on my birthday. It will really mean a lot to me as I want to spend this precious moment with some special people of my life. I am deciding to visit nearby hill station on my birthday week, and explore some mind-boggling food, along with some beautiful sight-seeing.

Since it will be a summer that time and you know how beautiful and happening British Columbia is, we can also indulge ourselves in some recreational activities like hiking, water games, and many more. Also, you don’t have to worry about booking any home as you know I have an own apartment and you can stay with me. Let me know once you make your mind, so that I can apply plan accordingly. I am looking to hear a positive revert from your side.

Regards, Bhavesh

Dear Amy, Last week was fun. I can’t believe it is over already. I want to thank you for an amazing week in the cabin and I was touched by the hospitality of your family. I forever will cherish our time together. When we came back home from the cabin, I started packing my stuff up because I had to leave early in the morning for Dakota. The train was scheduled to leave at 7 sharp and among packing, bidding farewells and leaving at a reasonable hour for train, I accidentally left my wallet on your couch. It is unfortunate, I know and yes, I am a little irresponsible, just stop judging me. Now the thing is, I have my driving license, debit and credit cards inside the wallet and I can not function without them understandably. I have an exam on Saturday, that’s in 4 days and I need my driving license because the bus station is around an hour away from where I live. Be a darling and send me the wallet by post as soon as possible. It would be a huge favor and I’d definitely owe you one, no questions asked. Take care, Elina

Hi Liz, I was going through your grammar E book . It is really interesting. I usually get confused when to use ing after to and when to is used as a to infinitive form. Statement from E book: “People who dedicate their lives to saving others should be respected by society.” My question is why can’t we say save instead of saving in above sentence. Your response shall be highly appreciated.😊 Amrit

I’m glad you’ve got my Grammar E-book. The word “saving” is a noun, not a verb. The word “to” is a preposition connected to the verb “dedicated”. “People dedicate their lives to something”. For example, “she dedicated her life to music” or “she dedicated her life to playing the piano”. Another example of such language: – I look forward to hearing from you. – I look forward to your response. – I look forward to my birthday. The word “to” is a preposition connected to the verb “look forward”. The word “hearing” is a noun, the same as the words “your response” and “my birthday”. “. Go to the “Gerund” chapter in my Grammar E-book to learn about nouns like “saving” – Chapter 6 in Volume I.

Hey D., I already feel nostalgic for the holidays that we spent together and the memories that we created to cherish forever. Thank you, for your amazing hospitality. On that note, I was wondering if you saw my wallet at your place, seemingly, I forgot it there before leaving. I remember collecting and packing everything except the wallet which is usually in my denim back pocket, however, it wasn’t there. I realized it a bit late but I am sure I left it in the guest room on the bed’s side table. Just in case, you don’t find it at the designated place, then look around the bed counters. It’s a black Tommy Hilfiger case that glows in the dark so it generally grabs attention. I will be grateful if you could send it back to me since it’s a gift from Angela and she would get upset to see that I don’t have it on me. You can send the priority mail which would reach me in 2-3 business days. Needless to mention the whole address as you already know it, however, P.O. box number is recently updated to 4506. Also, We should plan next summer vacation soon. I look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes, Manila

Hi Liz, Your website was instrumental in helping me get great scores back in 2017. I am now revisiting your website again after all these years to take another stab at IELTS as my old scores have expired since. So first off I want to extend my sincere thanks to you for keeping this content free and accessible for all. Your website is a real treasure. I have recommended this blog to others on several occasions…

Onto my question – Is a subject or heading required for the writing task 1? And does the letter need to be dated? – I plan to take the computer based version in about two weeks time.

Cheers. Regards, Mohamed

For GT letters, you don’t need headings, titles, dates, addresses or anything like that. The first words will be “Dear …” or “Hi …”. And then you sign off with a fake name in the form that suits the type of letter you are writing. See the model letters which are linked on the page above.

Dearest Liz, This world needs more people like you! Stay blessed, strong and healthy.Best wishes from Sri Lanka. With Best regards, Imasha Shehani

That’s really kind. Thanks and greetings to everyone in beautiful Sri Lanka 🙂

Hey Liz I’m scared of the IELTS exam, I’m still studying hoping to write it soon, thanks so much for ur videos and teaching 💖

Is “Dear Sir / Madam” and “Yours faithfully” counted in the word count?

Yes. All words you write on your answer sheet are counted. Each individual word.

Hi Elizabeth, I bought a Grammar e-book 20 minutes ago but I misspelled my email address. So, I haven’t received a link to reach my digital purchases. How can I reach you to solve the problem? Thank you

No problem. I’ve just emailed you. Check both your inbox and spam folder.

Thank you. Got It.

Hi Liz give me feedback of this following informal/personal letter about giving a birthday invitation to a foreign friend. Many Thanks..!!!

Hi David, It has been a long time since we have finished our graduation in UK. I am not sure whether you remember, my birthday is coming up on 4th March. So I am writing this letter to invite you cordially to visit my country on the occasion of my birthday. Since we finished our graduation, you have no idea how much I miss my student life specially the late night conversations and weekends outings I used to have with you. As soon as I returned my home country Bangladesh, I joined with my father’s business. With the busy schedules, I did not realize that it has been more than 5 years since we saw each other. I just wanted to have a break from my monotonous life and I think it would a great opportunity to meet you again and it will be an amazing vacation for you. You once expressed an interest to visit my country. So why don’t you have a leave and spend a month with me and my family? Once you decide on your plan, let me know what date you want to come and I will pick you up from the airport. I will make arrangements for you to stay in our house. Please let me know the date you want to come and really hoping that you will be able to make this trip for me. Looking forward to hearing from you soon. Truly yours, Deb

Thank you so much Liz. I took my exam yesterday and your instructions made it an amazing experience. God bless.

I’m so glad it went well. Fingers crossed for your results 🙂

fingers crossed very nice word.

Hi Deb, I just want to thank you for making an effort of inviting me in your country I really appreciate it but there are moments and situations of our lives that is beyond our control even if how we hardly pushed to make it well in our favor . I wrote this letter to let you know that I can’t make it to be with you in your birthday because of my job I can’t just file a leave for that long vacation. I know that my presence in that important occasion makes that celebration more meaningful for you and your family but as far as I would love to be with you in that special day of yours, but there circumstances won’t allow me to do so, I know what you feel right now reading my letter but . I just want to express my deep regret of not being there for you. Nevertheless I just want greet you a Happiest Birthday in advance, I hope that it’ll become a successful event for you and your love ones and all the party goers , just enjoy the whole event it, That’s your day. And I believed that there are some other time we can make it on our way soon. I hope that you will understand my situation, and it won’t affect our long time friendship wishing you the best

Yours truly Marvin

Hi Liz, could u please assist my letter, this is my 1st letter and sharing approximate writing score band would be useful.

Dear Ahmed,

Thanks for borrowing me your advanced new camera. I’m writing to express my appreciation and my apology.

Actually, I was using your camera during my trip to Alexandria and I accidentally drop it in the water. I immediately picked it up and tried to dry it with all possible ways. It worked for some days but the taken photos were not that clear and it suddenly stopped working again.

I really apologize for this unintended accident, I was really trying to do my best to keep your camera in a safe place and not to share it with any family member.

Please accept my apologize and allow me to fix this issue. Please send me camera model number as I can’t find it and the best place that buy this brand of cameras.

Again, I really apologize for this issue and I hope it doesn’t affect our relationship..

Yours sincerely, Ali

Ali, If you write a letter to a friend it should be an informal one in IELTS. I would suggest aligning with the tone. like you have used accept apologies, express a token of appreciation, these words are more formal and not appropriate to use in informal letters.

Artists need a certain amount of freedom to develop their creativity. Some people think that artists should have total freedom to express any thoughts and ideas. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Artists should have the freedom to a certain extent to show their talent and expertise in society. Some people agree that freedom must be provided to creative people so that they can easily express their thoughts and what they have learned among us. In my opinion, freedom should be given but no one should come in harm’s way for one’s freedom. Having freedom means sharing ideas, experiences, and talents freely, without having the fear of consequences. After being influenced by the following, there are higher chances that more people jump into fields like arts, painting, drama, and many more. Being an expert in these things can be helpful to elaborate our culture along with our ethics and keep them alive. Moreover, many people try to use their talents to bring attention to our society towards social issues in many ways. That time, it reflects as a unity. During the farmers’ strike in India, many famous celebrities came forward and put a step forward to reach out their concern to the government.

On the other hand, freedom doesn’t mean mocking someone’s feelings, religion, and disability. Needless to say, that creations should be constructive always, not destructive. Additionally, there should be no sense of tension and stress related to arts, as these activities are stress buster. Many incidents were noticed that lots of artworks like paintings created a nuisance. To illustrate, M.F Hussain is a famous painter in India who portraited a nude Hindu goddess which created chaos in that community. In addition to this, objectifying women in various art may impact negatively the young generation. Hence, these kinds of actions are against the positivity and emotions which may arise riots.

To recapitulate, freedom within a limit is advisable so that our culture and values stay alive through generations, and beyond that, no one can humiliate anyone’s emotions by any means of art and thus, no negative footprints.

Can you chak my essey semple?

Universities should accept equal numbers of male and female students in every subject. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

there are some differences toward the options in the number of male and female at the university. It is argued that equal numbers of genders should be accepted to every subject. There are some justifications which will be discussed in this following essay about accepting equal both sexes in every subject and some me against express to that view.

On the one hand, both genders to accept equal numbers in every subject is not practical method in the university. Subjects that are preferred by male who are chosen ones. For example, medicine lessons are selected more by female than male due to some reasons that are obviously studied more to the nurses by females have more express to look after patients. However, number of females are highly skilled in creativity engineers lessons compared to men students. Despite preferring to accept numbers of gender in every subject. that may confuse to get education in both sexes.

On the other hand, there are clear reasons to why numbers of gender should be received in some lesson. Firstly, according to latest researches, girls have same ability in some fields compared to men in terms of express and mastering science. Even in some sciences it is discussed that girls are smarter than male based on their performance at the universities like technology lessons which are required female employees instead of men due to make it happen such a registration in the internet company. Hence, universities should provide same gender in some lessons that female workers need to accept such kind of fields are emphasized above. To conclude, this essay discussed that although accept equal number of female and male seems to be unreliable. In my opinion, it is beneficial to increase the rate of female students to provide employees.

Hi Liz, Is it alright to use ‘that’s saying something’ in written English, as it looks to me to be used only in spoken English?

For example, “It was by far the best vacation I’ve had in a very long time, and that’s saying something since I take frequent exotic vacations.”

Thank you for your help!

This isn’t about whether it is written or spoken language. It’s an informal expression used in informal English. If you are writing informally, you can use it.

I have taken the IELTS GT CD and got 6.5 in writing. One of the remarks is that I have inconsistent tone.

Could you please confirm that I did the wrong signing off, which could have affected my score?

The task is about an advertisment on second hand bicycle that I saw from a student of the same university as I am.

The prompt started with “Dear___” I wrote Dear Mr. Johnson = Yours sincerely

Should I end it with “Yours truthfully” instead?

Thanks in advance

The page above explains about titles and signing off. Just take a look and learn the right way. You need to look at the purpose of the letter and also the person you are writing to. You do not need to write in such a formal way to a fellow student. You would write more formally to a teacher, not a student in your own university who is in the same position as yourself. If you met a fellow student in your own university who invited you for pizzas, would you really be so formal in the same way as speaking to a manager of a company? Look at the context, the person, the relationship, the status of the person, the letter aims etc and write accordingly and appropriately. It will negatively affect your score to sign off incorrectly, use the wrong title or use the wrong tone.

First, Thank You so very much for the wonderful lessons that you share. I have found them to be very helpful in my preparations.

My question is in regards to the GT Task 1, writing. The question prompt says to “begin your letter with Dear Sir or Madam”. I am writing to the manager of a hotel, whom I don’t know personally. What is the correct way to begin? Should I say “Dear Sir/Madam” or pick one, either “Dear Sir” or “Dear Ma’am”?

Start as you are instructed: Dear Sir or Madam,

Hi Liz, GT Letter for thanking friend. I wrote the letter. Please comment on it.

Dear John, I reached home after a long journey. It was my dream to go for the hiking, thanks for making it true and you have a loving family I enjoyed staying with you in your home. I must say that you are very lucky that you will get so delicious meals everyday cooked by your Mom, I loved it. Please convey my regards and thanks her. Time flies so fast; one week we spent together will be memorable throughout my life. I really enjoyed the hiking, without you it might be impossible for me. The high mountains with the greenery, springs and scenery, it was like dream for me because living in the city you will not find such things. You remember we took so many photos. My family and friends like them most, now they are also planning the holiday like mine. I am sending you some of our memorable photos; hope you will like them also. If you want to see all photos you can find it on my Instagram or Facebook. Once again I thank you and it will be my pleasure if do visit me in your holidays. Hope to see you soon. Regards, Ahmed

Hi Liz, I would like to know if there’s any change or update in writing task 1 (general training) recently. I once read in an IELTS book that now it is ok to use “kind regards” in Formal letters. It doesn’t make any differences if you use name, tile or sir or madam in the title.

