IELTS General Training Letter: Informal vs Formal

The notes below paraphrase the public IELTS Writing band descriptors and the General Training Writing format page on ielts.org. The descriptor file itself is marked as updated in May 2023. This page does not reproduce that scale, and it does not award a band. A script has to fit the positive features of a band as a whole.

General Training Task 1 is a letter of at least 150 words, written in about 20 minutes. The public format page says the letter may be personal, semi-formal, or formal. The style depends on who you are asked to write to and how well you are supposed to know them. A friend is the personal example on that page. This site calls that same letter informal. A manager is the semi-formal or formal example. Academic Task 1 is a different task. The Task 1 overview guide is about the chart, table, map, or process.

The public minimum of 150 words, and what a short answer does to the evidence for a higher band, is in the word count guide. Word choice that fits the reader belongs with Lexical Resource. The lexical resource guide is the longer note on style and collocation. The four criteria sit side by side in the band descriptors guide.

Read the recipient before the bullets

The prompt names a situation, a reader, and three bullet points. The bullets are the content the letter has to cover. The reader is the tone. A complaint can be formal or informal. The person you write to is the difference.

Find the line that begins “Write a letter to…”. That line is the decision. The public format page says you choose a style that fits the audience and helps you achieve the purpose, for example writing to a friend or writing to a manager.

Openings and sign-offs

The public format page says you do not need to write any addresses. The letter starts with the greeting. This site’s letter guide pairs each greeting with one close.

“Dear Sir or Madam” goes with “Yours faithfully”. A name in the greeting goes with “Yours sincerely”. An informal letter can close with “Best wishes” or “Take care”. The first line and the last line have to name the same relationship.

Contractions, phrasal verbs, and word choice

Informal letters on this site use contractions. Formal and semi-formal letters leave them out. “I’m writing to tell you about the desk” fits Sam. “I am writing to report damage to a desk” fits the shop.

Phrasal verbs follow the same split. “Put you up”, “come over”, and “get in” fit a reader you know. “Arrange accommodation”, “visit”, and “arrive” fit a reader you do not know. A phrasal verb is a tone choice. The public Lexical Resource descriptors ask for vocabulary used accurately and appropriately, and the band 7 line includes an awareness of style and collocation. “Come over” beside “I am writing to inform you” mixes two styles. Stay in one column.

The same request in three voices

The heating in a flat has failed. The bullets stay the same shape: what is wrong, how it affects you, and what you want done. Only the reader changes.

To a friend. “The heating’s given up and the flat’s freezing. Any chance you could come over on Thursday and have a look?”

To the landlord, Mr Khan. “I am writing about the heating in the flat. The living-room radiator has been cold since Monday, and the room is difficult to use in the evening. I would be grateful if you could arrange a repair this week.”

To the unnamed agency. “Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to request a repair to the heating at 14 River Street. The living-room radiator has been cold since Monday. Please arrange for an engineer to visit this week.”

A finished letter still covers each bullet in at least 150 words.

Where tone sits in Task Achievement

The public key assessment criteria for General Training Writing Task 1 describe Task Achievement as five checks: a clear purpose, all three bullet points, enough extension of those points, an appropriate format, and a tone that stays appropriate to the task. The format page also says the task tests a letter that is well organised and appropriate in its register and style.

The May 2023 public Task 1 descriptors name tone on the General Training lines. Paraphrased: band 7 covers every bullet and highlights it clearly, states a clear purpose, and keeps a tone that is consistent and appropriate to the task, with any lapses minimal. Band 6 still covers every bullet, with a purpose that is generally clear, and there may be minor inconsistencies in tone. Band 5 may leave a bullet thin and the purpose unclear at times, and the tone may be variable and sometimes inappropriate. Band 4 may omit a bullet, leave the purpose confused, and use a tone or a format that is inappropriate. Band 8 and band 9 do not print a separate tone sentence. They ask for the task to be covered appropriately, which includes that voice.

A consistent voice does not fill a missing bullet, and three full bullets in the wrong voice leave the tone line unmet. The answer has to be connected text. Notes are penalised, and so is writing that leaves the topic. Writing more than 150 words is not penalised. A longer Task 1 leaves less time for Task 2, which contributes twice as much to the Writing score. Under 150 words, there may not be enough evidence of the language features needed for a higher band. The word count guide sets that floor beside the Task 2 minimum of 250.

Coherence and Cohesion is paragraph order. Lexical Resource is whether the words fit that reader. Grammatical Range and Accuracy is the grammar. The tone sentence itself sits under Task Achievement for this task.

