The importance of tone in IELTS letter writing

Many IELTS General Exam writers fail to consider the importance of tone in their letter writing.

Being aware of tone clearly indicates the relationship between the writer and reader.

Using the wrong tone can also affect the overall purpose of the letter and has a negative overall effect on your writing.

As awareness of tone is part of the IELTS marking criteria, so using the wrong or incorrect tone lowers your band score. 

IELTS Band Scores

In fact, tone is a feature of Band 5, 6 and 7 of marking criteria.

At band 6, you can have some errors in tone, but to get to Band 7 in Task Achievement, tone needs to be consistent.

Put simply, the appropriate tone should be used throughout the writing.

To be appropriate you need to be aware of who you are writing to and the purpose.

So consider the structure, vocabulary and the opening and closing sentences, as these affect the impression that your writing gives.

Let’s look at structured sentences, purpose and suitable salutations.

If you remember these tips, they will improve your writing in the General IELTS test.

Here is a typical IELTS General Task 1 prompt.

You want to sell some household items. You think a person you know might like to buy them from you.

Write a letter to a colleague or friend.

• Describe the item/s
• Say why you are selling the items
• Suggest a date when the items can be viewed

One of the first things you should do, as a writer, is decide on the appropriate tone of the letter

Before you start

First, work out if the letter should be formal, neutral or informal.

In this case, you are writing to someone you know well ( a colleague or friend) so it will be a neutral or informal letter depending on whether you choose to write to a colleague or a friend.

Next, make a note of the number of things you need to mention in the letter.

You can see that there are three prompts in this task which are; give the reason for the sale, give a description and suggest a viewing date.

Writing Plan

Any letter really must have a clear structure whether formal or informal.

There should be an

• Opening: explaining who you are and your purpose for writing
• Body: providing the necessary information
• Closing: making any action point clear – what do you want the reader of your letter to do, for example.

Tone for opening and closing the letter

Remember to open and close the letter appropriately. 

Informal Letters

Informal letters can be more relaxed in their opening and closing salutations and remarks.

For a friend you would probably use the first name, like this;

Hi Sally

and end with 

Love, See you soon, Speak soon,

Alice

For a colleague, you would also use a name but might precede the name with ‘Dear’

Dear Simon

and end your letter with 

Best Wishes, Kind regards, Hope to speak/ see you soon,

Michelle

Formal Letters

For formal letters, if you know the name of the person you are writing to (e.g. John Gray) then begin the letter with 

Dear Mr Gray 

and end the letter with 

Yours sincerely

If the prompt suggests you do not know the name of the person you are writing to, then open the letter with 

Dear Sir/Madam 

and end the letter with 

Yours faithfully

In the exam you do not have to use your real name or personal information in your answer and you don’t have to write any address.

You are free to choose any personal information you wish include, it does not have to be true.

The writing used for opening and closing a letter

This really depends on the purpose of the letter and the prompt that needs to be answered

The IELTS test may present any number of letter prompts, for example, you might be asked to write a 

• an invitation 
• a recommendation
• an enquiry
• a suggestion
• a letter of complaint 
• a letter of request
• a letter of application
• or other examples

Obviously, the tone for each letter will be different, for example, an invitation is very different in tone to a job application.

Using Model Verbs to improve tone

Another way that you can think of tone is how polite, friendly or direct your writing is.

Certain modals verbs can easily add politeness to a letter.

For example, if you are writing to someone in authority, like a professor or a colleague, you could use modal verbs so you don’t appear too direct and therefore rude.

Using modals such as might, may, could, can, and would can also help your writing appear friendly and polite.

Likewise, avoid using ‘must‘ and ‘have to‘ even in letters of complaint as this may make the tone too strong and therefore too rude and pushy. 

In the example at the beginning, you want to appear friendly and open, but at the same time persuasive. After all, you would like your friend to buy these items! 🙂

The content is your choice

Whatever you plan to write and the content of the letter is your choice.

A feature of letter writing, even in some informal letters, is that writing conventions are often followed.

It is very common to use opening and closing sentences depending on the purpose of the letter.

For example, if you are writing to complain, a possible opening sentence could be 

• I am writing to complain about the service I received etc
• l wish to complain about the service I received

and a closing sentence could be

• I hope that you deal with my complaint within a suitable time period
• I trust that you will resolve this matter speedily

It’s always a good idea to look at a number of examples and try to remember the basic writing structures, so you can use them in the exam.