That is not connected to IELTS. That is simply English developing over the decades. Certainly “Kind regards” is very common to use these days at the end of formal letters. IELTS will tell you if you need to use a formal title, such as “Sir”. Otherwise, you must choose either a name with a title, such as Mr or Mrs, or a name without a title which is common in informal letters.

Should we say “less people”, “less cars” or “fewer people”, “fewer cars”? I know grammatically speaking, we should use the latter ones, but I know many English-speaking people use the former ones.

Not sure whether we will be marked down if we use “fewer cars/people”

“fewer” people is actually grammatically correct English. “less people” is actually grammatically incorrect English. However, many English people say “less people”. While you might get away with it in IELTS Speaking, you will be marked down for being incorrect in IELTS Writing.

Hello Liz! here’s the letter I wrote. I think I did good but I need to work more with my time. i times myself and it was more than 20 mins. I practice more. Also, I just want to thank you for all your videos and tips. I am learning so much from you. God bless you and your family.

———————————————————————————————————————– Dear Kim, I am writing to you all to let you know that I enjoyed my vacation staying at your house and I am grateful for all of your warm welcome. Seeing you and the whole family after almost three years really makes my heart joyful. I enjoyed the whole week full of activities, joyrides, good food and catching up with each one of you. Can you imagine all the Filipino desserts we ate? Oh I missed it so much that I ate more than I should. Good thing your mom gave me some to bring home. There are two other things I most enjoyed during my visit. One was going to the beach and just soaking up in the sun. There’s nothing more beautiful than the beaches and sands there, in my opinion. Second was just being able to reminisce all our childhood memories together while enjoying home cooked meals and desserts. Also, remember all the photos I took with my camera? I printed all the nice ones and attached here in my letter. I can also email the others if you wish. Looking forward to see all of you on my next vacation.

Hi Liz . Your free lessons very helpful for everyone. I like your lessons

I’m glad they are useful 🙂

Hi Liz, I found your ielts content very helpful. Please advice if the following is correct to mention in the beginning of task1 ; ‘I want to draw your attention to’ or ‘I would like to bring to your attention’

This is not an expression that is used in IELTS Writing Task 1. Go to my model answers for diagrams and see how I write them.

Dear, how can i get your model answers for diagrams, I’m new in IELTS. Please help me.

Go to the main writing task 1 section of this website.

I have a question on grammatical range and accuracy. Are we permitted to use exclamation marks in the IELTS general training letter writing task 1? Or should I just stick to using commas, apostrophes and full stops? For example: Can I write the sentence below with an exclamation at the end or should I use a full stop? Thank you for your wonderful blog and videos.

Hope you’re well. I’m writing with some bad news, I’m afraid!

Avoid using exclamation marks in IELTS. Commas and full stops are enough for a band score 9.

Alright, thank you 🙂

Is it ok if the words go beyond the line in the answer sheet?

Do you mean, is it ok if the writing on the sheet is messy? The answer is “No, it isn’t ok”. The examiner must be able to read it all very carefully. Also make sure you stay within the lines. Being one or two letters over is fine, but try to stay within the lines and keep things tidy.

Firstly thanks for your tips. I scored 9 in Listening & Reading, 8 in Speaking but only 6.5 in writing. My strongest assumption is that i lost points because of punctuation errors. I would really appreciate if you can provide some tips on that.

Thanks again!!

I will be publishing a Grammar E-book in about 6 weeks which will contain a chapter on punctuation. In total, it will be 272 pages in length and also have a Workbook for exercises included. I suggest you get it when it is released. Just subscribe to this site (for free) to get an email notification when it’s ready.

You are organising a party for your colleagues. Write a letter to them and say What happened at the last year’s party Give suggestions on how to make it better Mention the venue, date and time to meet

I am writing this letter to provide all the information about the annual party which is being organised during this month.

I understand that there were various issues faced by many people at the last year’s party. The main problem was that the quality of food and beverages was quite bad. Not only this, it was not enough for 100 people. Also, the music got turned off very early. However, we are trying to compensate for it in this year.

I would like to suggest that please provide the confirmation in the next 2 days so that we can inform the exact count to the vendor. Furthermore, we have requested the vendor to play the music till 11 pm. I would request you all to reach the venue on time so that we have ample time to enjoy on the dance floor.

The party is organised on Saturday, 14th of December from 6 pm onwards at The Palms Garden.

Please message or call me in case you have any questions or concerns.

Yours sincerely, Priya Agarwal

Liz, thanks a lot for your wonderful web-site and tons of useful information. Your web-site helped me a lot during my preparation. (hugging emoji)

I’m so glad it’s useful for you! Hugs back 🙂

Hi Liz- Thanks for such rich information! When it comes to name’s titles – I was told to add Dot after Mr. Mrs. Dr. even J.K. Rolling. In your training, however, titles appear without a “dot”. Could you please advise which way is considered right by the IELTS examiners?

Many thanks! Lirone

It is common in modern English to omit the dot. So, it’s up to you if you want to use it or not.

I have one query, If while writing letter or for that matter essay if i make some mistake and i strike the sentence and write it over, is it going to cost me any negative marking or bad impression? Looking forward to your response and thanks a lot for your help.

IT is completely fine to delete errors and change words. As long as the examiner can easily read your writing, it is fine.

A small question. What if we forget to write Dear Sir / Madam at the start of the letter. Assuming all the other points are adequately covered and cohesion is maintained, how much band score can be expected if we miss the opening salutation?? Please suggest.

There is no such rule about how much it would impact your score. It falls under the criteria of task achievement and it would have an impact along with everything else that impacts that particular marking criterion.

Thank you so much for your fantastic content. Really appreciate your intent to help the masses and saving their time and other resources. I have a question pertaining to the conclusion of GT task 1 letter seeking help or requesting something. Is it appropriate to thank the reader in advance for their help or suggestions?

Thanks in advance 🙂

There is no such thing as a conclusion in a letter. You have a final remark which is either based on the aims of the formal letter or a friendly farewell for a friend. Please see the model letters which are linked to the page above.

Thanks a lot Liz for your response. However, you still haven’t answered his/her question which is, “Is it appropriate to thank the reader in advance…?”

Without seeing the letter aims and instructions, it is not possible to say. You can’t decide on a fixed sentence for such a range of possible tones, aims, styles and people. A request letter could be to anyone about anything. You need to write something that is based on the information presented to you in the test. A high band score is about being flexible, not deciding before hand which sentence you will write. If you are asking your teacher for a reference letter – you would not thank them for reading your request letter – that wouldn’t be normal. However, you might say “Looking forward to hearing back from you.” or “I appreciate your help and look forward to hearing back from you.” My advice is pay attention to the letter aims, the person you are writing to and the prompts – then think about what information and sentence to write.

While practising my letters I have noticed that I do write the requirements from the question but I often while changing paragraphs simply start with the ask. Is it going to be a problem or my letters should be in sync with the last paragraph that I have written.

You are being marked on a logical order of information in both your letter and your essay. It is essential that the reader (examiner) can easily follow the order – no surprises. For the letter, you must follow the order of the bullet points given.

Hello! Great fantastic website! Sorry if I am repeating myself on this, I may have skipped your opinion on this. When we write a letter and if it says introduce yourself, how do we end the letter? I assume in the first paragraph you introduce yourself. Wouldn’t it be repetitive to have your name two times in the letter writing task? Thanks!

All letters have your name at the end – regardless of the content of the letter. That is a fixed thing. When it comes to following instructions and the prompts ask you to introduce yourself, it is in the context of the letter. If it is a letter to a company to complain, then you introduce yourself as a customer – not as a chatty friend. You must look at the aims of the letter and keep all content appropriate.

First of all thank you for all your efforts trying to help people for free! especially when you help people that you don’t know! When it comes to self study/training, listening and reading are quite easy to prepare on your own, but writing is not. I feel that I need my essays reviewed by experienced teacher and feedback provided. Liz, do you offer such lessons? would you be kind to respond by email or comment, program cost/content for Writing lessons only? All I need is my essays reviewed by you and feedback/marking given.

best regards, Mazdak

Sorry, I don’t offer marking or any private lessons.

First tell me if I addressed you correctly with ‘Hello Liz’, considering we don’t know each other in person.

Secondly tell me if it is right to mention ones name in the introductory paragraph, example, ‘this is John from finance department and I am writing with regards to..’ or should one only mention name while signing off.

Will be thankful for your help.

Regards, Ghulam

1. Yes, it’s fine 🙂 2. No, you shouldn’t. Your name is at the bottom of the letter. Take a look at the model letters linked in the page above – they are written exactly as they should be in the test.

One of your model letters start with”my name is John Davidson and I am one of your frequent customers”

What’s the rule for mentioning your name in the introductory paragraph?

If the instructions clearly state – introduce yourself – then you know it is time to introduce yourself in the letter. Just follow instructions.

With reference to writing a letter to former teacher, please clarify whether it is appropriate to ask “Hope you are doing well” as you know the teacher for a very long time. I have this doubt as the letter would be in formal style. Thank you in advance for helping me out.

You rock as always.

Take Care, Aditi Dhilip

I would not use it. You do not have a close or personal relationship with your teacher. A former teacher does not mean you have known the person for years. It means you new the person many years ago and probably haven’t been in touch for many years. You need to keep a formal style.

Thank you so much Mrs Liz

I gave the exam last weekend and I feel I didn’t do well. My letter topic was: You lost your driver license and someone returned it to you Write a letter to thank. Tell him/her why its important for you. Say what you want to do for them in return.

Now to answer this semi-formal letter, I got confused as to how to address this person. I would probably know their name but neither gender nor age. Should I have said Dear Sir/Madam? I just wrote Dear Mr. John…

Can you please suggest?

Thanks, Tim

IELTS usually tell you if you need to start “Dear Sir/Madam”. You know the name of this person because they returned your license to you. So, you would address them as “Dear My Jones”. You would never write “Dear My John” because the name John is a first name and we do not use titles with only a first name. Age is not a factor in addressing someone in the English language. That is a factor influencing other cultures.

They just mentioned that to start as Dear.. so I wrote dear Mr. John.. Did I do it wrongly. My friend wrote as Dear Sir or Madam. How wrong do you think his approach was?

Thanks again Liz.

It is wrong to write “Dear Sir” because you already know the name of the person. It is also wrong to write “Dear Mr John” because John is a first name and we only use the title “Mr” if we state the last name.

First of all I want to thank you for your service. Sometime back I asked you on how to start a letter on which its not clear what the purpose is. Thankfully, you helped. On the same note, I can’t figure out how to end it..

Example Letter: Write a letter to a newspaper regarding condition of a local building which is of great importance. Why is this building important, what is wrong with it and what action do you suggest.

Firstly, its not clear what a newspaper is supposed to do. As you said we can write: “I am writing to you concerning the poor condition of …..”

However, at the end I am confused what to write. Do I say that “Please take necessary action and I look forward to your reply”. But this doesn’t seem right…

Or, is it ok to say “I look forward to my letter being published in your newspaper.” And just end it here. But that doesn’t look like a good reason to write a letter.

What do you suggest Liz?

It is possible to start in the way you have suggested or you could try “I am writing to bring to your attention…” – both options are fine. The ending for a formal letter really depends on what you want or what you expect to happen – and the feelings involved (the tone). It is the expected outcome that you are concluding. If you are merely reporting something, you might say “I hope you will take this into consideration etc”., if you want a response, you would say “I hope to hear back from you etc” or you are complaining the tone will be stronger “I hope to receive a positive response from you etc” or “I hope this matter will be resolved at the earliest possible time etc”. You are writing to an editor because you want the newspaper to pay attention to this issue. That is the reason and your opening line. Your final goal is to have your letter printed or have the newspaper bring this issue into the public eye. So, it is fine to say “I would be grateful if you could publish this letter and bring the issue to light.”. Remember, the editor is not responsible for this problem and if he or she publishes the letter, you would be grateful, so it is fine to use those words in this situation. I hope this helps 🙂

You are amazing!

God bless you…..

Thanks for all your help.

I notice my major problem in writing is spelling mistake. However, the reason for this error is mostly because of time as I am in a rush to finish Please can you recommend a strategy that may help because its affecting my listening as well

Spelling is something that you can fix during your proof reading time after you finish your essay. You should always train to leave time for proof reading. Spelling should not be such a problem for listening because you have time to check your spelling after the recording has finished.

Thank you very much for your helpful tips. They are very systematic and informative. I learn a lot from your articles.

