http://www.engvid.

com/ielts-writing-letters-how-to-start-and-finish/
1. You want to write to your friend, John Smith. How will you start and end your letter?
Dear John, Yours faithfully

Dear John Smith, Yours sincerely

Dear Smith, Best wishes
Dear John, Best wishes

2. You're writing to your bank manager, Tom Brown. How will you start and end your letter?
Dear Mr Smith, Yours faithfully
Dear Mr Smith, Your sincerely
Dear Mr Smith, Yours sincerely
Dear Mr Smith, Love
3. You are writing to a teacher named Natalie Brown. You don't know her very well. How will you start and
end the letter?
Dear Mrs Brown, Yours sincerely

Dear Ms Brown, Yours faithfully

Dear Miss Brown, Yours sincerely
Dear Ms Brown, Yours sincerely

4. You are requesting a quotation from a company called Swift Movers. You don't know anyone there.
Dear Sir, Best regards

Dear Sir / Madam, Yours sincerely

Dear Madam, Yours faithfully
Dear Sir / Madam, Yours faithfully

5. You're requesting information on English courses from Maria Wheaton, Director of ABC School.
Dear Mrs Wheaton, Best Wishes
Dear Mrs Wheatin, Yours Sincerely
Dear Ms Wheaton, Yours sincerely
Dear Madam Wheaton, Yours faithfully
6. You're applying for a job at Microsoft. The Human Resources Manager's name is Jason Bright. How will
you start and end your covering letter?
Dear Jason, Best wishes

Dear Mr Jason, Yours sincerely

Dear Mr Jason Bright, Yours Sincerely,
Dear Mr Bright, Yours sincerely

7. You're writing a letter of complaint to a department store. You don't know who is in charge of customer
service.
Dear Sir / Madam, Yours faithfully

Dear Customer Service Manager, Best regards

Dear Sir, Yours faithfully
Dear Mr Manager, Yours faithfully

8. You just had a new baby and are requesting information from your insurance agent, Sunil Gupta. You
have both become good friends over the years.
Dear Sunil, Yours faithfully

Dear Suneil, Best wishes

Dear Sunil, Best wishes
Dear Mr Sunil, Yours sincerely

9. You're writing to a local travel agency requesting information on fares from Vancouver to Tokyo. You are

not acquainted with anyone working there.

Dear Travel agent, Your faithfully
Dear Madam / Sir, Yours faithfully
Dear Mr or Mrs Travel Agent, bets wishes
Dear Sir / Madame, Yours faitfully
10. You're replying to your sister's letter. Her name is Deborah.
Dear Debrorah, Love

Dear Deborah, Love

Dea Debrah, Yours sincerely
Dear Deb, Yours faithfully

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http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/writing-tipsgeneral-trainingt54145.0.html
http://ieltsadvantage.com/2015/06/07/how-to-write-a-formal-ielts-letter/
http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/writing-tipsgeneral-trainingt54145.0.html
http://www.the-ielts.com/2015/04/23/structure-of-ielts-letter/
http://www.ieltspodcast.com/academic-ielts/032-how-to-write-a-high-scoring-letter-for-task-1/
http://yourieltstutor.com/how-to-write-the-task-1-letter-for-general-ielts/
http://ieltsadvantage.com/2015/06/07/ielts-letter-writing-tips/
http://www.engvid.com/ielts-writing-letters-how-to-start-and-finish/
http://dxschool.org/ielts/****************
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW0p7zF0TFM
http://ieltsliz.com/ielts-letter-writing-essential-tips/****
http://www.ielts-blog.com/ielts-preparation-tips/writing-tips/writing-tips-for-ielts-general-module/
http://ieltsadvantage.com/2015/06/07/how-to-write-a-formal-ielts-letter/
ace the ielts book>https://books.google.co.in/books?
id=oV4TVhuKVSwC&pg=PA28&lpg=PA28&dq=3+types+of+ielts+letter+complaint&source=bl&
ots=VtM6apFz6Q&sig=8jG9ho9kk2S__CCOZIV0YBLYi8&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAmoVChMIqqDv9vnuyAIV4ximCh2nrwtl#v=onepage&
q=3%20types%20of%20ielts%20letter%20complaint&f=false
http://www.ielts-mentor.com/gt-writing-tips(structure)
http://ieltsliz.com/ielts-sample-letters-for-writing-task-1/****
http://ieltsnesolkuching.weebly.com/blog---ielts-tips-and-help/general-writing-letters-1 ****
writing task 1 practise samples :http://www.ielts-blog.com/ielts-writing-samples/ielts-letters-band8/ielts-sample-letters-of-band-8/
http://www.ielts-writing.info/index.php/general-writing-task-1/
http://www.ielts-exam.net/general_writing_samples_task_1/

