IELTS Tip: General Task 1: Letters Masterclass

Welcome students to this helpful resource for learning how to write letters in the IELTS exam. This guide covers almost everything you need to know to write good letters. Let’s start.

Understanding the Task Format

Let’s start by looking at what an IELTS letter task looks like. Here is one:

Your car was rented from a company and while you were driving on holiday, you had a small accident. You will have to write a report to the company to explain it.

Write a letter to the company. In your letter, you need to explain the following:

when and where you rented the car
describe how the accident happened
what kind of action you took after the accident

All IELTS letters follow this 3-part format:

First, you are given a situation.
Then, you are told who to write the letter to, the recipient. (company in this case)
Finally, there are three bullet points telling you what exactly to write about.

It is important to read the situation carefully as missing any details would result in a loss of band score in the Task Response criteria. For example, if you forget to mention that the accident was a ‘minor’ one and instead write about a big accident, that is a deduction.

Similarly, it is important to pay attention to the recipient as that would decide the tone of your letter. If you are writing to a friend or a close relative, you should use an informal (casual and friendly) tone but not when writing to others, in which case formal (serious) is more suitable.

Finally, you should also read the bullet points carefully and only include information relevant to them. Adding any information that does not fit under the bullet points can also lose you Task Response score.

Ideal Paragraphing Structure

An ideal paragraph structure for a letter must include three things - an opening statement, the main content, and a closing statement. This can be best achieved through a 5 paragraph structure.

An opening statement
Cover bullet point 1
Cover bullet point 2
Cover bullet point 3
A closing statement

Before we understand each of these paragraphs in detail, let me briefly cover two things: the greeting and the closing.

Greeting: Used at the beginning

Close Friend or Relative:
- Use a casual and personal touch, like "Dear [First Name]," or simply their first name.
Neighbor:
- Choose a friendly yet slightly formal approach, such as "Hello [First Name]," or "Dear Mr./Mrs. [Last Name]."
Formal Relations (e.g., Newspaper Editor, Employer):
- Keep it professional with "Dear [Title] [Last Name]," like "Dear Dr. Smith," or "Dear Editor." If the name is unknown, "Dear Sir/Madam," or "To Whom It May Concern," is appropriate.

Closing: Used at the end

Close Friend or Relative:
- Choose warm and informal closings like "Love," or "Warm wishes."
Neighbor:
- Go for a friendly but less personal closing, such as "Best regards," or "Sincerely."
Formal Relations (e.g., Newspaper Editor, Employer):
- Use professional sign-offs like "Yours faithfully," (for unknown recipients) or "Yours sincerely," (for known recipients) to keep a professional tone.

We will now go through each of these one by one. For this, let’s use the same letter topic as earlier.

Your car was rented from a company and while you were driving on holiday, you had a small accident. You will have to write a report to the company to explain it.

Write a letter to the company. In your letter, you need to explain the following:

when and where you rented the car
describe how the accident happened
what kind of action you took after the accident

Opening Statements

The opening statement shows the purpose of your letter. For the above letter task, it could be something like:

“This letter is about a small accident I had with a car I rented from your company.”

When writing to a friend or a close relative, it is a good idea to ask about the well-being of the person before you come to the reason for writing. So an opening statement for an informal letter could be something like:

"Hello, I've been thinking about you and hoping you're feeling better. I'm sorry for not reaching out sooner, but I wanted to check in and see how you're doing now."

Covering Bullet Points

This is the most important part of the letter. A good approach is to write three different paragraphs, each addressing a single bullet point. The things to keep in mind are:

Only cover what the bullet point has asked you to
Start the paragraph in a way that makes it clear what you are going to write about
Do not try to make all three paragraphs the same length. Depending on the bullet point, a paragraph can be anywhere from 2 to 5 sentences.

Here is how I would write the three paragraphs for our letter:

when and where you rented the car
describe how the accident happened
what kind of action you took after the accident

“A couple of weeks ago, on March 15, I booked the car, a Maruti Swift Desire, from your Bathinda store over the phone. It was delivered to my friend’s house at 24A, Ajit Road.

Sadly, I had an accident on the 10 kilometre road between Bathinda and Rampura at around 11:00 Am in the morning of 23 March. It was caused by a dog suddenly coming onto the road. To avoid hitting the dog, I turned the car sharply towards the opposite lane. Sadly, in doing so, I scratched past an oncoming vehicle, and went off onto the gravel road. Thankfully, the car stopped without any more damage.

As soon as the car stopped, I got out of the vehicle and checked on the other driver. We then exchanged insurance information and told the traffic police about the accident. I then informed your company about the accident.

Notice how the starting parts of each paragraph (in bold) make it clear what the paragraph is about. Also notice how each paragraph sticks to the bullet point and gives no unnecessary information.

Closing Statement

The closing statement is a short statement at the end of the letter. While there is no fixed formula here for all cases, for most letters something starting with “I hope…” works well. For example, for our letter we could write something like:

”I hope you understand the unexpected events that caused the accident and appreciate the quick actions taken to handle it responsibly.”

When writing to a friend, a closing statement can simply be something like:

”Lots of love”, “Take care”, or “See you”.

Final Sample Answer

Ok, so here is our full sample answer:

Dear Sir,

This letter is about a small accident I had with a car I rented from your company.

A couple of weeks ago, on March 15, I booked the car, a Maruti Swift Desire, from your Bathinda store over the phone. It was delivered to my friend’s house at 24A, Ajit Road.

I hope you understand the unexpected events that caused the accident and appreciate the quick actions taken to handle it responsibly.

Yours Sincerely Hardev Singh

Extra Sample Answer (Informal)

Here is one more sample answer; this time for an informal letter.

You are having a party and want to invite your friend from a different city.

Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:

Describe why you are having the party
Give directions on how to get to the venue
Suggest how you can accommodate him/her

Dear Santosh,

I hope you're doing great! I'm very excited to tell you about a party I'm having and would love for you to come.

The reason for the party is my recent job promotion! It's a big step in my career, and I can't think of a better way to celebrate than with my closest friends. There'll be good music, tasty food, and lots of fun.

Getting here is easy. If you're taking the train, get off at Greenfield Station and it's a short ten-minute walk to my house on Oak Avenue, number 45. If you choose to drive, there is plenty of parking available.

As for staying over, my guest room is yours for the night. It's cozy and comfortable, and I'll make sure you have everything you need. If you prefer a hotel, there are a couple of nice ones nearby.

I'm really hoping you can join us. Your presence would mean a lot to me!

Take care and let me know soon.

Warm regards,

Hardev Singh

General Task 1: Letters Masterclass