Recognising types of letters and using introductory sentences IELTS General Training.

Completing the IELTS General Task 1 might seem easy, but when was the last time you sat down and wrote a letter?

• Who was it to?
• Why did you write?
• What was the purpose and
• what did you write about?

Believe it or not, people still write letters in their daily lives. What do you think most people write letters for?

I imagine the last time you wrote a letter wasn’t recently and it’s probably quite difficult to answer the other questions asked.

In fact, the last time I wrote a complete letter was last year.

It was a letter of complaint to an insurance company.

I had to say what had happened and why I was dissatisfied with the service. I also asked for a refund.

I remember it took quite a long time to complete.

So don’t worry if you think IELTS General Task 1 is a challenge.

IELTS General Training

Exam task – Writing a letter of request

Exam focus – General Training Writing Task 1

In this post, I am going to give you the skills for recognising types of letters;

This will help your approaches to planning a letter and also make sure you’re using the appropriate language and organisation.

Introduction – Recognising types of Letters

First of all, let’s examine the opening sentence of some letters and identify the purpose of the introduction.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to enquire about your courses in Business Studies starting next year

Hi Rachel,

How are you doing?  Can you let me have a copy of your report by the end of the week?  We have a presentation on Monday and it would be very useful.

Dear Mr Brown,

I have been a good customer of yours for several years.  However, I am writing to complain about the quality of service I received at your bank last week.

Dear Ms Smith,

I am writing to let you know that unfortunately I cannot start my studies as planned at the beginning of the academic year.

Dear Mr and Mrs Alma,

I am a member of the International Student Exchange Programme, and I’m writing to tell you a little bit about myself as I’ll be coming to stay with your family next month.

Writing for a Purpose in IELTS General Training

As you can see, each introduction clearly opens with a purpose.

This tells the examiner you understand the question and you can write the opening section of the letter in a clear, purposefully way. Check the purpose below

Writing for a Purpose

Exam TIP Writing Task 1

 

In Writing Task 1 of the General Training module, you need to write a letter, usually based on a situation related to living and studying abroad.

You might be asked to complain, explain or enquire about something, request information or introduce yourself.

You need to recognise the type of letter and understand its purpose – then use appropriate expressions in the introduction whether informally or formally.

You have to write a minimum of 150 words, include relevant details and use appropriate language and style so that the purpose of your letter is clear to the reader.  

There is no choice of questions, you are given the task and you need to answer all the prompts.

 

More IELTS General Posts

 

The Best Approach to Task 2 Writing

Paragraphing in Task 2 Writing

Strong Arguments for Task 2

Writing the Introduction

Writing a Line of Argument

Cohesion for Task 2 Writing

Writing – Benefits of a Foreign University Education