Writing
Five letter tasks, and the language each one needs. General Training only. With a practice exercise.
There are five IELTS Task 1 letter types in the General Training writing test, and each needs different language. Recognising which you have been given takes seconds and tells you most of what the letter should contain.
This applies to General Training only. Academic candidates describe a chart, graph, map or process in Task 1 and never write a letter.
The five types
Each has its own purpose and its own set of useful phrases.
Something has gone wrong and you want it fixed. Firm but polite: I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with. State the problem, the effect, and what you want done.
You have caused a problem. Take responsibility early: I am writing to apologise for. Explain briefly, then offer a remedy rather than excuses.
The most common type. Be specific about what you need: I would be grateful if you could confirm whether. Number your questions mentally so you cover all three bullets.
Asking for something you are not entitled to. Softer language: I would very much appreciate it if. Give a reason, because a request without one reads as a demand.
Proposing an improvement. Tentative forms: it might be worth considering, one possibility would be. Suggesting too directly reads as instructing.
Usually informal, to a friend. Everyday vocabulary is correct here, and forcing formal language into it is itself a register error.
Method
Six steps that apply whichever type you get.
It tells you the language, the tone and often the structure before you have written anything.
That decides formal, semi-formal or informal, which matters as much as the letter type itself.
One paragraph each. Missing a bullet caps Task Achievement no matter how good the English is.
The task gives a situation, not facts. Names, dates and specifics are for you to supply, and you are expected to.
I am writing to. Do not build up to it; the examiner should know the purpose from the first sentence.
Yours faithfully after Dear Sir or Madam, Yours sincerely after a name, best wishes to a friend.
Practice
For each task, decide which letter type it is.
A Complaining · B Apologising · C Asking for or giving information
D Making a request · E Making suggestions
The wording of the task tells you. Look for what you are being asked to achieve, not the subject.
1Your neighbour's building work has been noisy for weeks. Write to them.
Complaining. Something has gone wrong and you want it changed. Firm but polite, and state the effect on you as well as the problem.
2You cannot attend a course you enrolled in. Write to the college.
Apologising. You are the cause of the problem, so take responsibility early and offer a remedy rather than a long explanation.
3You saw an advertisement for a job and want to know more about the hours and pay.
Asking for information. The commonest type. Be specific, and make sure each of the three bullets gets a clear question.
4You would like your employer to let you change your working hours.
Making a request. You are asking for something you are not entitled to, so the language should be softer and a reason is essential.
5Your local library is closing early and you have ideas about how it could serve people better.
Making suggestions. Tentative forms rather than instructions: it might be worth considering, one possibility would be.
Some tasks blend two, such as complaining and then requesting a remedy. Knowing which language belongs to which comes from writing a lot of them with feedback.
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Identifying the type is the easy part. Sustaining the right tone for 150 words is what the examiner is marking.
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Five common ones: complaining or apologising, asking for or giving information, making requests, making suggestions, and expressing likes, dislikes, needs or wants.
No. The Task 1 letter is General Training only. Academic Task 1 asks you to describe a chart, graph, table, map or process.
Handle both. A letter that complains and then requests a remedy is common, and each bullet point should still get its own paragraph.
Yes, and you have to. The task provides a situation; names, dates and specifics are for you to supply plausibly.
At least 150 words, in about twenty minutes. Around 180 is comfortable without eating into Task 2 time.
Full membership
You can confirm the letter type and count the bullets. Whether the tone holds for 150 words is a judgement an examiner makes.
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