IELTS BOT

18 IELTS Letter Writing Topics

In General Training, Task 1 is a letter rather than a chart. You get about 20 minutes, need at least 150 words, and must cover all three bullet points.

Getting the tone right

Read the prompt to see who receives the letter before you write a word. Tone is the difference between a band 6 and a band 7 here.

Formal

Someone you have never met — a manager, a council, a company.

Open:
Dear Sir or Madam,
Close:
Yours faithfully,

Semi-formal

Someone you know but in a professional capacity — a landlord, a named manager, a neighbour.

Open:
Dear Mr Patel,
Close:
Yours sincerely,

Informal

A friend or family member.

Open:
Dear Sam,
Close:
Best wishes, / All the best,

How to structure any of them

  1. 1

    Read the bullets first

    All three must be covered. A letter that misses one cannot score well for Task Achievement, however good the English is.

  2. 2

    Decide the tone

    Who receives it decides everything — greeting, sign-off, contractions and how direct you can be. Getting this wrong is the most common General Training mistake.

  3. 3

    One bullet per paragraph

    Three bullets, three body paragraphs, plus an opening line stating why you are writing. That structure works for every letter in the exam.

  4. 4

    Close and sign off

    Match the sign-off to the greeting. 'Dear Sir or Madam' takes 'Yours faithfully'; a named person takes 'Yours sincerely'.

The 18 letter topics

  1. 01

    You have seen an advertisement in an Australian magazine for someone to live with a family for six months and look after their six-year-old child.

    Write a letter to the parents. In your letter:

    • Explain why you would like the job
    • Give details of why you would be a suitable person to employ
    • Say how you would spend your free time while you are in Australia
  2. 02

    You would like to invite a foreign friend to visit you for your birthday.

    Write a letter inviting your friend. In your letter:

    • Tell your friend about your birthday
    • Explain how much the visit would mean to you
    • Suggest that your friend stays at your house for the visit
  3. 03

    A friend has agreed to look after your house and pet while you are on holiday. Write a letter to your friend.

    In your letter:

    • Give contact details for when you are away
    • Give instructions about how to care for your pet
    • Describe other household duties you would like your friend to undertake
  4. 04

    You stayed with your friend and by mistake carried home one of his objects.

    Write a letter and:

    • Explain how you enjoyed staying with your friend
    • Explain the object which you brought with you by mistake and explain how the mistake happened
    • Mention how you plan to return the object
  5. 05

    You recently received a letter from a friend asking for advice about whether to go to college or to try to get a job. You think he/she should get a job.

    Write a letter to this friend. In your letter:

    • Say why he/she would not enjoy going to college
    • Explain why getting a job is a good idea for him/her
    • Suggest types of jobs that would be suitable for him/her
  6. 06

    Write a letter to your friend expressing your inability to meet on a particular date. Your friend was supposed to visit you soon, but due to some personal problems, you can't meet him/her on the specified date. Write a letter to him or her explaining the situation.

    In your letter, you have to:

    • Apologise to your friend for not being able to meet him/her
    • Explain why it's not possible to meet now
    • Suggest an alternative date for the meeting
  7. 07

    You have just begun a new role at a different organisation.

    Write a letter to an English-speaking friend. In your letter:

    • Say what made you leave your previous position.
    • Give details of what the new role involves.
    • Update your friend on your other news.
  8. 08

    You recently spent a holiday abroad at the home of some friends, and they have now sent you a set of photographs taken during your stay.

    Write a letter to your friends. In your letter:

    • Express your gratitude for the pictures and their hospitality
    • Give a reason for the delay in getting in touch
    • Suggest that they visit you in return
  9. 09

    You have received an important document in a foreign language and you need it translated quickly. One of your friends knows this language.

    Write a letter to this friend. In your letter:

    • Tell him/her why the document is important
    • Explain why you need it translated urgently
    • Suggest to your friend how you will get the document to him/her
  10. 10

    There will be a traditional celebration in your country and you want to invite your friend from an English-speaking country.

    Write him/her a letter and:

    • Invite your friend
    • Explain what will happen at the party
    • Describe the tradition and why it's important in your country
    • Say why it is important for your friend to be there.
  11. 11

    Write a letter to your English speaking friend who is visiting you soon and asking you what presents your family would like.

    In your letter:

    • Tell them who is in your family
    • Say what kind of presents each member would like
    • Say how you feel about your friend coming to visit
  12. 12

    You are a football player, but you have to leave the team for a while, write a letter to your team-mate.

    In your letter say:

    • why you have to leave
    • how much you love the football team
    • when you are coming back
  13. 13

    Write a letter to a friend and tell them that you can't pick them up from the airport as you had promised due to some particular reason.

    In your letter:

    • Explain why you can't go to the airport
    • Provide them with other options on how to get to your home
    • Describe the plans you have made to show them around when your friend arrives
  14. 14

    You have made plans for upcoming trip with your friends.

    Write a letter to them and:

    • Remind them about the travel plans
    • Give them details of the accommodation you have arranged
    • Suggest what items they should bring with them on the trip
  15. 15

    You are getting married. Write a letter to an English-speaking friend to invite him/her to the wedding.

    In your letter:

    • Describe who you are going to marry
    • Give them details about what will happen on the wedding day
    • Explain why it's important for him/her to be at the wedding
  16. 16

    Your friend has bought tickets to the theatre for both of you but you are unable to make it. Write a letter to your friend to tell him/her that you cannot go to the theatre.

    In your letter:

    • Apologise for not being able to make it
    • Explain why you can't go
    • Make some suggestions about what he can do to make use of the extra ticket
  17. 17

    You have just spent a weekend at a friend's house. When you returned home, you discovered that you have left your coat containing some belongings in his/her house.

    Write a letter to your friend:

    • Say that you left the coat at his/her house
    • Tell him/her what the coat looks like
    • Mention what was inside the coat
    • Make some suggestions about how you can get it back.
  18. 18

    You have recently been to stay with an old friend for a few days. You hadn't seen each other for a long time.

    Write a letter to your old friend:

    • Say how you felt about the visit
    • Refer to something enjoyable that you did while staying with him/her
    • Invite your friend to visit you in the future

Get your letter marked

Tone problems are hard to spot in your own writing — it reads fine to the person who wrote it. Paste a letter in and get a band for all four criteria, with the specific lines that miss the register.

Taking the Academic test instead? Task 1 is a chart there — see the guide to every Academic Task 1 type.