Common mistakes

• Choosing the tone from the topic. A complaint to a friend about a shop is still informal. A complaint to the shop is formal.
• “Dear Sir or Madam” followed by contractions and a blunt word such as “rubbish”. That mix is the minor inconsistency the band 6 line allows, and it can become the variable tone in the band 5 line.
• Closing a letter to a friend with “Yours faithfully”, or closing a letter to an unnamed company with “Best wishes”.
• Ignoring a name the prompt gives. If the prompt says “Mr Khan”, the greeting can use it, and the close this site pairs with a name is “Yours sincerely”.
• Two bullets developed, and the third folded into “Thanks”. Each bullet needs its own short paragraph, with a detail or a reason.
• An address block at the top. The public page says you do not need to write any addresses.
• Stopping under 150 words, or answering in notes. The letter is connected sentences.

A formal sample

The letter below was written for this page. It is not a past paper and not a score. It keeps one formal voice from the greeting to the sign-off: full forms, a purpose line, three developed bullets, and the “Dear Sir or Madam” / “Yours faithfully” pair.

Prompt. You recently bought a desk from a furniture shop. When it arrived, the top was cracked. Write a letter to the manager of the shop. In your letter, describe what is wrong with the desk, explain how this has affected you, and say what you would like the shop to do.

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to report damage to a desk I purchased from your shop on 3 November. The desk was delivered to my flat yesterday afternoon, and the wooden top is cracked.

The crack begins at the front left corner and runs toward the centre. The surface is no longer level, so a book placed on the left side slides toward the crack.

I bought the desk so that I could study at home in the evenings. The top rocks when I place a laptop on it, so I cannot use the desk. I am working at the kitchen table instead.

I would be grateful if you could arrange a collection and replace the desk with an undamaged one of the same model. If that model is no longer available, please refund the full payment. I am able to receive a telephone call on weekday evenings to agree a time for the collection.

I look forward to your reply.

Yours faithfully,
Alex Morgan

An informal sample

This letter was written for this page. It is not a past paper and not a score. It uses contractions, phrasal verbs, and “Best wishes”, and each bullet has a detail.

Prompt. A friend is going to visit your city next month. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter, say how you feel about the visit, suggest what you can do together, and ask about the travel plans.

Dear Sam,

I’m so glad you’re coming next month. I’ve already kept the weekend free, so we can spend it together instead of rushing around.

If the weather stays dry, we could walk along the river in the morning and then drop into the small cafe by the station. You said you wanted to see the old market, so let’s go there on Sunday before you head off. Wear shoes you can walk in. Those streets are uneven, and we’ll be on our feet for a while.

What time does your train get in on Saturday? Tell me the platform and I’ll come and meet you. I’ve got a spare key, so you can let yourself in if I’m still at work. Do you want the sofa bed, or would you rather I put you up in the small room? It’s quieter there if you need to catch up on sleep after the journey.

I can’t wait to see you.

Best wishes,
Alex

What the two letters are written to show

The shop letter keeps “I am”, “I would be grateful”, and “I look forward to your reply”. The friend letter uses “I’m”, “you’re”, “I’ll”, “put you up”, and “get in”. Both open with a purpose, then give each bullet a paragraph, and both sit above the public minimum of 150 words. They illustrate those features. They are not a mark. Only an official IELTS test assigns an examined band.

A check before you stop

1. The prompt’s “write a letter to…” line is marked informal, semi-formal, or formal.
2. The greeting and the sign-off are the pair for that reader.
3. Contractions appear in the informal letter, and they stay out of the formal and semi-formal letters.
4. Phrasal verbs match the reader. “Come over” fits a friend. “Arrange a visit” fits an agency.
5. The first sentences say why you are writing.
6. Each of the three bullets has its own sentences and a detail.
7. The letter is at least 150 words of connected text, with no address block and no notes in place of paragraphs.

Read the first line beside the prompt

Paste the letter with the question. A greeting that could open a different letter is easier to see when the prompt is still on the page. If “Dear Sir or Madam” and “Best wishes” are both present, the tone is still split.

The IELTS Writing Checker takes Task 1 and Task 2. Mark the recipient in the prompt, then read the greeting and the sign-off together. The methodology page describes the product as a diagnostic and revision tool. Feedback is organised around the four public criteria. A band estimate shows a likely bottleneck. It is not an official IELTS score. The form runs from 50 words and stops at 400, which are product limits. A complete General Training Task 1 letter is still at least 150 words. Read Task Achievement for the purpose, the three bullets, and the tone.

What this page is not claiming

This site is not affiliated with IELTS, the British Council, IDP, or Cambridge English. The band descriptions here paraphrase the public Writing descriptors so you can revise a draft. They are not the official wording, and they are not a result. Only an official IELTS test assigns an examined band.

The two letters were written for this page. They illustrate the tone features named above. They are not official samples and not a score.