ieltswriting task 1

3 types of letter
inFormal letter or personal>a letter to a person whom you know personally
http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/writing-tipsgeneral-trainingt54145.0.html
http://ieltsadvantage.com/2015/06/07/ielts-letter-writing-tips/
Things to do in letter writing
1. Answering the question.
As I said above, task fulfillment (answering the question) is one third of your total mark and it is an area
in which everyone should do well. This is often, however, not the case.
What you must do is to write a letter, which would fully answer the needs of the problem in a real life
situation. Even if you have covered all that the question itself asks, have you included everything in the
letter needed to realistically perform its function. For example, a question I have seen somewhere gives
the candidate the following task:
You have some library books that you are unable to return as a member of your family in another city has
fallen sick and you have had to go and look after them.
Write a letter to the library explaining the situation. Apologize for the inconvenience called and say what
you are going to do.
You should write at least 150 words.
This seems a fairly typical IELTS General Training Task 1 writing question. Answering the question in a
way that will get you a good Task Fulfilment grade needs a number of things for you to do.
a) Write at least 150 words.
Writing less does not answer the question, which tells you to write at least 150 words. If you write less
than 150 words, the examiner marking your paper will give you a maximum of 5 for Task Fulfilment or
even less.so write b/w 160-180 words .best is go for 175.
b) Fully do all the things that the question asks you.
In this case it asks you to do 3 main things:
1. explain the situation
2. apologize for the inconvenience
3. say what you are going to do
The important part is to fully do all these 3 bullet point things. Don't take 1 line to explain about your
relative - people who do this often don't make the 150 word limit. Enlarge on what the question tells you.
Use your imagination. It must be something fairly serious to make you leave town and you must be the
only one possible to look after the relative so go into these things. Be realistic as well.You're writing to a
library and you won't make it too personal. Apologizing won't take up much space but you can still devote
a couple of sentences to it. Saying what you are going to do should be a full explanation as well.(ie 3rd
bullet point is the large paragraph

c) Make your letter realistic so it would function in a real life situation.

This involves adding other things to the letter, which it may not ask you for, but without which your letter
would not perform its function. For this question, it would mean introducing yourself by name, giving
your library card membership number, telling the library the titles of the books that you have borrowed,
the names of their authors, their library reference numbers, when you borrowed them and when they
were due back.
Finally, in this question, the situation might involve you getting a fine for the late books so you could ask
politely for that to be cancelled due to the circumstances. Without this information, the letter wouldn't
help the library much in real life and, even though the question doesn't ask you specifically to include it,
the examiner reading your work will be looking for such things. These are things that are needed to get a
9 for task fulfilment and, theoretically, anyone, whatever their level of English, should be able to get a
good mark here.

2.The Opening Greeting of the Letter

Your letter will probably need to be a reasonably informal letter to a friend or a
semi-formal letter. The opening of your letter should reflect which one you are
writing.
A friendly letter will open with Dear followed by a name which should then be
followed by a comma, eg:

Dear John,
A semi-formal letter will also open with Dear and then be followed by a name,
(if you decide that in the situation you would know the name) or by Sir (if it's a
man), Madam (if it's a woman) or Sir/Madam if you don't know, eg:
Dear Mr. Phillips,
Dear Mrs. Phillips,
Dear Sir,
Dear Madam,
Dear Sir/Madam,
The question also might specify how you are to begin so follow what it says.
3. The Opening Paragraph of the Letter
In a semi-formal letter, I feel it is important to state the reason for the letter
straight away. You could use the following to help you:
I am writing to ask/ tell//inform you that...
I am writing to ask/inquire...
I am writing with regard to...
I am writing with reference to...
I am writing in connection with...
I am writing in response to...
In reply to your letter, I am writing to... (if the question indicates that you
have had a letter)
If the letter is a less formal one to a friend then you should open the letter in a
friendlier way. EG:
Dear John,
Hi there! It's been so long since I've heard from you. I hope you are doing well
and I hope all you rmily are doing fine. I'm pretty good in spite of working
hard. Anyway, the reason I'm writing is...
4. The Substance of the Letter
I've already gone into detail about answering the question fully and using your
imagination to produce a realistic letter fulfilling all functions so I won't repeat
that. Through great experience with IELTS, I can say that questions tend to
ask you to do certain things. Here I will give you some ideas about some
language to use in the substance of the letter which will help you to answer the
task well.
Asking for Help
I would like you to...
I would be grateful if you could...
I need to ask your advice about...
I'd like to ask for information about...
What I'm looking for is...
Complaining
I'm writing to express my dissatisfaction/annoyance/ about...
I'm writing to express my anger at...
I am not happy about...
... is not what I expected/was expecting.
I want to know what you are going to do about this situation.
NB When complaining, don't get too angry. I've had students who really
became too heated in their complaints. In a polite semi-formal letter, this

should not happen. Also, do not over-exaggerate. If it's a reasonably small and
understandable problem, do say that you're not satisfied but show that you
understand and stay calm in your expressions.
Thanking
I'm very grateful for...
I'd like to thank you very much for...
I very much appreciated...
Apologizing
I'm very sorry that/about...
Please forgive me for...
I'd like to apologize about...
Please accept my apologies
5.Ending your Letter
First of all, in English we often end letters before the sign off with certain
phrases. These can be included in most letters and will make your letter seem
realistic and polished. For a formal letter, you could use:
If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Thanking you in advance for your help, I look forward to hearing from you
soon.
For a more informal letter you could use:
If you need to know anything else, just get in touch with me as soon as you
can. Thanks a lot for your help and I hope to hear from you soon.
Be careful though! IELTS examiners quite rightly look for writing that has been
memorised and just repeated so, if you use expressions like the ones above,
make sure that they fit in with the rest of your letter.
5.Finally you'll need to sign off your letter. For a formal letter use:
Yours faithfully, OR
Yours sincerely,
Remember the commas (it makes a good impression on the examiner if you
use good punctuation) and spell "sincerely" correctly (a lot of people don't!).
For an informal letter, love is not always appropriate though English speakers
use it a lot. Better would be to use:
Regards,
Yours,
Best wishes,
Appropriate style & tone for both writing task 1,2
The following are the basic features of formal style:
ie formal letter-for-general-ielts
All verbs forms must be written in full: do not write contractions such as
cant, dont, etc.
Do not use abbreviations such as info for information or ads for
advertisements.
Avoid using the active voice and the first person singular; in a formal letter
you should write: A copy of the receipt will forwarded to you as soon as
possible instead of I will send you a copy of the receipt asap.'
Avoid using informal intensifiers such as really, so, absolutely; use extremely,
highly, entirely, fully instead.

