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IELTS General Writing: informal letter

I wrote the following letter with some of my students here in Manchester. It contains some great examples of informal phrases. Can you guess what the full question was?

IELTS General Writing: resignation letter

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IELTS General Writing: formal phrases

Here are some formal phrases that I've used in previous lessons. See if you can use them in your own letters:

Beginning the letter by explaining why you are writing:

I am writing with regard to...

I am writing to inform you that...

I am writing to bring to your attention some issues with...

Requesting or suggesting something:

I have decided that I would like you to...

I am entitled to ask for...

I was wondering if it would be possible (for me) to...

I hope that you will...

I would like to suggest that...

Ending the letter with a request for action:

I look forward to receiving your response.

I await your prompt response.

IELTS General Writing: 'new business' letter

I haven't done a lesson about the General Writing test for a while, so here's an interesting question that a student sent me. I'll share my answer next week.

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Remember that the examiner is looking for the following things:

The tone must be appropriate (formal or informal)

The purpose of the letter must be clear

You must cover all of the points

The letter must be well-organised

You need to use some good (and relevant) vocabulary

IELTS General Writing: some questions

Here are some questions that a student asked me about General Writing task 1:

1. Should I write the date at the top of a formal letter?

No, in the IELTS test you should not write the date or your address.

2. Should I use indentation at the start of a new paragraph?

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You can either indent or miss a line. Just make sure it's clear that you have begun a new paragraph. Personally, I think missing a line is clearer.

3. Should I end the letter with "Yours..." on the left or on the right?

Always end the letter on the left. Have a look at my letters on this page.

4. Should I sign the letter before writing my name?

No, don't sign your name. You don't even need to put your real name. Personally, I use a first name (e.g. John) for informal letters, and a full name (e.g. John Smith) for formal letters.

IELTS General Writing: environment problem

Here's a recent question from General IELTS writing task 1:

IELTS General Writing: verb tenses

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Let's look again at the letter I wrote last week. One interesting thing to notice is the variety of verb tenses:

Present simple I take, the overcrowding means, this is...

Present continuous I am writing, passengers are becoming, delays are making...

Present perfect my train has arrived, I have been unable, I have seen...

Future you will address

IELTS General Training: letter of complaint

Let's do a quick plan for the question below.

Problems: trains arrive late and are overcrowded

Effects: people arriving late for work, uncomfortable, unhappy

Changes: more regular trains, more carriages to increase space

Always do a quick plan! The plan above only took me a couple of minutes, and now I'm ready to write a good essay. I'll post it next week.

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IELTS General Writing: 'travel problem' topic

Before you start writing, quickly note down some ideas for each point:

Problem: I was given the wrong boarding card.

Effect: I missed two days of my holiday.

Request: I would like compensation for the flight and other expenses.

Don't worry about whether the problem seems realistic or not. You will be judged according to how well you express ideas, not on the ideas themselves.

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IELTS General Writing: some informal phrases

The phrases below make the letter in this lesson a bit more friendly / informal:

my place (meaning 'my house')

a few things (avoid the word 'thing' in more formal contexts)

pick up the keys (meaning 'collect')

pop round (meaning 'visit')

a bit warmer ('bit' is informal, use 'little' if you want to sound more formal)

worth checking out (meaning 'a good idea to go there')

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IELTS General Writing: planning ideas

It's a good idea to write a quick plan before you start writing your letter. Take this question for example:

Here's my quick plan:

Informal style - friend's name can be John.

Quick greeting and reason for writing.

Neighbour at number 10 has keys. Visit any time after 5pm.

Instructions about turning the heating off and opening the windows.

Good local restaurant and a traditional festival in the town during his visit.

IELTS General Writing: letter to a tutor

You have a full-time job and are also doing a part-time evening course. You now find that you cannot continue the course. Write a letter to the course tutor. In your letter

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describe the situation

explain why you cannot continue at this time

say what action you would like to take

There are three main things to consider before writing your essay:

1. Tone (formal or informal) Sometimes students are friendly with their tutors, but I think it would be better to write a formal letter. Start with your tutor’s surname (e.g. Dear Mr. Smith,) and end with “Yours sincerely,”. Avoid contractions (write “I am” instead of “I’m”), and avoid using informal idioms or expressions. Be polite rather than friendly.

2. Purpose The main purpose of this letter is to inform your tutor that you are leaving the course. Make this clear straight away (e.g. I am writing to inform you that...). Then cover the three points, writing a short paragraph for each.

3. Ideas I recommend spending a few minutes planning ideas for each of the task points before you start writing. You need to decide what the evening course is about, what your full-time job is, a reason

why you are too busy with work to continue with the course, and whether you want to leave completely or perhaps continue at a later date.

IELTS General Writing: semi-formal?

IELTS books and teachers sometimes talk about formal, semi-formal, and informal letters. But a student asked me an interesting question recently:

Can we make things easier by forgetting about "semi-formal"?

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Actually, I think the answer is yes! When writing to a colleague or neighbour, you can write in a

friendly, informal way using the informal features mentioned in this lesson. I can't really think of any reason why we need the "semi-formal" category for IELTS writing purposes. Your letter will be either formal or friendly!

Note: Feel free to disagree with me if you can find a reason why we need the semi-formal category. Maybe I've missed something.

IELTS General Writing: how to start and end letters

It's important to start and end letters in the correct way, depending on who you are writing to. The table below should give you all you need.

IELTS General Training: informal and formal

For my first two General Training lessons I wrote examples of an informal and a formal letter. Today I want to highlight some of the differences between them.

Informal letter:

Beginning: Dear + first name

Friendly greeting: I hope this letter finds you well.

Contractions: I'm, didn't, couldn't, there's...

Questions: Do you remember...? Why don't you...?

Exclamation: ...earlier than I thought it was!

Linking: Well, Anyway, so, and

Phrases: had a great time, couldn't have asked for, working flat out, back to normal

Ending: Hope to see you soon + first name

Formal letter:

Beginning: Dear Sir or Madam

No greeting necessary

No contractions: I am, did not...

Normally avoid direct questions: "I would like" instead of "Can I have?"

No exclamation marks (!)

Linking: However, Consequently, and, also

Phrases and vocabulary: with regard to, appliance, it was installed, the following day, failed to (meaning "didn't"), procedure, he assured me, report the issue, contacted, under warranty, I am entitled to, replacement, phone me personally