Complete Guide to IELTS General Training Letter Writing

What is IELTS General Training Writing Task 1?

IELTS General Training Writing Task 1 requires you to write a letter of at least 150 words in 20 minutes. You are given a situation and three bullet points to address. The letter may be formal, semi-formal, or informal depending on the context. It is worth one-third of your total Writing band score.

Unlike the Academic test — the General Training Task 1 is a letter, whereas for the Academic Test Task 1 you will usually be asked to write about a graph/chart. It tests that you can write in real-life English: to complain, ask for information, an apology and a letter to a friend.

The four assessment criteria for IELTS General Training Writing Task 1 letter

Your IELTS letter is scored on four equally weighted criteria that each account for 25% of your Task 1 band:

TASK ACHIEVEMENT — Did you complete all three bullet points? Does the tone and register suit the type of letter? Are your paragraphs developed enough to get your point across?

Coherence and Cohesion — Does your letter make sense? Are paragraphs clearly structured? Are linking words and discourse markers part of the way you speak?

Lexical Resource — Is a range of vocabulary used adeptly (adequate to the register, correct meaning)? To ensure without repeating the same word? Do you have topic related phrases in your natural language?

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Do you use a variety of sentence structure such as complex sentences, relative clauses, passive voice & conditional? Are they mostly accurate?

Focusing on these four criteria prior to practice is the most powerful way of spiking your score. It is not that all four of your marking criteria are balanced on 6/9, it is mostly that one criterion holds you back.

Three Types of IELTS Letters : Formal, Semi-Formal and Informal

All IELTS General Training letters are written in three different types of registers. Choosing the right style before you even put pen to paper is THE most important planning decision you make in Task 1.

Formal letters are just what they say — written to unknown professionals or organisations — a company or manager or perhaps even a government body. No contractions, no delaying responses that required professional vocabulary, indirect polite language and signing off with Yours faithfully or Yours sincerely. Formal letters are where you write complaint letters, job application letter and request to organisations etc.

Semi-formal letter are written to someone you know on more professional basis — a person living in your neighbourhood, a land lord or an office colleague. More polite and courteous, but less formal than a complete formal letter. Conclude with “Kind regards” or “Best wishes,”.

Another type is an Informal letter which is being written to a close friend or family member. They employ contractions, colloquial personal language, conversational connectors (“Anyway,” “By the way”) and end with “Best wishes,” “Take care” or even “Love.”

A rule of thumb to identify the following question is – Who are you writing for as stated in your task? Unknown professional = formal. Short-hand, semi-polite professional relationship =semi-formal. Friend or family = informal.

How to structure any IELTS letter correctly

The structure of every IELTS General Training letter is the same, regardless of type you write — they all have five parts.

Part 1 – The salutation : （”Dear Sir or Madam,”, formal, unnamed) / “Caro Mr Collins”(formal, named)/ “Carissimo Priya」（informal). Your address, and the date — don’t write them: they are unnecessary and take away from your 20 minutes.

Part 2 — Opening sentence (25–35 words): Provide a short, blunt statement explaining why you are writing. Avoid any bullet point detail here, that is for the body paragraphs.

Part 3.4,5 — Key points (40–50 words for each): Four paragraphs, one paragraph on each bullet point. Every paragraph should have clear topic sentence, concrete supporting detail, and tie back to the purpose of the letter. Do not coalesce two bulleted text in a single paragraph.

Sign-off: “Yours faithfully,” (where you opened “Dear Sir or Madam”) / “Yours sincerely,” (named recipient) / Best wishes, Take care (informal).

Formal ink signatures: Memory trick = “SiNcerely” = Name When you Tracking anxiously “Faithfully” when you don’t know the song by name.

The three bullet points: your mandatory content checklist for IELTS letters writing

All of the IELTS General Training Task 1 letters have 3 bullet points. This is not a suggestion; this is required content. Each point in the bullet must be written about in a single paragraph with enough detail.

When it comes to task achievement, the most frequent reason candidates fail to reach band 7 is not missing a bullet point altogether — it is developing one of them insufficiently. A bullet point that is written about in one vague sentence receives an equal score as a non-understanding of a bullet point in the examiner’s evaluation.

TDE method: Use this for every bullet point paragraph:

T (Topic): You should start off with an actual topic sentence that relates directly to the bullet point

D (Detail): Add a specific fact, reason or example — not some vague generalisation

E (Extension) — Add impact, outcome or some type of ask/action like the purpose of the letter

It turns out that TDE method writes each paragraph in 40–50 words — just right to get it.

Time management — 20 minutes maximum; not a second more

Task 1 accounts for one third of your Writing score. Task 2 is worth two-thirds. Time spent on Task 1 over 20 minutes is more of a penalty than a benefit. Strict time management is non-negotiable.

2 minutes: Plan. TASK QUESTION → Read the task question and has to identify register, add content for individual bullet points, complete opening line. This quick 2-minute exercise avoids the uncertainty of mid-lettering that causes most time overruns.