Just one question to ask, when I plan the paragraphs and try to address the three points, should I always follow the given order of the three points? Or it just doesn’t matter at all. Thank you, Liz.

It’s a good question. You are being marked on logical order. You have been given the order of information and you should stick to it.

Hi Liz, Please, I would like to know if it’s ideal to leave a line between Paragraphs. Thanks

Yes, it makes the paragraphs easier to see for the examiner. But this is a recommendation, not a rule.

Please regarding the signing off, my teacher told me back then to put a comma after my surname before my first name.. E. G Yours Faithfully Diamond, Benson

Is it advisable to use a comma before the first name?

You write your first name first and your family name second – there is no comma between them.

Can we sign off letter by writing ‘Sincerely’ only instead of “Yours sincerely”? Would that be acceptable?

Awaiting your response.

No. You need both words.

Hi Liz, Thank you so much for the detailed information. I have a query about using the answer sheet for GT task 1. My teacher told me that we should write from the very first line until the very last line but I can’t understand how because I have written 165 words and still the 2nd page is half empty. Please suggest. is it OK to leave some lines empty if you have finished your letter?

That is complete nonsense. There is no such rule in IELTS at all. Your instructions are to write over 150 words. The requirements for a high band score is that you extend information sufficiently for your letter which means aiming for between 170 and 190 words. Going over 200 words is not recommended. If you need another answer sheet, you can put your hand up and request one.

if i find a spelling is incorrect in the last 2 mins of check, then can i strike off and write the correct spelling ? or should i correct the spelling in the same word itself ? Thanks, Hari

Yes, you can correct spelling. It’s up to you how you do it – as long as the word is easy to read, that is all that matters.

Hi Liz, In case of letter of instruction for this example: you forgot your wallet at friends house after returning from vacation with them and asking to return the wallet. Should we give an address telling them where to return it? or we assume it’s your friend he/she would know your address?

Thank you, Nishtha

Your friend would know your address. Your instructions would be to return it via post and you would refund the postage. Or you will meet up with them tomorrow and pick it up in person. Well done thinking about this point – you are certainly right in considering these things. Always think more about the letter and the relationship between people.

Hi Liz, Pls can you tell me if an underlined letter subject can be used in ielts task 1 formal letters, immediately, after the greeting “Dear Sir”? Pls see an example below. Also, can a signature be scribbled between Yours faithfully, and the writer’s name (John Bolt), for instance?

Request for Additional Leave Days (Subject Underlined)

I am writing to seek the elongation of my official leave period from 26 to 31 days. Etc…………….

After the title in a formal letter, you must write the opening statement which is a full sentence that is a statement of purpose. Don’t write anything else as you have suggested above – not for IELTS.

How about scribbling your signature in between Yours faithfully and your name? Is it right?

Not for IELTS. You definitely shouldn’t put a signature.

Thanks a lot for this question. I have been practicing like this..lol… Thanks Liz

thats really wonderful information A big thank to u ms liz

Hi Liz, This might be a bit of a silly question but i’ll ask anyway; Is the spelling in the IELTS based on English (UK) or English (US)? i.e ending words in “our” rather than “or” and using “ise” rather than “ize”.

Great job with the tips by the way!

You can choose to use either US or UK spelling – don’t mix them.

Hi Liz, Thank you for all the valuable information. I’ve recently taken some tests in which I had to write letters. Some were quite similar to IELTS. However, I was advised not to sign my real name at the end of it, when closing. Instead, I was supposed to write a fictional name so as to prevent fraud in correction. So, can I sign my real name at the end of the IELTS letter? Thank you so much for answering.

Of course you can. Your name is at the top of the paper anyway. However, I mostly advise people to invent names – because the whole letter is fictional, not because of fraud or anything else. At the end of the day, it is 100% your choice and doesn’t affect your score or your personal security. you know you only write your name – you don’t actually put a signature!!

Hi Liz, Please accept my sincere thanks for your support for providing us the most eminent and paramount information with regards to IELTS. I have a one concern about the sentence ” Hope this letter find you in pink of your health”. it this is fine to use in informal letter as opening. Thank you Venuka

It is an overused idiom – don’t use it. It doesn’t show a good level of English. It shows someone with weak English who is trying to impress. It is almost never used in England anymore. Avoid using idioms and stick to other idiomatic language such as phrasal verbs.

Hello Liz, I would be grateful if you could explain me if using French words like “raison d’etre”, “faux pas”, carte blanche etc. are seen as formal words

They are neither formal nor informal. They are used only in specific situations and I would not recommend using them for IELTS writing.

Dear liz, am very grateful for all the wonderful works you have been doing and foe that i say thank you. Please i want to no if you will be penalized if you don’t use contractions in personal letters.

It is not about being penalised. It is about getting a good score. You should use contractions in an informal letter – it shows appropriate use of grammar.

Hi Liz. Thanks a lot for making us available with so much of resources to excel in IELTS exam. I have certain queries on model answers which you have written on certain parts of the paragraphs. I have enlisted my queries below; please help me on the same:

a) Signing off: “I look forward to hearing form you”. Can i replace “hearing” with “hear” i.e. “I look forward to hear from you”

b) Vocabulary : “I highly recommend if you come in August = it’d be great if you came in August.” I believe that “came” should be replaced with “come” i.e. “it’d be great if you come in August” Please help me if i am missing some concepts in interpreting this.

a) No, that is not possible. b) I did not write “I highly recommend if you come in August”. I wrote “I highly recommend that you come in August = it’d be great if you came in August”. One sentence uses a clause “that” and one uses “if”. These are two completely different types of grammar. They are correct as I have written them. You cannot alter the tense of the verb “come” in the first “that” clause. From your questions, it appears your English is not strong enough to be flexible. This means you need to be very careful in your writing because the more errors you make, the lower your score.

Hi Liz, Thank you for sharing these useful informations. I am confused about something; At the end of GT task 1 question, it is written ‘Begin your letter as follows: Dear Sir or Madam,’. Do I have to write ‘Dear Sir or Madam’ again or start to write letter directly? Thanks Cagri

The instructions tell you how to start your letter. That means you start your letter with the words they have given you.

What a great place to learn the IELTS. Can you please tell me if it is wrong to use “Hope this letter finds you well” at the salutation for the formal letter?

If you are writing to the manager to a hotel who you have never met, it would be completely inappropriate to start that way. You always start with an opening line that expresses in formal terms what the letter aim is.

I had a quick question please – for semi-formal letters (such as a letter to a friend about a problem or something related to work), I understand we should be using contractions, like: I’m, you’ve, and others. However, the tone of the letter needs to be appropriate.

Could you please confirm. Thanks.

That’s correct.

dear liz, i am studying for the exam from New Insight Into IELTS by Cambridge and according to one of the model answers written, a letter to a school teacher asking them for a recommendation letter is a semi- formal type. please tell if it’s correct?

Teachers have different ways to categorise letters. I personally would not categorise this letter as semi-formal. For me, it would be formal. It is not to a personal friend, it is to a teacher about a formal subject.

In the above tips you have mentioned that if we are to write to a person we know about a serious situation , it is a semi-formal letter. so, here, if the question says ” write a letter to a teacher you know for a recommendation letter.”, isn’t it a semi-formal letter?

I’ve up-dated the tips to provide you with more information. Please read the page again: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-letter-writing-essential-tips/

Hi Liz, Your site seem to be a hotspot for IELTS learning, and I have a lot from the tips you provide. I’ve a question regarding the alignment we must follow in the letter. In few places I have learnt that the letter can either have a left hand alignment format. It means the “Title”, the “Salutation”, the paragraph alignment, the “Signoff” and the “Name”. So, my question is, will it be right if while writing a letter, as , “Title” of the letter in middle and rest of the letter as left aligned. Please confirm the alignment pattern for both, formal as well as informal letter. Thanks. Divya.

This is an English language test, not a real letter. Just write your letter the same as my model letters. You do not worry about alignment in IELTS tests. Don’t over think this. It is a simple English language test.

Hello Miss Liz Thanks for your lessons, these are very beneficial I just have a question that how i can enter the contact details in the letter. As it says in question prompt: 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 duties

It means to explain where you will be and how you can be contacted. You need to think logically about this. It isn’t a trick question. If someone looks after your house and pets when you are on holiday, will you give them your phone number to call you about problems? Think logically about IELTS letters.

I was reading through your reply and I have a doubt. If a friend is staying over at my place taking care of my pet, then he would anyway have my number. So would the following sentence look good on the letter?

Thanks for agreeing to stay with Puffy and take care of him while I’m away. While I’m gone, if there are any issues and you need to contact me, just give me a call to my mobile. Just make sure to adjust the time difference as I’ll be 3 hours ahead of your time.

See you soon, Nico

Yes, it’s fine. Although be careful with your prepositions – give me a call on my mobile. Puffy is a strange name – what type of animal is it 🙂

I was using my dog’s name here. Puffy is my dog 🙂 and I’ve actually had friends take care of him while I was on a vacation. I was thinking of using this directly.

I’ve been going through each one of your videos and all the comments and replies you’ve given to them. They’re really helpful and I’m thankful to you.

I intend to write my GT in December and I’m going to cover all the topics from your blog only.

I wish you lots of luck and give Puffy a hug from me 🙂

Thanks a lot Liz. It’s 1:30am and he’s asleep. I’ll pass your hug on to him in the morning. 🙂

Now that you’re online, I just had another doubt that I’ve been avoiding asking since you’ve made it clear on many of your replies to comments, but since I found a few contradicting statements in comments section, I just want to be double sure

Yours faithfully Joe This sign off is for formal

Yours sincerely Joe This sign off is for semi formal

Love Joe This sign off is for informal

I’m only going to stick with these to avoid confusion. Is this okay or is there any change required in any of these?

Both “Yours faithfully” and “Your sincerely” can be used for formal letters. You need to know both because it depends on what the title of the letter is “who it’s addressed to”. If it is addressed “Dear Sir”, you must use “Your faithfully”, but if it’s addressed to someone’s name “Dear Mr Brown”, it must be “Your sincerely”. Both of them are formal. So don’t divide them in any other way. You would not write “Love” as a sign off for a friend – it would normally be “Take care” or “see you soon” – you need to adapt it to the letter aims. If you are aiming for the higher band scores, you need more flexibility in your approach and in your use of language. You need to think more about the person and the aims. Don’t give yourself such fixed black and white rules in terms of language and task achievement (including tone and style).

It is almost one month I am going to write to you and advise you why I haven’t returned the sunglasses I have borrowed from you.

To be honest, the sunglasses were damaged during my trip when I was coming back to my home and I am so sorry about that. I know that sunglasses were so important to you as it was presented to you by your wife.

When I was coming back to my home, I decided to ride a motorbike in order to reach my home sooner. On my way, unfortunately, I had an accident and collided with a car stopped in front of me suddenly. So the sunglasses were dropped over the ground and one of its glasses broke immediately.

At first, I was feeling guilty and didn’t know how to inform you about this and how I can solve the problem. I research so much and found that there is a store near our city who can repair that sunglasses. So I sent it away to be fixed soon and when I’ve taken it back, I will send it to you as soon as possible.

Again, I am so sorry and hope that you forgive me because of this problem.

Yours sincerely, Hamed

Liz,am so grateful.Just want to thank you and also let you know you are doing a great job.I got overall band of 7.5 after I visited your site.

Excellent – well done 🙂 Thanks for letting me know 🙂

Hi Liz, I and my wife are preparing for the IELTS and find your lessons effective and simple. I have a question and need your help – In Writing Task 1 :Formal letter After Salutation, “Can I write “Greetings of the day / season as I begin my letter? Best Regards Nirav

Liz thanks a lot for quality tips on battling IELTS. My question is about the order of bulleted points. Is it ok to reorder them in the essay? Some of my IELTS practice test examiners did mark points off for that. But I’ve heard people say that it shouldn’t affect the overall grade

You are being marked on your logical order of information. I suggest you review marking criteria – very important to understand.

I would like to know for ielts is it a good habbit to write a letter “subject” or not for the letter writing.

Best Regards, Ven

Do you mean a title? You do not need a title. If you mean a reference point – you don’t need to do that. Just write your letters as you see my model letters.

Hello Liz, Do we need to include a sending address while writing any of the letters?

No. See my model letters for the content and format.

One question in my mind is that if there no name is given in letter? then, we have to assume the names from our own? in Informal or semi-formal?

You should invent a name. You don’t need to use your own.

Thanks for this wonderful website. It helped me alot. I just wanted to ask that how to improve idea generation for task 2 GT because i am facing issues in getting the ideas for writing and its time consuming. Please suggest how to get it fast.

Thanks Prince Sindhi

If you want ideas for topics, you need to do the work. Look at the list of topics and then start researching ideas online. Here is a link of topics and questions: https://ieltsliz.com/100-ielts-essay-questions/

CAN WE Write dates in formal letter Task1 Gt. Like dat

Yours faithfully. 24th July 2018 Shubham

You do not need to date your letter for IELTS.

