IELTS General Training Letters: Formal, Semi-formal and Informal
How to recognise the tone of an IELTS GT Task 1 letter from the prompt, with openings, closings and a plan for all three bullet points.
In IELTS General Training Writing Task 1, you write a letter of at least 150 words in about 20 minutes. The task gives a situation and three bullet points. Your score depends heavily on two things: covering all three bullets and choosing the right tone.
Step 1: Who is the reader?
| Reader | Tone | Greeting | Sign-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| a company, council, unknown manager | formal | Dear Sir or Madam, | Yours faithfully, |
| a person you know in a formal role (landlord, manager, teacher) | semi-formal | Dear Mr Patel, | Yours sincerely, / Kind regards, |
| a friend or family member | informal | Dear Sam, / Hi Sam, | Best wishes, / Love, |
The task often tells you how to begin: Begin your letter as follows: Dear Sir or Madam,. That line tells you the tone.
Step 2: One paragraph per bullet
Three bullets → three body paragraphs. Add a short opening (the reason for writing) and a closing line. This simple plan almost guarantees good organisation.
Step 3: Extend each bullet
A bullet answered in one sentence looks thin. Add a detail, a reason or an example.
The heating doesn't work.
The heating stopped working last Tuesday, and since then the flat has been so cold that my children have had to sleep in their coats.
Useful openings
- Formal: I am writing to complain about… / I am writing to enquire about…
- Semi-formal: I am writing to let you know that…
- Informal: Thanks for your letter. It was great to hear from you!
Common mistakes
- Mixing tones: Dear Sir or Madam… Cheers!
- Missing a bullet point.
- Writing under 150 words.
- Writing addresses (you don't need them).
Practise all three tones: formal complaint, semi-formal letter to a landlord, informal recommendation and thank-you letter.
Quick practice
Fill in the gaps, then check.
- A formal letter to a company (no name) ends "Yours ,".
- "I'm writing to for the noise last night."
- Cover all three points in the question.
- Informal letter ending: "Lots of ,"
- "Could you possibly the music down after 11 pm?"