 Avoid using phrasal verbs which tend to be used in informal writing and
conversation; for example, use seek a job instead of look for a job; most
phrasal verbs are idiomatic in nature, that is, their meaning cannot usually be
inferred from their individual parts.
Avoid using informal discourse markers and link words such as besides or by
the way and use incidentally instead.
Do not use set phrases and idioms, for example, I am not going to pay you a
penny instead of Your fee will not be paid.'
Avoid ellipsis (leaving out words), for example, leaving out the subject I in
Hope to hear from you soon.'
A more academic style will contain all of the features for formal style listed
above. In addition, you should do the following:
Employ more tentative rather than assertive language by:
using possibly and probably in front of verbs and noun phrases: This is
possibly caused by...' or This is probably the most important factor.'
using the modal verbs may and might This may be the most important
factor.'
using appears to and seems to: This appears to be the most important
factor.'
avoiding always and every, and replacing them with often and many much.
Use formal vocabulary, for example, discuss rather than talk about.
Use more formal grammar, for example by:
Using There as a subject: There is a serious risk of...'
using It as a subject: It is very difficult to...'
Use an impersonal style by avoiding the use of personal pronouns, for
example by:
Using one as a subject: One may ask whether...' (One is a formal version of
You)
Using the passive voice: Many things can be done to...' to avoid using land
we
Avoid using rhetorical questions: Smoking is dangerous. But is banning it
such a good idea after all?'
Avoid the overuse or misuse of certain logical connectors, especially besides,
Jisrthermore and moreover. Besides is informal, and both furthermore and
moreover mean that the following information is more important than the
information before. Use In addition or Also instead.
ELTS Writing: telling the difference between formal and informal
Many of you have asked me about the difference between formal and informal
writing in IELTS and this tells me that it's a common problem. So here is what
you need to know about the styles of writing in IELTS.
If you are preparing for the Academic IELTS module, both Task 1 and Task 2 in
the Writing test are formal. For General Training candidates, Task 2 in Writing
is always formal, and Task 1 can be formal or informal.
As you know, Task 1 for GT module is a letter, and if the topic asks you to write
to someone you know, that is an informal letter as opposed to writing to
someone you don't know; which is formal.
The difference between formal and informal styles is mainly in the vocabulary.
Informal words are the ones used in everyday conversations and formal are

used in books, contracts, business letters and essays. If the task requires
formal writing avoid using informal vocabulary. If the task requires informal
writing, such as a letter to a friend, avoid using formal heavy' words.
Apart from the vocabulary in formal writing it is best to avoid words like I,
you, we, unless you are expressing an opinion. For example in an essay
instead of writing You would find it difficult to get a job without proper
qualifications, write something like One would find it difficult to find a job
without proper qualifications, or you could write Finding a job without proper
qualifications would be rather difficult.
For those of you who don't live in an English speaking country and don't speak
English on daily basis it will be difficult to tell the difference between formal
and informal vocabulary, which is why I compiled this short list of words. You
could memorize it and use in your writing while practicing this way the
chances you will use the correct word in the exam increase.
Formal
Informal
Inform me Let me know
Cancel
Drop
Contact
Get in touch
Obtain
Get
Apologise
sorry
Postpone
Delay
Request
Ask for
Compensate Make up
Establish
Set up
Discover
Find out
Handle
Deal with
Investigate
Check up on
Tolerate
Put up
Increase
Go up
Children
Kids
Many / Much
A lot of
Many / Much
Heaps of
structure of an IELTS letter-for-general-ielts
Greeting In formal letters, you dont know whom you are greeting, so use Dear Sir Madam.
Opening of the letter You need to tell why you are writing this letter.(purpose statement)
eg:I am writing to complaint abt
Body of the letter You need to answer all the three bullet points clearly and precisely in 3 different paragraphs.
Closing of the letter You need to write the closing statement in formal letters, without using the closing statement;
it seems that you closed the letter abruptly.eg:I am looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Farewell In formal letters, you should end letter with Yours faithfully and write your full name (like David
Brown) at the end.
- See more at: http://www.the-ielts.com/2015/04/23/structure-of-ielts-letter/#sthash.WNsihucV.dpuf
forms of letter
1.complaint
Dear Sir/Madam,(greetings)

(purpose statement/opening statement)

I am writing to complain about...
I would like to make a complaint about...
Unfortunately, there were some problems with...
The reason I am writing to you is
I am writing in regard to
I am writing to express my concern about/dissatisfaction with
I would like to draw your attention to
2.Giving information
purpose statements:
I am writing to advise that ...
It gives me great pleasure to be able to...
I am pleased to be able to...
I am happy to announce...
Please be advised/informed that...
I would like to inform you that...
Here is the information you required/requested/asked for.
Attached please find the information you required/requested/asked for.
3.Requesting information
I am writing to request information about
I would appreciate it if you could send me information on
Would you mind sending/forwarding/supplying me
4.Giving instructions
I am writing to explain how to ....
5.Appologizing
I am extremely sorry that...
I humbly apologise for the trouble...* formal
I apologise for...
Please accept my apologies for what happened. formal
Please pass on my apologies to... informal
Give my apologies to... informal
I regret that...
I am sorry that... informal
6.Advising or suggesting
I would like to offer some suggestions about .... formal
Perhaps/maybe you could try...==informal
Why dont you...
I suggest that you... ==informal