Hi Liz, There was a recent exam question asking to write a letter to a person who has returned your lost driving licence. Should we write a formal or semi-formal letter for this? Also is it appropriate to address the person as “Dear Sir/Madam”.

Thanks, Dil

1. do you know this person as a close friend? 2. do you know private intimate details of this persons life? 3. do you think this person put their name on the return of your driving license? 4. would you put your name at the bottom of a letter when you return a valuable item to someone? Try to use your common sense when approaching IELTS letters. You need to understanding and think about your relationship with the person. Now you tell me – is it informal? Do you know the person’s name?

Thank you for the quick reply Liz. Yes, now I understand the letter should be formal, since I don’t know the person well. I don’t know the person’s name, usually these are annonymously sent, so better to address using “Dear Sir or Madam”.

You can’t thank someone, unless you know their name. The letter is formal and will be addressed to Mr Brown. You know the name because Mr Brown gave you your driving license back. Usually when we return something, we say our name.

Thank you for the feedback Liz. Really appreciated.

I write again. I have purchased your advanced lessons, and I hope that i can gain more than a 6.5 this time around. My total scores were 8,8,7.5 and 6.5 again. I have a question that pertains to salutation for GT task 1 letter. I had learnt previously that to end, it is useful to write; Yours sincerely, Name. or Best Wishes, Name. or Your faithfully, Name.

respectively…

Now to my question, if you notice for “Best Wishes”, it is written in initial caps “B” and “W”. Please can you tell me if this is correct and why it is different from the others that are written in sentence cap? Now I am willing to unlearn whatever I had been used to previously.

Please respond to this, its urgent.

You should not be focusing on how to write one letter in your writing test. If you are failing to hit band 7, there are obviously serious reasons. 1) You must review the number of errors you make in vocabulary and grammar. Are you trying to impress the examiner – this is a mistake. Every poor choice will lower your score. 2) Review your techniques, your ability to address all issues, your understanding of common topics, your linking techniques etc – You can write Best Wishes in an informal letter if you wish. It’s an informal letter and we often write than way.

Hi Liz, Thank you so much for your helpful techniques. I improved my IELTS writing too through your materials on your website. You are the best instructor!

Hi liz, Thank you so much for your fabulous guidance of ielts in every four categories. my last ielts exam question was as follows. Q. You are working in foreign country and suddenly you are leaving your job and going back to your home country due to any emergency. Write an appology letter to your friends at office because you are leaving without meeting them. You should start your letter like this. Dear _______ My question is, in this scenerio i should address one friend name at the office and tell her to convey my message to everyone at the office Or i should address all the friends togther like this..Dear Friends

If it tells you to write to friends, then your letter is addressed to friends – Dear John and Jane,

I want to clear some doubts related with writing skill.

Please advise, can I start sentence from “As, Since, Hence..etc..”

Hi Liz, I saw a sentence you wrote in your explanation about writing.

“It is essential that you follow use the three points to structure your letter and provide the foundation for the information”.

In the sentence above, you use “follow” and “use” together. Could you explain what kind of structure is that?

Thank you kindly, Htet

Thanks for spotting the typo 🙂

Hii liz Thanks for your valuable study material

your content is really helpful. More power to you!

Hi Liz, Can we write a saying or idioms in formal letters?

Thanks Guru

Saying and idioms are mostly informal.

Dear Liz, You mentioned that we won’t get more than a 6 if spelling is frequently wrong. I do have a serious issue with spelling since a long time. even the tutors get shocked when they go through my writing because they say the grammar is excellent and I use a quite good range to vocabulary, but my spelling is extremely bad (the word is understood though). So what can I do to improve my spelling? I actually wonder if there is an option to inform the IELTS committee about special cases? I don’t know what to do really as I need to get band 7 in writing.

I said that you won’t get more than 6 in the criterion of vocabulary if your spelling contains frequent errors. This is not the same as getting no more than 6 in your whole writing task 1 or task 2. The criterion of vocabulary counts for only 25% of your total mark. But it’s still essential to improve your spelling. You can do this on spelling websites, from writing words lists, memorising spelling etc etc. Go online and google spelling practice online. If you are dyslexic, it will be possible to submit a medical certificate. But if the problem is just poor spelling – then you will need to work hard to improve it.

Thank you Liz for your feedback, really appreciated

Hi Liz, Thanks for your wonderful lesson.I just want to clarify my doubt such as if we have to write a letter to leave any courses in middle so does it falls under formal? So for formal we have to use dear sir/ madam, but actually we know our tutor name so can I use his/ her name at first? Please give me your valuable inputs.

Thanks in Advance, Amit jaiswal

You use “Sir/ Madam” or you use their name “Mr Jones” or “Mr John Jones” – all are possible for a formal letter. You only use “Sir” if you do not know the person’s name you are writing to.

Appreciated your time, Thanks .

How should I address the below Task 1 question – GT:

Q: A builder did some repairs in your house recently and you are unhappy with their work. Write a letter to your builder.

Is it should be Dear Sir, (Formal Letter) or Is it should be Dear Mr. John (Semi Formal)

Please assist.

If you have employed the builders, then you usually know his name. You use “sir” when you don’t know someone’s name.

I have 2 queries related to Writing exam: 1. Should we use pen or pencil? What do you suggest? 2.Is cutting allowed in paper if we are using pen? Would there be penalty?

See this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-help-faq/

Hi Liz, What type of letters are expected in GT? I mean, Formal or Semi-formal or Casual? Thanks in advance. Raveender

This is explained in the page above.

Dear liz, Is it a good idea to memorize vocabulary words related to the essay writing topics?As you always say.. Don’t memorize phrases.. so what is the best strategy to prepare for essays?Reading more & more articles? What do you suggest?

Learning words is fine. Avoid memorising phrases or sentences. It is vital to learn words for different topics – they give you ideas and also the ability to express yourself. You can learn vocab on this page: https://ieltsliz.com/vocabulary/ , in model essays and also by googling topics online.

Thank you so much! I used to learn phrases but now i won’t!

Dear Liz, Can you reply to my question as well as my test dates are very near and I need urgent help.

I am on holiday until May as I have informed everyone.

I need help in my secondary school letter writing. Does anyone have any tips.

Thanks for the wonderful website and useful tips. I want to get your writing Task 2 tips. advanced. As I saw, there are several videos on the page. Do all videos have separate costs or it is enough to buy one and then you have access to all?

Cheers, Babak

My free lessons are here: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/ and my advanced lessons are bought separately here: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/ . Pricing is given under each lesson.

Thanks a lot for your amazing videos and blog. I have just completed my ielts exam and in the writing task 1 I was supposed to write a letter to a friend about my college, in my letter I didn’t write any names, so I started my letter with “Dear………,” and I ended it with “Yours” without putting my name.

Would I be penalized for this and lose marks?

Thanks a lot

You need to write a name at the start and the finish. It will affect your score, but it’s only one small mistake.

Hi Liz Hope you are doing well. Thank you so much for this wonderful site. Do you provide writing task correction service? If yes, how much it would be?

I only provide advanced writing task 2 lessons: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

Hello Liz, Great work you are doing here and God bless the day I ran into your website!

To my enquiry: Is it proper to write in short form in my GT letter?

E.g, ‘It’d will great if I don’t have to submit…..” Will “It’d” and “don’t” be acceptable instead of “it would” and “do not”

As mentioned on the page above, contractions are used in informal writing only.

Hi Liz! I found your lessons to be the best! You are so clear and organised to explain that it makes learning really easy and fun! THANK YOU! One simple question, are we asked to write in coursive or script? If we do so, how strict is this? My handwriting is very clear and tidy, but some letters might not look like script and I am curious if this can cause a problem for my score.

Many thanks again and keep helping us!

See this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/

Could you please explain the scoring pattern of IELTS writing (General) exam?

Awaiting for your response. Lalbin

Marking for writing task 2 is the same for both GT and Academic students. In task 1, the only difference is Task Achievement – the other three marking criteria are the same as the academic test in task 1. So, this means there is only minimal difference in marking. For writing task 1, see this page: https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/IELTS_task_1_Writing_band_descriptors.pdf and for task 2, see this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2-band-scores-5-to-8/

Hi dear Liz, In a letter writing can I integrate two bullet points and explain them in a single paragraph, does it degrade my score? I’m not sure whether we must focus on one single point in each paragraph or not. Such as what we do in essay writing. I would be grateful if you give me your advice. Thanks

The bullet points are written to use as a structure. Don’t mix them up.

If I was asked to write a letter on behalf of my company. Should I need to add a little introduction about my company or atleast should I mentioned the name of the company? For example, I am writing this letter to book the conference center for a special training of our company or should I write the name of the company?

Thank you so much….!!!!! ☺☺

What do the instructions tell you to write?

Hello Mam How r u…hope u r doing well Mam…can you please update videos on GT letters. As u said that u’ll post at the end of year. So we are waiting for ur videos. Thanks in advance

I hoped to have videos ready. But I’m still very unwell.

I wish you to get well soon. Will pray for you teacher.

Please Liz, be alright for us, we cant afford to have you sick, wishing you a speed recovery. Claudia

Thanks so much. I’m doing everything I can to get better – it’s just a long, difficult illness 🙂

Trust you are well. Your expert advice is really useful for all. I merely wanted to know about letter writing in general training exam. If we forget to write “your fauthfully” or “regards” at the end of the letter, do we really lose marks? If yes how many?

Writing is not scored in that way. That mistake will affect your score for Task Achievement.

Many thanks for your prompt response..Does it have major impact on band scoring? Can you please elaborate Task achievement?

Task Achievement covers many aspects of writing: task fulfilment, style, tone, development of ideas etc. See this page: https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/IELTS_task_1_Writing_band_descriptors.pdf

Good article. Small correction though,

“Explain which courses you’re interested in” 😉

Hi, Liz I like to print your valuable comments. But I can’t do this. Please help me.

Sorry my website is protected from copying.

hi madam.. i m little confused about official letters . in my school n college we wrote subject and name and designation so should i have to follow that or not … will you explain me . i seek to your blog for information regarding this. i didn’t find your video regarding letter writing of ilets. if it is available then plz share the link

,my doubt we should write our name at the end of letter ?? in official letter do we have to write Subject :– an application for a job

Please read the page above as it answers your questions. Also click on the links above as they will take you to model letters.

Is letter to the principal of school is formal or semi formal?As principal is known but it is authority also. Thank you

An informal letter is to someone you have a CLOSE PERSONAL relationship with. Think about the word “personal” – do you really sit down with a principle and talk about your private life in detail? Do you talk about problems with your wife or husband? Think more about a personal relationship.

Can phrasal verbs be used in formal and semi-formal writing?

Thanks, Htet

Some phrasal verbs can and some phrasal verbs can’t.

Hope you are doing well! what if I write an informal letter in a semi formal / formal style. Will the score be reduced?

The style of writing you use is marked.

If I don’t know the spelling of a good word, it is better to go ahead with wrong spelling or repeat a word and loose marks for paraphrasing.

It is better to avoid mistakes so always repeat a word rather than produce more errors.

Hello Liz, please does it mean that letter writing is just for general test,it cant be featured in academic test.Urgent reply Please.

Did you read all my information on this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-1-lessons-and-tips/

Hello Liz Resignation letter and application for leave letter are formal or semi formal?

For course it is formal. How can it be informal? It is to your boss, not to a close personal friend.

Hi Dear Liz, I got fuzzy about the following Question. Is this a Discussion, Advantage / Disadvantage, or Opinion essay? Could you please clarify? Question: In many countries, the amount of crime is increasing. What do you think are the main causes of crime? How can we deal with those causes?

Thank you so much.

Regards Mohammad Imran Khan

It is a cause/solution essay.

Is it essential to cover the three specified points in a sequential manner? Can I not Jumble them up? Although I do ensure that all points are covered I do not particularly maintain the sequence.Will it reduce my score?Also I recently read a tip stating that using cliches was not a good idea. I have been using them a lot lately and fail to understand how would it negatively influence my score? Please suggest.

Part of your score is on logical organisation of information – so mixing things up will lower your score. You need to understand more about what the examiners will mark you on. Each sentence you use in your writing test and speaking test must be uniquely yours as an example of your own English. So, using memorised phrases is not an example of your English and won’t count in an English language test such as IELTS.

Hi Liz, Is it grammatically correct if I use the following statement in a thank you note.

Thank you for being the wonderful host that you were during our stay at your place.

Thanks, Eveline

Thank you for your prompt response 🙂

I think secondary school letter writing is hard. I need. Some tip on how to do well.

