IELTS Sample Letters (IELTS Writing Task 1)

The purpose of this section is to help you with the Writing Task 1 of the IELTS General test. In Task 1, candidates are asked to respond to a given problem with a letter requesting information or explaining a situation. It is suggested that about 20 minutes is spent on Task 1, which requires candidates to write at least 150 words. Depending on the task suggested, candidates are assessed on their ability to:

- engage in personal correspondence
- elicit and provide general factual information
- express needs, wants, likes and dislikes
- express opinions (views, complaints etc.)

General Writing Sample Task 1 

Test tip

• When you are considering the purpose of your letter, you also need to think about what you have to do in the letter, e.g. complain, advise, etc. This will affect the language and expressions that you choose.
• You need to use the right tone throughout your letter. You will lose marks if you use an inappropriate tone or if you use the wrong tone in parts of your letter.
• Examiners will ignore any sections of text copied directly from the question. Remember that this will reduce your total word count and may also reduce your marks.

Exercise: 

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You have heard that a developer plans to build a shopping centre near your home.

Write a letter to the council. In your letter

• say how you heard about the plan
• explain how you feel about it
• ask for more information about it

Write at least 150 words.

(NB)

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Model answer

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am a resident of Boundary Road and I have recently read in the local newspaper that a shopping centre is going to be built near where I live.

This news was rather a surprise to me. I have been living in Boundary Road for five years now and it has always been a very quiet street with very few tall buildings. I think a construction like this will change the atmosphere of the area considerably and, like many other residents I have spoken to, I am not at all happy about it.

I think people who live in the area have a right to know more about the plan before it goes ahead, so I would like to request further details regarding the dates of the planned building work and the size of the centre. Also, I sincerely hope you are planning to provide a car park, as otherwise parking will become very difficult for everyone in the area.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,
John Carlson

(175 words)