IELTS General Training Task 1 Model Letters
Sample responses and clear guidance for formal, semi-formal, and personal letter-writing tasks in IELTS General Training.
Mastering IELTS General Training Task 1 Letters
In IELTS General Training Writing Task 1, candidates must write a letter in response to a practical, real-world situation. Prompts include writing a complaint to a company, requesting information from an institution, explaining a situation to a landlord, or writing a personal letter to a friend. Every prompt contains three specific bullet points that you must address.
You should allocate 20 minutes to Task 1 and write at least 150 words. Aiming for 160 to 180 words ensures you expand sufficiently on all three bullet points without losing valuable time needed for Task 2.
The Four Assessment Criteria
Your letter is evaluated across four key band descriptors:
- Task Achievement: Evaluates whether you have covered all three bullet points in equal depth, stated a clear purpose for writing, and maintained a consistent tone throughout.
- Coherence & Cohesion: Assesses how logically your letter flows, including proper paragraph breakdown (Greeting, Purpose, Bullet Point 1, Bullet Point 2/3, Sign-off) and cohesive transitions.
- Lexical Resource: Rewards tone-appropriate vocabulary. Formal letters demand professional terminology, whereas informal letters require natural, conversational idioms and expressions.
- Grammatical Range & Accuracy: Measures sentence structure variety, correct tenses, modal verbs, and punctuation accuracy.
Frequent Mistakes to Avoid
The single biggest cause of lost marks in GT Task 1 is tone inconsistency—such as mixing formal phrases ("I am writing to inform you") with informal greetings ("Hey buddy"). Another common pitfall is ignoring or skimming over one of the three prompt bullet points. Lastly, ensure you use the correct sign-off: Yours faithfully when the recipient's name is unknown, and Yours sincerely when writing to a named individual.