Thanks for all of this precious information and lessons I want to know how will be the tone for a semi-formal letter, shall we pretend it as an informal letter? Also, the ending shall it be Yours Sincerely or All the best The name at the end shall it be with family name or no. Appreciate your kind reply please

There are no fixed rules. It depends who you are writing to. Most informal letters are to someone you have a strong personal relationship with but on a serious matter, such as work. So, you will blend friendly language with serious language.

Is it necessary to maintain the order of sub-questions while writing the letter?

Always be logical. Any illogical organisation will reduce your score.

Dear Liz! Thanks for your great support regarding IELTS test. I have recently taken IELTS Academic and now want to take General in next month. I have some questions about GT-task2. (1) Can we use the same academic language, grammar and vocabulary for GT-Task2, as we use for Academic-Task2? (2) Can we use Idioms, phrasal verb and proverbs? (3) Is GT-task2 is similar to Academic-task2? thanks

There is no difference in technique or how you write your essay for writing task 2. GT and Academic task 2 are the same. However, GT essay questions are sometimes easier.

Hi Liz I usually follow your videos. Thanks for helping so many people appearing for IELTS.

My exam is on 30th Sep. Last time I got band 6 in writing but I need minimum 7. Although I am working towards better structure and clear answer statement this time. Would request you to please help with some more crucial areas required to get band 7.

For writing task 2, you will need to purchase one or all of my advanced lessons: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/ . They are not cheap but they are excellent.

Hi Liz, Could you please go through the letter i just wrote, and let me know if it’s good or not.

You have purchased a ticket of music concert, but you can attend the event. Write a letter to your friend to offer him the ticket. In your letter: * Explain the details of the event * Why you cannot attend the concert * Suggest how you friend can get the ticket from you.

Hi Debra, It’s been so long since we were last in touch. I hope you’ve settled the exams already. I thought i’d invite you to the upcoming Fenty beauty concert in the UK, on 22nd of December.

Fenty Beauty concert will be held at the Manchester stadium at 10pm precisely, although, African time can be considered. It will include performances from various artists such as Lilwayne, Kendrick Lamar, Alicia keys (your favorite, I know) and a host of other artists.

Although, I’m disappointed I won’t be able to make it, as you know Rihanna is my favorite artist of all time. This is because i have got my IELTS on Saturday, the 23rd of December, at Birmingham. I immediately thought about you and how delighted you will be on getting such an invite.

I have thought of several ways you can receive the ticket. I can send it directly via mail to be delivered, or I give Penny Morgan, since she will be attending as well. Either way you will get it, so prepare to have a blast. Be prepared to gist me all, from A-Z.

Write back soon, Amin

Which one do you recommend amongst these? -Attempting Tast 2 before Task 1; or -Attempting Task 1 before Task 2.

Sincerely, Satish

It is your choice completely. However, most people who start with task 2 get lost in their essay and then run out of time for task 1.

In a semi formal letter, I started with dear sir/madam, do I lose marks?

IELTS will tell you have to start the letter in the instructions.

Hy Liz, Now I am confused can we get a letter for wt1 ? I haven’t heard of this till now .

If you are taking the General Training IELTS test, you will get a letter in task 1. If you are taking the academic test, you won’t get a letter.

Can we write the address, when it is not mentioned in the question as not to write addresses?

If the address is not asked for, don’t give it.

Is there any space for rough work or planning points for writing so that I can make bullet points in rough and than elaborate in final writing task. Please advise

You can plan your writing on the question paper.

Is there any possibility How to improve my spoken skill? Why did you not to improve my spoken?

See this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-speaking-free-lessons-essential-tips/

Can we complete the essay itself on question paper and then just copy-paste it on the answer sheet? thanks

Your writing test is done by hand, not on a computer.

Hi Liz Should we write date in the end of the forml letters??

There are no dates given in an IELTS letter.

Hi Liz, I have question regarding a letter given under “Sample Letters for Writing Task 1”.

Does this letter “Asking for a Letter of Reference” is formal or semi-formal? I believe this letter is formal because it is related to serious issue and we don’t know the teacher personally.

It is formal – it is about work.

Should we write Yours faithfuly OR Your faithfully in ending remarks.

The article above shows how to write it – please read it again.

which one of the following is correct in context of writing titles? 1. Mr. 2. Mr

It is your choice – both are right. However, nowadays we don’t usually use dots after titles.

Okay. Thanx a lot liz for your prompt reply.

I have been following your website, I am really thankful to you, I want to ask 1 thing, You said letter should be started from Dear Sir, then where should we write address and date?similarly should we use fake names or our real name?

You don’t need to use date or address for an IELTS letter. You can use your name or a fake name to sign off.

I’m a frequent reader of your blog. Using only your blog for about two weeks, I scored 7.5 in academic. Now I’m preparing for general and have high hopes. I would kindly ask you to please make some videos on letter writing. Although the text material on this page is very explanatory itself, it would be nice to have some videos too. Your blog is always my first recommendation to anyone preparing for IELTS. Surprisingly, teachers in British Council in Riyadh, KSA also recommend their students to follow your blog.

You are doing marvelous job in helping hundreds of students. Keep it up.

Thanks for your message. The reason I haven’t made any new videos for over one year is actually due to health problems. I hope to get back to making them next year – fingers crossed!! I certainly have some GT letter writing videos on my list 🙂

I wish you the best of health dear.

The letter to write the owner of your flat or house about some problems you are facing is FORMAL or INFORMAL?

Do we need to write Dear Sir or Dear Mr. Smith?

Please make it clear.

This is a formal letter to your landlord. Usually you know his name.

Thank you for quick reply. So it means I can start writing by Dear Mr. John ( I. E his first name?

In English, it is 100% wrong to use a title with a first name. All titles are used with family names.

Got it. 👍. Thank you mam.

but in staring you said that formal letter is to someone you don’t know

To someone to you don’t have a personal relationship with. It might be your boss or your landlord – you don’t know these people closely.

Hi Liz, Thanks for your valuable inputs. I have a small query, can I start my letter by writing “Greetings” irrespective of kind of letter

No, you shouldn’t start an IELTS letter that way.

Thanks for the prompt response . My exam is on 8th July. Please give me some tips for writing GT and speaking

All writing task 2 tips on my website are for both GT and Academic tests. See this page for speaking: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-speaking-free-lessons-essential-tips/

thanks a tonne!! You are a great help.

Wonderful tips Liz.. I was much confused about the writing part. These tips are really helpful.

I do have a question, Is it alright to use x or abc/xyz instead of names in the letter?

Write a name.

Thank you Liz

Thanks for your tips and they are very helpful, but I need a clarification on this.

In writing my letter, do I need to write my address and the title of the letter before going into the body of the letter?

No. You do not write an address at the start of the letter.

If i not use contractions in mix or informal letters, there would be any impact on my score.

I mean, it is mandatory to use contractions or not?

Contractions are a normal part of informal writing – you should use them in an informal letter.

you are incredible your tips is very useful thank you..

So this is about the closing of letters. You have suggested to use titles with the names in the closing of letters, but when I was practicing with the sample books which I have received from IELTS (after my registration for IELTS), I am seeing that they didn’t used titles for closing names and on many of the sites not titles are being used.

Can you please help why are you suggesting to use titles in the closing part of the letters.

It depends on the type of letter. Formal letters usually use a title. Informal letters do not. There is no one rule. It is about learning the aim and style of the letter.

Do you have any video class for IELTS General Training Writing Task 1?

Not yet. I hope to get back to work this year and will think about more GT lessons. In fact, there’s a GT post going up today on this blog about writing opening lines 🙂

Hi Liz , thank you very much for your tips on writing. Could you please help with templates which can be used for writing task 1 and 2.More like a general template which can be reused with minimal changes.

You can’t cheat the IELTS exam by learning templates. You need to adapt your essay structure to the question and to the ideas you have. Visit the main writing task 2 page to learn more. Or consider one of my advanced lessons: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

Informal letter, ex. Get back to me as sonpon as possible, is it possible to use ASAP? Or need to avoid it?

Thank you so much

We use this for writing letters. But IELTS is a language test so don’t use it. If you want someone to respond quickly then write a sentence to showcase your English language.

Will it greatly affect the band score if you write an informal letter instead of a semi or formal letter?

It will affect your score for Task Achievement which is 25% of your task 1 marks.

hi Liz, Thanks for your continues support.

During my last exam, in the writing part 1, accidentally i wrote my full name at the end of the informal letter. Will I be penalize for this?

It’s fine to do that. You can put any name at the bottom.

Hi Liz, I am preparing for my GT writing task 1. I was wondering whether I have to concentrate only on letter writing or I have to practice graph interpretation as well?

See this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-gt-academic-writing-differences/

Hi Liz, In Task 1 letter, the instructions said that I don’t have to write addresses, but I noticed this instruction after I actually did write addresses in my letter and it was too late to remove. Will I lose marks for this?

You will be marked down a little for failing to complete part of the task but you can still do well in other areas.

Hi liz , first we want to thank you for your effort and your wonderful method to spirit your ideas .secondly,we wander if you can explain all letter types in video like you usually do?thank you in advanced

I hope at the end of this year to make more videos. GT lessons are on my list 🙂

Hey, Liz! May you post the answers of these letters too. https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-sample-leters-for-writing-task-1/

You can find all my model letters on the main writing task 1 page.

I came across a question in WT1 and I am unable to decide if it is semi-formal or informal. Please help.

You are going to another country to study. You would like to do a part-time job while you are studying, so you want to ask a friend who lives there for some help.

Write a letter to this friend. In your letter

1. Give details of your study plans 2. Explain why you want to get a part-time job. 3. Suggest how your friend could help you find a job.

In my opinion, it should semi-formal.

This is a semi formal letter, this is because you are writing a friend. The school part and getting a job is the formal part of the letter

I reckon it an informal letter, you’re not writing to the company or the school directly.It states…to this friend.

I suggest it is a semi formal letter because although you are writing to a friend, it about a serious issue you are looking to resolve . . .Thanks

I’d say it’s an informal letter because you are asking help from your friend even if the subject is formal.

You and your blog are fabulous. Me and my wife are preparing taking help from your videos. I want to ask one question, in GT Writing Task 1 if my writing is bigger and I didnt conclude my letter on 2nd page then can we use the third page where Task 2 is done??? or we have to ask for another sheet after 2nd page? If, we can continue on 3rd page then we have to start the Task 2 from 4th Page?

This is a good question. I would recommend that you ask your IELTS test center a few days before your test and then confirm with them again on the day of your test. They will provide extra paper but I don’t know if that applies to just task 2 or both.

do we get letter writing in an academic version of the IELTS test ?

No. Only for GT writing. See this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-gt-academic-writing-differences/ and then check this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-1-faq/ . After that, see the main writing task 1 page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-1-lessons-and-tips/

Dear Liz, I have taken IELTS 3 times now. Each time my aggregate has been 8.5 but my writing score has been 7, 7.5 and 7.5. I am not able to identify where am I losing marks and how to correct it. I really need 8.0 in writing. How should I go about preparing for my next attempt?

For writing task 1, review this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-1-band-scores/ and then check all tips on the main task 1 page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-1-lessons-and-tips/ . For writing task 2, I suggest you purchase at least one of my advanced lessons – you will soon know which mistakes you are making in your essay which is lowering your score: http://subscriptions.viddler.com/IELTSLizStore . However, there is something else to mention. It is possible that your level of English is around band 7.5 which means you might not hit all the requirements for band 8 English. In this case, you would need to ensure you make your English more accurate and avoid errors at all costs. This also includes using words which don’t quite suit the context – any inappropriate word choice will lower your score – so don’t take chances.

If we have to suggest/advice someone in a letter, which of the following is the best statement to use? 1. I hope you found my letter valuable… 2. I hope you’ve found my letter valuable… 3. I hope you find my letter valuable…

Dear Madam, I have been joining IELTS class for 1 month. But I have faced lots of problem in letter & essay writing. In my understanding I studied in my local language(Gujarati) that’s why I am facing problem in writing. Kindly give advice to me. Thanks,

how important is letter for ielts exam

It is about 33% of your marks for the General Training writing test. Students taking Academic IELTS do not write letters.

In one of the sample informal letters that i went through i found that it was started with Hi name and ended with a name only. Is it ok if we write yours lovingly and then name?

We only write “Your lovingly” to someone you love deeply. It is not suitable to friends. For IELTS letters, just end with “Take care” or “Write back soon”. This is a language test so try to avoid mistakes.

I’m taking the ielts again this week and while reading your instructions about the task 1 of the writing section, I have a few questions: If i am writing an informal letter, to a friend, am i supposed to use an informal language? Will my band score go lower if I am using a more academic / formal language in writing an informal letter? Let’s say: If i write: ‘I would like to invite you for dinner at my new house’, instead of ‘why don’t you come over for dinner next friday?’

Thanks for clearing this for me

If you use formal language in an informal letter, you will lose marks. Writing “I would like to invite you …” is formal. Avoid this in an informal letter in IELTS. Your task is to show the examiner that you know the difference between formal and informal styles.

sorry again but i have another question? Do i have to use contractions in an informal letter? and will my score go lower if i DON’T use contractions for an informal letter? Thanks for your help Liz.