Here are some examples that you can use in the test but remember the content is always your own and it must be in response to the IELTS prompt.

1 – IELTS General Training –

(Letters of Application)

Writing Task 1 

Dear Sir/Madam,

PARAGRAPH 1: Reason for writing
I am writing with regard to your advertisement..
I am writing to apply for the post/job/position of/ which I saw advertised in…..

PARAGRAPH 2: Qualifications/training/previous experience/skills/qualities
For the past year I have been working as….
I graduated in 2019 with a degree in….
I am organised, a team player, work well under pressure…

FINAL PARAGRAPH: Closing remarks
Please contact me regarding any queries you may have.
I look forward to hearing from you in due course.
I enclose my CV and would be pleased to attend an interview at a time convenient to you.

Yours faithfully,

2 – IELTS General Training –

(Letters of Invitation)

Writing Task 1 

Dear Roland,

PARAGRAPH 1: reason for writing (to invite)
I’m writing to invite you to…
I’d love it if you could come to…
We’re organising a surprise party/gathering/birthday party/a meal…. and would love it if you could come.

PARAGRAPH 2: details/directions
In case you don’t know the way, I’ll give you some directions.
Here are a few directions so you don’t get lost.

FINAL PARAGRAPH: closing remarks
Look forward to seeing you then.
I hope you’ll be able to make it.
Please let me know as soon as possible if you are able to come.

Love, Kind Regards,

3 – IELTS General Training –

(Letters of Complaint)

Writing Task 1

Dear Sir/Madam,

PARAGRAPH 1: reason for writing
I am writing to complain about/regarding/because of/on the subject of…..
I am writing to you in connection with……

PARAGRAPH 2: complaints and justification
Although I have only used the air conditioning unit once, it no longer works. I have called your shop twice but you have not taken any action.

FINAL PARAGRAPH: suggested actions to be taken and closing remarks
I assume you will replace the air conditioning unit. I hope the matter will be resolved promptly.

Yours faithfully

Can I be penalised for Formulaic Sentences?

Don’t worry too much about formulaic sentences.

Unlike Task 1 Charts and Tables or an essay in Task 2, you are unlikely to get penalised for using formulaic sentences in a letter.

The reason is that letter writing often follows certain rules and conventions in terms of structure and tone.

Often this depends on who you are writing to, and for what reason.

So it’s common to see structures such as ‘I am writing to complain‘  or ‘Can you get back to me asap‘ and ‘Looking forward to your response ‘ and more.

Remember the greeting and salutation!

Dear Lottie / Love, Bill

Hi Sally / Speak soon, Jim

Dear Sir/Madam / Yours faithfully, David Mustafa

Dear Mr Jones / Yours sincerely, David Mustafa

Dear Jim / Kind Regards, Jonathan

IELTS Task

Have a look at this IELTS prompt.

You want to sell some household items.

You think a person you know might like to buy them from you.

Write a letter to a colleague or friend.

• Describe the item/s
• Say why you are selling the items
• Suggest a date when the items can be viewed

Think about the kind of tone you should use, then note the number of prompts and think about the content you could include.

Finally, allow 2o minutes and see if you can write you own letter before you read my sample. 🙂 

Sample answer

Hi Luke, 

Guess what? I’ve got some really good news.

Do you remember when I said I completed an application form for a teaching job in Japan. Well, I got an interview, and I’ve been offered a contract for 6 months in a suburb outside of Tokyo.  I’m so pleased because Japan’s always been on my wish list of places to work. I’m hoping I can make this a long-term opportunity, but even if it doesn’t pan out, I can easily get a job in Asia, after being in Japan or I could do some travelling with the money I’ve saved.

So, as I am moving abroad and because I’ve not got any long-term storage at my parents, I am going to have to sell some of my things and I thought of you.

Would you be interested in my gaming PC and monitor before I put in on Facebook marketplace? It’s only 18 months old! You know it’s got a good processor and high-end graphics card, and the monitor is big, isn’t it! I need to get rid of the desk and chair too. There are a few marks to the worktop, but I could throw those into the deal, if you want.

To be honest, I haven’t thought about a price as I’m too excited about going away so just come around anytime. You’ve got my number, just let me know when but make it sooner rather than later. If I can get my visa arranged quickly, I’m due to leave on the 29th of January.

Hope to speak soon,

Evan 

(251 words)