In General Writing Task 1, you will be asked to write three kinds of letters

• • Formal
  • Semi-formal
  • Informal

Formal letter

A formal letter usually is written to someone whose name you don’t know or are not aware of.

It could be a mayor, a company’s manager (not yours), complaint letter, bank, etc

You could open a formal letter as follows:

• Dear Sir or Madam

You could close a formal letter as follows:

• Yours faithfully,

Semi-formal letter 

A semi-formal letter will usually be to someone you know, or at least you know their name even if you do not know them well. It could be to your manager, landlord, employer, teacher, doctor. You could open a semi-formal letter as follows:

• Dear (name)…
• Dear (title) (name)…

You could close a formal letter as follows:

• Kind regards
• Best regards
• Regards
•  Your sincerely,

Informal letter :

An informal letter is usually written to someone you know very well, like a family member, friend, work place peer.

You could open an informal letter as follows:

• Dear (name), * *Preferably the first name.

You could close an informal letter as follows:

• Best wishes
•  Best regards
•  Regards
•  All the best
• See you around
•  Lots of love
•  Cheers

IELTS General Writing Task 1 

Set of Letters

Set 1

Formal Letter

A local college wants people with a job to come and talk to students about what it is like to  work. You would like to come forward and talk to the students about your job.

Write a letter to the principal of the college. In your letter,

• explain what you would like to talk about
• say why students would be interested in your job
• suggest a possible date and time for the talk

Sample Answer

Dear Sir/Ma’am,

I am writing this letter to express my interest in participating in the workshop you have published in the Daily Times newspaper. First and foremost, I applaud your initiative and ingenuity in inviting business employees to come out and speak with students and give them an idea of working in a corporate environment.

I want to talk about the company’s expectations for new workers and how this will assist students in understanding the prospects and expectations ahead of time. I’d also like to talk about the difficulties I had faced during the first few months on my job. In addition, I would provide them with some valuable insights on cooperative culture. Most of the graduates, I feel, will be interested in hearing what I have to say.

If it is feasible, I would like to pay a visit to students this coming weekend, on 15th September. I can either come at 11 a.m. or in the afternoon at 3 p.m. Please suggest and confirm the date and time soon. I anticipate hearing from you.

Yours Faithfully,

Mayank

Semi-Formal Letter

You will be celebrating your son’s 6th birthday next week. You want to invite one of your colleagues to attend the birthday party. Write an invitation letter to this college.

In your letter,

• invite your colleague to your son’s birthday party
• give details of the party and its date and time
• say how happy you and your family would be to have him/her at the party

Sample Answer

Dear Mr. Jonathan,

Hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. Everything is great on my end as well. I am writing this letter to invite you to my son’s (Kavish) 6th birthday celebration, which will be held next week on July 17th . My family and I would love for you to attend.

The party will start at 6 p.m. with some fun activities like musical chairs, followed by a puppet performance and a cake-cutting ceremony. Some light refreshments will be offered to the attendees between courses, which will include members of my family, close friends, and co workers. The party will end with dancing post dinner.

My son requested that I invite you and your family to the celebration. He cherishes the moments he spends with you and loves the games you play with him. So, please come to the party, as it will mean a lot to my family.

Yours Sincerely,

Ravish

Informal Letter

You went to another city for a training course and stayed at a friend’s house for a week. They  have been great hosts. Write a letter to your friend.

In your letter,

• thank them for having you at their house for a week
• express your gratitude for their hospitality
• say how much you miss them

Sample Answer

Dear Ursula,

It was great to see you again after such a long time, and I appreciate the kindness you extended to me by allowing me to stay in your house during my training in Dubai. It would have been quite impossible for me to find a suitable location on such short notice.

I reminisce about the times I spent with your family and relatives. I have spent one of the most enjoyable weeks of my life with your kith and kin. I didn’t anticipate such a kind welcome from your relatives. It was extremely touching to see how your near and dear adjusted their plans to accommodate mine. Also, during the stay, your mother, Rose, looked after me as if I were her own child.

In fact, no matter how difficult the training programme was for me, I never felt stressed when I was with you. I will always remember the wonderful time I had with you and your siblings. As a result, I would like to extend an invitation to you and your loved ones to spend your next holiday in my country. Please convey my best wishes to your people.

Warm Wishes

Jacqueline