Yes, you should use contractions in an informal letters because that is the right style to use. Avoiding them will not help.

Hi liz, you said before that is the question says, Start with Dear …….. , this means that i should invest a name however in other sites I see them saying Dear Sir/ Madam I am very confused .

This page shows that you start Dear Sir/ Madam when you don’t know who you are writing to and you start Dear …. (a name) when you know the person. The difference is between formal and informal letters.

In order to write a letter to your boss regarding anything. Shall we consider this as a semiformal letter (since we know him/her well)? or consider as a formal letter? Becuase in both cases salutation and signing off will be different.Please reply asap.

If it is work related, then it is usually formal.

Hi Liz , Greetings to you from the little nation of Vanuatu , in the south Pacific.

Last week I have Just made up my mind to sit this very important IELTS exam , and targeting the General Training exam.

This is fourth day revision, and I have chosen to use your videos and other resources for my exam preparation. Excellent tips & advice you have provided for us students and they really give me courage & confidence to sit the IELTS Examination this Thursday 3rd November 2016.

May our Lord will reward you great blessings. Thank you very Much. Nono

Good luck!! The GT exam is easier than the academic exam but your listening and speaking will still be the same 🙂

Hi Liz, Could you please tell me writing a letter to the owner of an apartment for requesting the same apartment for rent in this vacation and ask from him/her to do some repairs that have been noticed in last year would be semi-formal or formal letter?

This is definitely a formal letter.

Hi Liz, why can’t we write it as semi formal as we know the owner already.

Just because you have rented an apartment from him, doesn’t mean you know him personally. Renting is done under a formal contract. If you have met the landlord many times and know him well, it can be semi-formal but the instructions do not indicate that.

Hi Liz, Thank you so much for your wonderful website which is really helpful not only for me but also, I believe, for all the IELTS test takers.

I would be grateful if you could explain the difference between Madam and Madame, and which one is the best for formal letter.

Another thing I would like to know that is the below sentence correct which you mentioned in tips no.7? It’d be great if you came in August.

I think there is a typing mistake and correct sentence should be- It’d be great if you come in August.

Thanks// Nazrul

Thank you for your terrific tips! I’m taking the GT in few weeks and I have a question about the greeting for a familiar letter. For the IELTS standards, would be considered wrong to write “Hi John…” for a friend instead of “Dear John…”? or “Hello + name” for a semi-formal situation, as to write to your building manager? I rarely use “Dear” unless is a very formal situation, for instance, a complaint letter to the local council. I was told Dear it’s a bit old-fashioned these days.

We use “Dear” for formal letters and “Hi” for informal letters.

Hello Liz I need to ask you one thing that, should we use title with own name.. when signing off a letter.

Dear Sir ——————– Yours faithfully Mr. Vishav

I have listen somewhere in my working life that we can’t give title with own name when writing to someone else.

what do you say ?

If you want to use a title, also add your first name, for example Mr Singh Vishav. And only do this with formal letters.

Hi liz Today was my general module paper in jalandhar ,india Writing task one was You have purchased a ticket of music concert but you cant attend the event.write a letter to your friend to offer him the ticket. 1.explain the details of event 2.why you can not attend the music concert 3.suggest your friend that how he can get the ticket from you. Writing task 2 In some part of globe,amount of garbage is increasing a problem.what are the causes of it,what is the solution of it.give relevant example for this problem. Reading topic Section one Advertisement on club membership Section two Topic on cover letter Fill up Section three Australian mines Only four true false/notgiven questiones.mostly Listening test Today’s listening was fast. 7 question were reated map. Multiple choise question. Last section was easy

Nice blog. Thanks Liz, you rock!!!

Hi Liz. Thanks a lot for the tips. They’ve been most informative for me. Very useful indeed.

THANKS VERY MUCH LIZ .

In part 4. Letters Openings, section B, I think that there is a typo. (ieltsliz.com/ielts-letter-writing-essential-tips)

You have written “It’s mt birthday” but I think that you actually wanted to write “It’s my birthday”. (Otherwise, correct me if I am wrong 🙂 )

By the way, great website!

Very well spotted indeed!! Thanks so much for letting me know 🙂

Thanks for your blog. It was helped me a lot. But I still have one question. It will be glad if you can answer. For the begining, I didnt know much about the IELTS test so I came into a class and the teacher taught me about IELTS for academic test. But after I took advice from my friend, he said I should test in Gerenal Training. So, where do I begin? Should I find another class or practice by myself?

Once again. Thanks for your blog.

Firstly, you need to decide which test you actually need to take: https://www.ielts.org/about-the-test/two-types-of-ielts-test . Once you have decided, you need to learn the differences. The GT test is only different with regards to reading and writing task 1. See this page to learn how the reading is different: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-general-training-reading-information/ . You’ll find the only difference is in the topics for the reading passages and the difficulty of the passages. This means you can learn along side AC students. For writing, see this page for the differences: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-gt-academic-writing-differences/ . This means you can still learn with AC students for writing task 2. If you need advanced lessons for task 2, see my store: http://subscriptions.viddler.com/IELTSLizStore . I hope this helps. You must decide if you want separate training for Gt writing task 1 or if you can self study.

Thanks for yr blog it is helping us alot. I want to know is letter to a neighbor is semi-formal? If yes, it means we can use contractiions. Right? Thanks

A letter to a neighbour can be informal or semi formal depending on how well you know your neighbour and the topic. Yes, you can use contractions.

Thank you very much for your wonderful blog. i have one question. In personal or semi-formal letter can i use formal vocabulary, like for example… I am writing instead of I’m writing

In personal letters, you can use contractions. In semi formal letters it depends how well you know the person and what the letter is about – ie work or leisure.

Hi Liz, I already have a patterned mind set on the steps for letter writing paragraphing: Introduction (making an emphatic statement on my intention), ‘Firstly’ (for second paragraph), ‘Also’ (in my third paragraph), ‘Finally’ (in the fourth paragraph) and ‘In conclusion’ (in the fifth and last paragraph- summarizing the letter with an overall opinionated statement). Hope I’m on course with this?

There is not conclusion for letters. See my model letters on this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-1-lessons-and-tips/

This is just a quick question regarding indentation. Is indenting no longer required in writing letters and essays? Thank you.

Best regards, Tyr

It is no longer required. It’s best to leave one empty line between paragraphs as it is clearer for the examiner.

Thank you very much for the prompt reply. Have a great day ahead.

I went through the guidance on Writing Task 1. I have attended IELTS examination twice last year and scored 8 for L/S/R but for writing my score is 7. I want to improve my writing skills especially on essay writing. It would be helpful if you can provide me the required guidance on the ways to improve my self on formation of Essays.

Thanks, Rins

The only thing I can suggest is for you to buy one of my advanced lessons for writing task 2. If you find it useful, get the other lessons too: http://subscriptions.viddler.com/IELTSLizStore

What if I end my letter without writing yours sincerely and a name. How would it impact on the overall band score.

It will affect the score for Task Achievement.

It eventually did impact. I scored 6 in writing.

Also can you please advise if we can write date at the end of letter. Further, is it necessary to put commas after the title and sign off?

You don’t need dates with your letter and you don’t need commas after the title of signing off.

Thanks again. Is there a penalty to write location in the body section of a letter. Or is it just the signoff where one must not mention any address?

There isn’t a penalty but it isn’t necessary to add that information.

It will definitely have an impact- as you state- on your writing. A great tennis player serves his last serve of the match with the same velocity as his first one. So, your last sentence or words should be as appropriate as your fist ones. .

hello! what about tense forms in GT letter writing? I mean using Past Simple Tense instead of Present Perfect Tense. Is it correct or not?

How can you bring mathematical formulas in writing a language. Different situations require different responses and the formation of the tenses will depend on that. Just try and keep things simple and to the point and get your views acrross.

First of all, i would like to thank you for videos and articles which are very informative. I have attempted IELTS twice.I scored around 8 band in L/S/R but unfortunately i couldn’t score 7 in writing.In first attempt i thought it could be spelling mistakes or poor hand writing as i am more into typing rather writing.In second attempt i religiously followed your tips proper paragraph structure and salutations,i also took extra care of legibility of writing and spelling mistake but i again scored 6.5. Could you please suggest what approach shall i choose to score 7.5 in writing.I believe there is certainly something wrong (very basic) which i am missing to correct again and again.

I was wondering if you could please assess my writing or provide me online coaching. I believe if i prepare for 8 band i will surely make it to Band 7 at least.

See my advanced writing task 2 lessons which explain in great depth the techniques needed for a high score: http://subscriptions.viddler.com/IELTSLizStore . All the best Liz

Dear Ms Liz, I am a beneficiar from your IELTS material. However, I have a request and admiration to share. Please share IELTS Letter (GT) model answers. The link provided does not lead to any source, rather leads to an error page. I wonder if you have a pen name by Monica sorrenson whose teaching methodolgy is quite similiar to yours. Nevertheless, please accept my expression of gratitude for sharing such useful information. Yours sincerely, Mr Kadian

I’ve just up-dated the links. Try again and see if they work. No, that isn’t my pen name 🙂

Hello Mam, Please also post model answers for each kind of lettter as you have posted for academic writings. That are explained thoroughly and I need help in general writing task 1

Content, your problem is that you are, perhaps, moving away from the core of the topic and meandering here and there.Remember, upto Band 6 or 6.5, the grammatical accuracies are more important but as you move upward, the content of your writing as conjoined with the topic given, becomes extremely important. Paragraphing and understanding the basic principles underlying the effects of the ideas generated through paragraphs and their appropriateness becomes the important issue, at this juncture of Band 7 and beyond.

Hi Liz, Good day! Can I have a copy of IELTS letter writing?

Thanks, honey

https://ieltsliz.com/liz-notice-2015-2016/

Hi Liz, Good day! Can i have a copy of IELTS letter writing?

Dear , I am unable to find any of yours video lecture related to letter writing on YouTube . I will be very thank full if you can share the relevant link .

Hi Liz, Are contractions mandatory in semiformal letter just like informal case ?

Regards, Subi

Hi liz I want ask about if there is difference between sincerely and faithfully? Thank you

What is the character for each of them (formal, informal and semi-formal)?

See my lesson above, it is clearly shown with examples. Liz

Hi liz How can I know the differenc between formal, informal, semi-formal and personal?

There are only three kinds as stated above. you will know when you read the instructions if it is to someone you know well, you know a little or someone you don’t know. Liz

I will be taking my IELTS exam this saturday in Malaysia. I am terrified…

Anyway, I would like to ask you for some advice. As for IELTS, we do not need to include the person’s address and our own address in a formal letter? Or it depends fully on the question? Please advise.

You never write an address at the top of your letter. If the instructions ask you to give your address, then you put it in a sentence in a body paragraph. For example, “ I am writing to complain about the noise on my street. I currently live at 54 South Street. ” You can see it is not a full address, just the details that are relevant to the letter. Liz

Thank you so much Liz for the explanation. =)

Why don’t we write ‘I am living at 54 South Street’ instead of “I currently live at 54 South Street”

We don’t usually use the continuous tense when giving address details.

Hi Liz, I am thankful to you that you provide such a great platform where we can practice and enhance our skills for IELTS. I am preparing for General Ielts and i want to know about different types of Letters that you have shared , But i didn’t find mode answers of all , I want to ask where can i get model answers of that or can you suggest some students with whom we can share our letter writing that you shared for practice as you dont have time to check and mark our letters, Thanks and keep working for us.

Hi Liz, It was asked to write a letter to a school teacher apologizing not to returning a book borrowed from her and explaining the reason. Is this a formal or informal letter? Thanks in advance Sandun

This is a semi-formal letter. You need to put the name of the teacher instead of using “sir”. This means the content is formal but as you know your teacher quite well it is more relaxed in style. Liz

wish you are doing very well,

Actually this is my first participation ,and I have one question please.

when I am sending a letter formal or personal , Can i use one of these phrases ,for example :

1- trust your are doing very well 2- I wish my letter find you very well

and then complete the rest of letter

Both have incorrect grammar. Also you need to adapt your letter depending on the instructions and aims. All the best Liz

Good day to you. I need your expert advise and a clarification on GT writing task 1 – Letters; I came across a question, where they have requested to write a letter to friend and invite him to a party and to provide the Date and the Venue; However the instructions part of the question states no need to mention addresses; in this scenario, do i have to provide the address of the party in my body of the letter or should I not mention it. I am aware, that not following the instructions will result in less marks allotted to me and would be grateful if you could clarify this and provide a suitable solution for this scenario. Awaiting your earliest response. Thanks R. Radhakrishnan.