15 minutes: Write. Greeting, introduction, 3 body paragraphs, conclusion, closing line, sign-off Target 160–185 words.

3 minutes: Check. Repeat each bullet point from the question and check that your letter answers it. Look for inconsistencies of register — contractions in formal letters, stiff language in informal letters. Ensure your word count is more than 150 words

Word count: the 150-word rule

Your letter must be at least 150 words for the IELTS. Write fewer than 150 and no matter how good your language, you will get an automatic task achievement penalty. Target: 160–185 words

Having more words is not necessarily a better score. A highly-organised and concise 170-word letter that fully expresses all three bullet points in detail using the same level of language will always score higher than a padded 220-word letter.

Here is how a blog post can naturally reach 160–185 words word counts: salutation: 5 opening paragraph: 30 three body paragraphs at approximately 45 words each (135) closing line: 15 = total of ~185რთ.

Pitfalls that cause you to lose marks

The most costly and easiest Task 1 error is misuse of the register. To write formalised to a friend, or casualised to formal business communication is an elemental failure in understanding the communicative task.

If you do not answer a bullet point or only partially develop it, then even if your language is excellent, you will score only band 5–6 on task achievement.

The second you write less than 150 words, an automatic penalty kicks in that no amount of great vocabulary can save.

So, avoid attempting to create a bullet point or number list style in your letter response; it will kill your coherence and cohesion mark. Every bullet point from the question forms one prose paragraph in your answer.

Your letter will not be scored when you copy too many words from the task question. Phrases that you have copied add nothing to your lexical resource.

You will be left with too little time for Task 2 (which is worth twice as many points)if you exceed 20 minutes onTask1.

Vocabulary: What You Must Have for Each Type of Letter

IELTS letters have strong vocabulary not by using uncommonly used or complex words, but by consistently using register-appropriate, precise and varied language.

Learn the formal equivalent (in formal letters) of the 10 most common casual verbs: ask → enquire, tell → inform, want → wish to, fix → rectify, give → provide, show → demonstrate, help → assist, get → obtain, say state and end→conclude.

For newsy letters: Use contractions, colloquial connectors (“So Anyway,” “Speaking of which”) and emotional phrases (“I’m quite literally over the moon,” “Oh my dear God”).

Avoid repeating the same vocabulary. Same same but different — Use “the problem” instead with: the issue; this matter; the situation; the fault; and, the incident. Alternatives for I want: Please, allow me to, I wish to, it is my intention to

See also: IELTS Letter Writing Vocabulary: Formal or Informal (Preparation)

Difference between band 6 and band 7

Band 6 IELTS letters are generally fairly clear and on topic but include: more noticeable register inconsistencies, a somewhat limited range of vocabulary, poorly developed bullet points(2 out of the 3), high frequency but repetitive grammar.

Band 7 IELTS letters show: register consistent from the first word to the last, accurate and appropriate vocabulary used naturally, three bullet points covered in detail with relevant information (which includes specific details), a range of complex grammatical structures used with good control overall (one or two inaccuracies may occur).

It is almost always a gap in two places: lexical resource (Candidates at band 6 will reach for safe, basic vocabulary whilst band 7 increase their use of less common collocations naturally) and task achievement (band 6 letters often under develop the third bullet point as time starts to run out).

Related Link → IELTS Letter Writing: Band 6 vs Band 7 – What Are The Differences?

Your complete pre-writing checklist

It only takes 60 seconds — check this list before putting pen to paper on the exam:

Who am I writing to? → Determine the register (formal / semi-formal / informal)

Which greeting and sign-off am I using?

Alright, What are the 3 bullet points? → Jot down 2-3 niche content ideas for each of these

What is my opening line?

What is my closing line?

It is a 60-second checklist to avoid the most common reasons why you may fail at Task 1, and means you will produce a much clearer, more logical, higher-scoring letter every time.

Quick reference: IELTS letter writing at a glance

Element	Requirement
Minimum word count	150 words
Ideal word count	160–185 words
Time allowed	20 minutes (strict)
Number of bullet points	Always 3
Number of paragraphs	4–5
Words per bullet point paragraph	40–50 words
Assessment criteria	4 × 25% each
Formal sign-off (named)	Yours sincerely,
Formal sign-off (unnamed)	Yours faithfully,
Informal sign-off	Best wishes / Take care / Love,
Address required?	No
Date required?	No
Bullet points in response?	Never — prose only

In a nutshell: IELTS letter writing overview

Explore each topic in depth

This pillar guide provides you with the entire structure of IELTS General Training letter writing. Every one of the posts below dives deep on a particular topic — read whichever one addresses the skill you want to level up in:

Writing a Formal Letter of Complaint for IELTS General Training →

IELTS Informal Letter to a Friend Write with an Example →

IELTS General Training: Letter Writing | Addressing all three bullet points →

Formal and Informal Phrases for IELTS Letter Writing →

IELTS Letter Writing: The Differences Between Band 6 & Band 7 →