7. Giving good news

I am delighted to be able to advise/tell/inform you that...= formal
I am pleased to advise/tell/inform you that...
It gives me great pleasure to advise/tell/inform you that...
It gives me great pleasure to be able to advise/tell/inform you that...
I have some great/good/happy news to share with/tell you. =informal
8.Giving bad news
I am sorry to say that... == informal
I regret to advise/tell/inform you that...=>formal
Besides = informal
my points?
1.First figure out whether its formal or informal or semiformal
2.use vocabulary according to that
3.format a rough structure greeting purpose bullet points closing signoff part

4.always use polite language

5.never use the same vocabulary in the question
6.once the letter is completed chk for spelling mistakes and grammar mistakes
7.always use passive voice for formal or business letters
8.Make sure you use high level of vocabulary in mainly formal letters
9.You should also skip a line between paragraphs to make it very clear to the examiner.
10.Never use words and phrases from the question. Instead you should use synonyms

and paraphrasing to vary

your language.
11.It is normal to end letters on the left
12.In the sign off part ,write your first name for an informal and both your first and family name for formal letters. And semiformal letter
13.use variety of tenses,before writing plan .Try to make a plan before you write and mark which tenses you will use in the plan.
Explain why you changed jobs (past)

Describe your new job (present)

Tell him or her your other news (could be past or present, but also a good opportunity for
you to show the examiner that you know how to use future structures)
14.It is a good idea to use contractions like Ive, Id and Im for . This is one of the ways that
you can show the examiner that you know how to write an informal letter.
Purpose statement:Im just writing to let you know that.
Im writing to tell you about.
While in formal letters we have to use complete words
I am writing with regard to)

Band 9 Sample Formal Letter

On a recent holiday you lost a valuable item. Fortunately you have travel insurance to cover
the cost of anything lost.
Write a letter to the manager of your insurance company. In your letter
describe the item you lost
explain how you lost it
tell the insurance company what you would like them to do
Dear Sir/Madam
I am writing to inform you that I recently lost my digital camera while on holiday in Vietnam.
The camera is a black Canon 70d and cost $1550 when I bought it new last month. It has a
resolution of 20 megapixels, a Canon 67 millimeter lens and was in a brown leather case with my
name on it.
I lost it when I was having coffee with my husband in the backpacker area of Ho Chi Minh City. I
believe the coffee shop was called Highlands Coffee and it was on Pham Ngu Lao Street. We had
been at the coffee shop for around 45 minutes when I noticed it was missing.
I am entitled to make a claim for the value of the above mentioned item and request that you send

me details on what I need to do to in order to proceed.

I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.
Yours faithfully
John Smith
(162 words)

Examiners Report
This candidate has fully answered the question by covering both the purpose of the letter and the
three bullet points in the question. The candidate has also used the appropriate formal tone. All
ideas are supported with relevant details.
The ideas are clear and well organised. Paragraphing has been used well.
Vocabulary is both accurate and appropriate. Words such as digital, resolution, backpacker and
claim show a high level of vocabulary.
The candidate has used a range of tenses (present simple, present perfect, present continuous, past
continuous and past simple) and all sentences are error-free.
Band 9.

Dear Sir/Madam

Paragraph 1- Say why you are writing to them. (I am writing with regard to)
Paragraph 2- Bullet point 1 and supporting details
Paragraph 3- Bullet point 2 and supporting details
Paragraph 4- Bullet point 3 and supporting details
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully
[Your Full Name]
Below are possible situations and letters you might be asked to write about:

Letter of complaint
Application or resignation letter
Inviting a friend or colleague to join you at an event or social occasion
Making a request
Making formal arrangements
Explaining something to a friend or colleague
Making an apology
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IELTS Letter Writing Tips

By Christopher Pell -2 Commen
1.http://ieltsliz.com/ielts-letter-writing-essential-tips/#comment-29612