The instructions tell you that you don’t need to write a full address which is normally written in the top corner of any letter before the start of the letter. The date and venue which you need to write in your letter is not a full address (there is no need for the postcode or even city). You can just write the name of the place and the street with a number. And that information is written inside the body of the letter. All the best

Thank you so much Liz ..

You’re welcome 🙂

Hi Liz, Do I always have to start the letter with” Dear….” ? I mean, if it is a formal letter and I don’t know the name of the person, can I start with something like”To the mamagement of….” Or it is better to keep it simple and start with ” Dear …” in all types of letters?

That is answered above. See the signing off section. Liz

Hi Liz, I appeared for general training IELTS test on 29th Sepetember,2015. I have a doubt regarding letter writing. One of the instructions say: You do NOT need write any address. But in the introduction i mentioned the address as follows:

Dear Mathew Hogward

I am Scarlette Jonathan, recently shifted to your South East road aparrment number SJ001C.

Does this affect my band score in task 1? Does this make my task 1 neglected?

I covered all the points in my letter and i am sure there were no spelling, punctuation and grammar miskates. ButI got only 6 bands in writing module. My essay was also well structured. I would be grateful if you could post a reply to my query!

Your lessons are a great help! Thank you Liz!

If the task requires you to write about your accommodation, it is fine to put the street and number inside the letter – in fact it is necessary. What the instructions mean is that you don’t need to write your address in the top left corner of the paper before starting the letter. All the best Liz

Thank you liz! Could you please tell me thay if word limit exceeds 170 words in writing task 1 and if it exceeds 300 in writing task 2; does this count for band deduction? Thank you in advance! All your tips are extremely valuable for the one whi desires to achieve a good band score. I love the content you post for candidates’ help!

Please see this page: https://ieltsliz.com/how-many-words-ielts-writing/ Liz

Writing task 1 of GT Pakistan 29th August, 2015: You recently moved to an apartment where you are facing a some of problems, write a letter to owner to inform him and suggest solution.

Explain the apartment is very good describe your problem suggest a solution

Dear…….,

WHAT TYPE OF LETTER IT IS, AS YOU MENTIONED COMPLAINTS ARE USUALLY FORMAL. I WROTE IT IN SEMI-FORMAL WAY HAVING NO CONTRACTIONS AND FORMAL VOCAB.

I ALSO INVESTED OWNER’S NAME AND MY NAME. IS IT RIGHT?

Thanking in anticipation for your reply.

This is a formal letter. The landlord is not your friend and the situation is serious. Any complaint letter is formal. Well done avoiding contractions. You put your name at the end of the letter and the landlord’s name after “Dear..” at the start of the letter. All the best Liz

Wonderful tips…as i m a ielts trainer ur tips r very handy. I have been going thrugh ur blog gor the first time. I just went through ur tips for letter writing. They seem to be very benificial. I would be delighted to have a few more tips and sample answers on my mail.

Yours sincerely, Rani

I’m glad the lesson was useful, Rani. I’ll post more model letters at some point but I can’t say exactly when. All the best Liz

Dear Liz, I am looking forward to appearing the ielts test for the first time. I´m sort of an aspirant who has no excess to preparation classes but has an ex excess to the internet. Is it enough? Or should I get enrolled to such classes mandatorily? Is it compulsory to go through the books prescribed or the online courses are enough? Expecting a genuine suggestion, DHRUBA

I will be very direct. If there is a chance of professional IELTS training then of course it is worth it. But not many schools are good – you need to select carefully. However, training in IELTS is not enough. You must have the right level of English to match your score. For example, in the message above, you have used incorrect vocabulary “excess” (you mean access), “get enrolled” (should be just enroll), prescribed (recommended) – and there are more mistakes still. This means you will struggle to get over band 6 due to your frequent errors. So, work on your level of English until you can produce accurate language suitable for the band score you want. When your English is stronger, learn IELTS skills in any way possible. Liz

Hi there, In this capitalistic world where everyone has a price and nothing is free,your website is nothing less then a blessing!! Am planing to take IELTS G.T actually thinking for the past 1 year but never appeared (phobia i gueess).I think my English is not up to the mark.I need 7 band in all areas for my Immigration.My grammar and writing the worst.As far as speaking is concerned I stammer and it just shatters my confidence.Its terrible when you want say but you cant say it and i stuck at crucial time. I need some suggestions what you think how much time I need to get 7 band?? especially in writing and speaking.I can write on some issues like taboo issues,music,sprituality but strangely i cant write a letter or essay.

Sorry for being so long but as i read you blog i came to know you are a humble person so i hope you wouldnot mind..

As hope is a good thing I hope you will reply to my boring and long letter/essay whatever you call it.Thanks I

You seem to have a good level of English with the odd error which means you have the potential for around 7. If your stammer is part of your natural way of speaking, then it shouldn’t affect your score. But if it is due to nerves, then you will need to find a way to tackle it. One way is to develop so many ideas and answers for questions, that you will feel confident when the examiner asks a question. Of course, you can’t predict all questions but you can predict a range of common topics and you can practice all the common questions – have a technique of expanding each type of question. For part 2, you will need to have a particularly strong technique.

For writing, the key will be not only ideas, but also structure, linking devices and knowing what the instructions require of you and how to present your answer. Take a look at my model essays. Look through all my free posts and videos in each of the main sections for tips, common questions, model answers etc.

How long will it take? You will have a better idea how long you need to prepare once you see the topics you must prepare for and the types of questions. All the best Liz

Thanks Liz. Very helpful and useful tips. Please, give the explanation on difference between “Sincerely” and “Faithfully”. In what style can we use them and how?

I’ve just added the explanation to the essential tips – take a look. All the best Liz

Hi Liz. Your all sessions are excellent and very helpful to al IELTS students.

Cheers Manjush

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Ielts Sample Letters

IELTS Sample Letters

These IELTS sample letters illustrate the different types you may come across in the test.

Letters tend to be one of these types:

Informal (e.g. to a friend or family member)
Semi-formal (e.g. to your landlord or employer, who you know)
Formal (e.g. to the manager of a company)

They also have broad purposes such as a complaint, resignation, arrangement, advice, request, explanation or apology, though any one letter may include several of these purposes based on the bullet points.

Sample 1: Letter to landlord - see below (request)
Sample 2: Letter to insurance company (complaint)
Sample 3: Letter to theatre manager (complaint)
Sample 4: Letter to friend (apology/explanation)
Sample 5: Letter to train company (complaint)
Sample 6: Letter to head teacher (complaint)
Sample 7: Letter to restaurant (job application)
Sample 8: Letter to employer (request)
Sample 9: Letter to friend (arrangement)
Sample 10: Letter to friend (advice)

You can also view letters that have been written by students practicing for the test:

IELTS Student Letters

IELTS Letter to Landlord

You are experiencing financial problems and want to ask your landlord if you can pay your rent late. Write a letter to your landlord.

In your letter explain:

Why you cannot pay the rent
When you will pay the rent.
How you will ensure you can pay your rent in the future

Write at least 150 words

You do NOT need to write any addresses

Begin your letter as follows:

Model Answer

Dear Mr Strickland,

I am writing to you to request that you allow me to pay my rent late this month.

The reason is that I am having a few financial problems at the moment. Last month, I was made redundant from my job due to the fact that the company I work for is closing down. Because I have not worked at the company for long, I have not received a redundancy payment, therefore leaving me short of money this month.

I can assure you that I will be able to pay the rent on the 15th of next month. I have now found another job, and they have kindly agreed to give me an advance on my wages, but they are unable to arrange this until next week.

I can assure you that I will be able to continue to pay rent at the full rate and on time in the future. As I mentioned, I have a new job and this is on a long-term contract, meaning that I will have a secure and timely income. I may also set up a direct debit so the payment goes to your automatically each month.

I hope this will be acceptable to you, but please contact me if it is a problem.

Yours sincerely,

John Streetham.

(210 Words)

The letter is well-structured as the writer makes it clear in the first sentence why the letter is being written, gives further details of the problem in the first body paragraph, and then sets out when payment will be made, finally discussing the future.

The tone of the letter is appropriate as it is polite ( I am writing to you to request..., I can assure you...., I apologise for this problem..., please contact me if it is a problem... ).

The opening and closing of the letter are correct for a semi-formal letter to someone if you know their name ( Dear Mr Strickland..., Yours sincerely... ).

There are good examples of correct use of tenses, demonstrating that the writer has a very good working use of grammar:

present continuous for what is happening now: I am having a few financial problems at the moment
past simple passive for events in the past and when the subject is not doing the verb: I was made redundant
Future: I can assure you that I will be able to pay
Present perfect: I have now found

More on IELTS Letters:

Task 1 Letter: Complaint to Train Company

In a task 1 letter of complaint you usually need to explain why you are not pleased with an aspect of customer service.

Task 1 GT Letter: Making a Complaint

This sample Task 1 GT Letter is about making a complaint about problems at a recreation ground.

IELTS Complaint Letter

IELTS Complaint Letter - Get the best tips and strategies on how to write a letter of complaint for the IELTS General Training.

IELTS Letter Feedback Forum

IELTS Letter Feedback Forum - would you like to get feedback on a task 1 letter for General Training IELTS? Then post it here. Other students can comment.

IELTS Advice letter: Advising a Friend

This is an IELTS advice letter in which you have to write to a friend and advise them whether to go to college or apply for a job.

IELTS Letter Tenses

Learn about how to ensure the tenses you use in IELTS letters are correct to get a high band score.

IELTS Band 9 Letters

Tips for IELTS band 9 letters, showing you how to get 9 for task achievement, coherence, lexis and grammar.

Opening and Closing a Letter

In this lesson you will learn about opening and closing a letter for the IELTS task 1 General Training.

IELTS Formal Letter to an Insurance Company

This is an IELTS formal letter to an insurance company It is an example of how to write a letter of complaint.

IELTS Arrangement Letter: Holiday with a Friend

This is a sample IELTS Arrangement Letter in which you have to contact a friend to explain how your holiday plans have changed.

IELTS Letter Lessons: Writing Letters for the Task 1 General

An IELTS letter has to be written for the task 1 of IELTS general training. Take lessons on how to write high-scoring answers.

IELTS Informal Letter: Getting the Tone Right

This is an IELTS informal letter sample and shows you how to use the right tone when its not formal.

IELTS Letter: Job Application to Restaurant

In this IELTS letter you are have to write a job application for a position in a restaurant.

IELTS Request Letter: Time Off Work

This is an IELTS request letter in which you need to take leave from your work of over one month for personal reasons.

IELTS Formal Letter Sample: Theatre Visit

This IELTS formal letter sample is regarding a visit to the theatre. It's a complaint letter as person did not enjoy it.

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IELTS General Writing Task 1 Sample Semi Formal Letters

Updated On Jan 24, 2024

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IELTS General Writing Task 1 Sample Semi Formal Letters

IELTS Writing Prediction Questions for 2024

As you know, the IELTS General Training is designed to assess applicants who plan to migrate to an English speaking country for the purpose of working or joining a non-academic form of training. As a result, the subject topic for the IELTS Writing test is different in IELTS Academic and IELTS General.

In task 1 you’ll have to write a letter, while in task 2, you’ll have to write an essay of at least 250 words. In this post, we will be looking at the sample semi-formal letters for the IELTS General Writing task 1 .

IELTS General Writing Test

The IELTS General Writing Test takes 1 hour to complete the two tasks – Writing Task 1 (letter-writing) and Task 2, which is same for both General and Academic.

General Writing Task 1

For the IELTS Writing test , you’ll get a total of 1 hour to complete both the tasks, so it is recommended to not spend more than 20 minutes for task 1.

In task 1, you have to write a letter of correspondence, not less than 150 words, explaining a situation, or requesting information of some kind. The question will be a common everyday scenario like expressing your interest in a new job, complaining to a company about bad service, apologizing to a friend for missing a party or so on.

Along with the task question, there’ll be 2 bullet points to outline the specific information and pointers you have to include in your letter. The bullet points may include suggestions and recommendations to help you draft the letter.

Before you start writing the letter, you have to first identify the type of letter you are being asked to write. There are 3 types of letters that can be asked, namely

Semi-Formal

It’s important to identify the type of letter that’s being asked as each letter type will require a different communication tone and level of respect. The communication tone and level of respect will differ based on the kind of relationship you have with the person you’re writing to.

Since we’re covering semi-formal letters in this article, the semi-formal letters will mostly be a question that’ll ask you to write a letter to someone you may or may not have personally met like your professor, neighbour, landlord, so on…

Writing Task 1 Sample Semi-Formal Letters

Here are a few samples of semi-formal letters for IELTS Writing Task 1 for the General Training Paper. All of them should be written in not less than 150 words.

You need to take some time off from work to go on holiday. Write a letter to your direct manager.

In your letter:

Ask for time off and explain why
Provide the dates and times for which you will be unavailable to work.
Describe what you will do to prepare or make up for your absence.

You are experiencing financial problems and want to ask your landlord if you can pay your rent late. Write a letter to your landlord.

In your letter explain:

Why you are writing to him
Why you cannot pay the rent
When you will pay the rent.

You were absent from an important event held by the company you work for.

Write a letter to your manager. In your letter:

Apologize for your absence and explain the reasoning.
Explain why you had to be at the other event.
Explain what you will do to catch up.

You are due to move into a rented apartment next week but you will not be able to due to an unexpected problem.

Write a letter to the property manager. In your letter

Explain the situation
Describe your problems
Tell him/her when you think you can move in

You have been living in a rental apartment for the past year. Recently, a new neighbour moved in who has loud parties several times a week.

Write a letter to your landlord. In your letter:

Describe why it bothers you
Suggest a solution

You applied for a job, were offered the position, but have decided not to accept the offer.

Write a letter to the HR supervisor with whom you interviewed. In your letter:

Explain the reason why you are declining the offer.
Describe your reasons for staying with your current position.
Express your gratitude

You have received a job offer for an exciting, new position. Although you are expected to start on September 7th, you are only available to start a week later due to personal reasons.

Write a letter to your new boss. In your letter:

Express your enthusiasm for the job offer.
Explain the problem
Suggest what you can do

Although you are meant to present your thesis project in one month, your sister is getting married in Spain at the same time. You would like to change the dates of your presentation.

Write a letter to your professor. In your letter:

Remind the professor of your academic achievements to date.
Ask for a different date to present your thesis.

You have been invited to a networking conference for your field of work.

Write a letter to your boss. In your letter:

Describe the invitation you received and why it is important to you.
Explain why the conference would be beneficial for you and the company.
Ask the company for time off to attend and to cover some of the travel costs.

Question 10

You have been assigned to give a networking presentation with your colleague from a different office, who you met last year.

Write a letter to your colleague. In your letter:

Inform your colleague that you will be working together.
Provide your initial ideas on the networking presentation.
Ask for a time to meet and practice the presentation.

Question 11

You are going to spend your vacation in Rome, Italy. Your friend’s grandfather lives there and has offered to let you stay in his apartment.

Write a letter to your friend’s grandfather. In your letter:

Thank him for the offer but politely decline.
Inform him of when you will be in Rome and your travel plans.
Invite him for an outing

Question 12

You have had a problem with your neighbor for the past few months. You have not been able to meet with your neighbor to discuss the problem.

Write a letter to your neighbor. In your letter:

Explain what action you will take if the situation does not improve.

Here are the 10 examples for the IELTS General Writing Task 1 Sample Semi-Formal Letters :

Frequently asked questions.

What are semi-formal letters?

What is the structure of a semi-formal letter?

What language features should a test-taker use in semi-formal letters?

What language features should a test-taker avoid while writing a semi-formal letter?

What is the difference between informal and semiformal letters?

Practice IELTS General Writing Task 1

Proven tips to score Band 9 in IELTS Writing

Courtney Miller

Courtney is one of our star content writers as she plays multiple roles. She is a phenomenal researcher and provides extensive articles to students. She is also an IELTS Trainer and an extremely good content writer. Courtney completed her English Masters at Kings College London, and has been a part of our team for more than 3 years. She has worked with the British Council and knows the tricks and tips of IELTS.

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IELTS General Writing Task 1 semi-formal Topics/Questions 2024

This section presents a list of common IELTS General Writing Task 1 semi-formal topics. All these topics were added in 2024 by students who took the IELTS recently. Pick a random topic and start practicing and improving your writing skills.

Write on this topic Show answers » ···

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Formal and Semi-formal Emails - How to write an email in English? Dos & Don'ts (Jak napisać maila po angielsku?)

In majority of offices it is now an every day chore – to write emails in English, to compose them, to answer them, to deal with different problems connected with written communication in English. Today I'll try to show you a few characteristic features of formal and semi-formal emails, give a few dos and some don'ts on the topic ;)

OPENING (LINES)

Signing off, your signature, what grammar/language is traditionally typical of formal style.

longer, more complex sentences:
indirect questions:
passive voice
formal vocabulary and rather old-fashioned expressions:
lack of contractions (short forms), abbreviations, acronyms, phrasal verbs or colloquial terms:

BE CAREFUL!

Do not overuse long, complex sentences! Some style guides even talk about the KISS principle (Keep It Short and Simple)
Do not overuse passive voice! Use it only when necessary and also make sure that it doesn't make your text difficult to understand.
Avoid Kindly , Kindly be .., Herewith etc., as it is archaic. The same goes for the expressions like: Please be informed...
Do not write things like: Enclosed/attached please find... The reason is simple – only use please find... when you have lost something and you want your reader to find it... (Instead use: Here is ; Enclosed is ; Attached is ; I have attached/enclosed ; The attached document shows..., etc.)
Forget To whom it may concern ! If you still remember it... ;)
Do not use too informal language – acronyms or abbreviations like ASAP or gr8, lol, thx might feel too informal!
Maybe it's obvious, but... Avoid CapsLock! and capitalising everything – it's like shouting directly to somebody's ear...

Some useful tips to remember about:

KISS (mentioned above)
be ABC (Accurate – check facts, include details and proofread; Brief – keep it short, use simple but not simplistic language, avoid jargon if the recipients do not know it; Clear – use plain English, natural style and avoid formality or radical informality)
If you are not sure about the level of formality to use – if possible follow the style of the email you have received from your correspondent .
I found that in many big companies there is something like 'common email practice' which tells workers what style/language or phrases are used. It is not usually written, but it 'exists' in the bowels of the offices ;) Use it!
make your email look clear and ordered – look above at my plan for an email and remember about spacing between paragraphs!

4 komentarze:

Jak się pisze greatings czy może greetings? Może warto sprawdzić taki drobiazg przed publikacją...

Zawsze warto i zawsze coś się trafi takiego ;) Dziękuję za czujność Anonimowy!

png 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /> Another handy accessory that should help you “pee” discreetly is the Quick Fix urine belt. It’s a whole “urinary system” with a bladder bag and tube. You only need to wear it under your clothing. It’s a very convenient way to transport the fake urine discreetly before the drug test. You should activate them at least one hour before the test and you can easily check the temperature with the reusable temperature strips. These strips can read the accurate temperature of the mixture, helping you determine whether or not more heat is needed. Visit: https://www.urineworld.com/

Just to clarify, there is no sure-shot way to pass a drug test. However, the most suggested method is to consume a detoxing drinking to layer up the can and additional cannabinoids or simply try washing out your system and increasing water intake as much as possible to dilute. It is advised that weed is not consumed ahead of any drug test. It is essential that water intake is encouraged and natural diuretics are used to wash out the system. Hydration is necessary, and if possible, drink a sports drink or another drink that consists of electrolytes in large quantities. On your test day, check for the instructions to follow on the detoxing drinking box whichever is opted, and go for it. When it is a drug test, there is no single way to assure 100% result. So, instead of choosing one, go for mixed ones. Ahead of the test, start drinking as much water as possible.

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Formal - Textbooks, official reports, academic articles, essays, business letters, contracts, official speeches. Semi-formal - Day-to-day interaction with colleagues and teachers, popular magazines/books, interviews, when talking with someone in authority or whom you respect. Informal - Interacting with friends, speaking or chatting online.
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Format of a Semi-Formal Letter. The format of a semi-formal letter will basically be the same as any other letter. Fundamentally, all IELTS letters follow the same basic template, which of course would be modified slightly as per the specific details of the prompt: Greeting. State the purpose / introduce letter.
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Levels of Formality. The level of formality you write with should be determined by the expectations of your audience and your purpose. For example, if you are writing a cover letter for a job application or a college academic essay, you would write in a formal style. If you are writing a letter to a friend, writing something personal, or even ...
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If you really need to write, a side comment between parenthesis, first try using subordinate clauses and work on punctuation, leaving the parenthesis as a last resource. INFORMAL LANGUAGE. If you are writing a semi-formal text, avoid informal language. There are many ways to avoid informal language: First, you should avoid the connectors "and ...
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Formal: This extended essay intends to investigate whether there is a causal relationship between music listened to and the mood of individuals. Additionally, it will seek to explore whether this relationship is used in advertising to encourage people to spend money. Last Updated: May 8, 2024 3:48 PM.
7 Tips for Writing a Good Quality Semiformal Essay
These must include anecdotal evidence and personal hypothesis to be used in your semiformal essay. Adding footnotes and a bibliography helps to create a foundation for your arguments and conclusion. Draft your essay without using an overly complex structure of sentences. Ensure that your headings and subheadings have the same tone and theme.
Essay: Formal, Semi-Formal and Informal Essays explained
Semi-formal essays have some of the characteristics of formal and an informal essay. They are generally written to groups we know about and are part of. Such written essays will be read to the members of such group. Take for instance, one who belongs to a group may write a semi-formal essay to such group regarding an assignment, a project or a ...
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Formal English. Formal English is primarily used in written communication, such as official reports, academic articles, business letters, and contracts. There are also examples where spoken English can be very formal, for examples in speeches, lectures, or interviews. In general, formal English expresses respect and distance to the person you ...
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Model Essay. Transition words are highlighted in red Advanced grammar structures are highlighted in green Topic vocabulary are highlighted in blue. Dear Mr. Brannagan, I am writing in regard to my absence from the annual company business meeting held last week.. First off, I would like to formally apologize for not being able to attend the business meeting.I recognize the importance of the ...
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In this video, you are going to learn how to write a semi-formal letter that you'll find in IELTS General Writing Task 1 questions.To watch all of our IELTS ...
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The main use of the semicolon is to link two sentences. This emphasizes a connection between independent clauses that would otherwise be separated by a period. For instance, the following sentences work by themselves: My favorite food is spam. I spend a fortune on tinned meat. However, we could link them with a semicolon to show that they are ...
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Exercise 6 of the Reading and Writing paper of the IGCSE English as a Second Language (ESL) exam (0510/0511/0991/0993) is always a formal or semi-formal writing. It can be an article, an essay, a report, or a review. In this article, you will discover how to write an almost-perfect essay that impresses the examiner and gets you the highest band.
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In your letter: Suggest how your work could be covered while you are away. In this exam task, the audience is your manager and therefore you should use a semi-formal style as you are writing to a person you know, but not very well. Tip#1 Semi-formal letters are sent to people that we do not know well.
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Dear Mr Robson = Yours sincerely, (semi-formal / formal letters - to a boss, teacher, neighbour) Dear John = Best regards (semi-formal / formal - to a colleague at work) ... To conclude, this essay discussed that although accept equal number of female and male seems to be unreliable. In my opinion, it is beneficial to increase the rate of ...
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These IELTS sample letters illustrate the different types you may come across in the test. Letters tend to be one of these types: Informal (e.g. to a friend or family member) Semi-formal (e.g. to your landlord or employer, who you know) Formal (e.g. to the manager of a company) They also have broad purposes such as a complaint, resignation ...
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Formal - Textbooks, official reports, academic articles, essays, business letters, contracts, official speeches Semi-formal - Day-to-day interaction with colleagues and teachers, popular magazines/books, interviews, when talking with someone in authority or who you respect Informal - Interacting with friends, speaking or chatting online
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Semi-Formal: I'm writing to let you know. Informal: Just wanted to let you know. • You can use exclamation points. • You can use a more relaxed closing in semi-formal correspondence. Ex: See you soon, looking forward to your call, see you next week, call me if you have any questions. • You can use the imperative form.
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Give your writing a more formal or informal tone, try shortening or expanding text, or even add sensory details. You choose how you want to rewrite. — it's free. Get Started — it's free. View Plans. Translate to fluent English. Write in your native language, and use Rephrase to convert your text into fluent English. — it's free
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A semi-structured interview is a data collection method that relies on asking questions within a predetermined thematic framework. However, the questions are not set in order or in phrasing. In research, semi-structured interviews are often qualitative in nature. They are generally used as an exploratory tool in marketing, social science ...
IELTS General Writing Task 1 Sample Semi Formal Letters
As a result, the subject topic for the IELTS Writing test is different in IELTS Academic and IELTS General. In task 1 you'll have to write a letter, while in task 2, you'll have to write an essay of at least 250 words. In this post, we will be looking at the sample semi-formal letters for the IELTS General Writing task 1.
IELTS General Task 1 semi-formal Topics 2024
This section presents a list of common IELTS General Writing Task 1 semi-formal topics. All these topics were added in 2024 by students who took the IELTS recently. Pick a random topic and start practicing and improving your writing skills. semi-formal. Your neighbours have recently written to you to complain about the noise from your house/ flat.
Formal and Semi-formal Emails
This is it as far as the elements of a more formal email are concerned. What is also worth remembering is that the language and syntax we use when we write in a formal style is also quite specific. However, in the age of electronic communication many style guides recommend using more semi-formal style for business communication.