IELTSGeneral Writingtask1lesson1howtowriteaformalletter

In this lesson, we will explore tips and tricks associated with writing a formal letter for the IELTS General Writing Task 1.

This is how we will approach this type of letter in our lesson:

First, we’ll go over general “What to Do” tips when tackling Writing Task 1 letters.

Next, we will look at a formal letter question. We’ll highlight common expressions, keywords, and the tone and style of writing you should use for the formal letter type of essay. Although our example will include Band 9 essays, we’ll include strengths of the essay and ways in which it could be improved.

Then, we’ll include a practice example for you to complete on your own time and then check with our answers.

Lastly, for your reference, we’ll include a poorly written essay and explain why it would not be suitable as a formal letter type of essay, based on each scoring criterion.

Let’s get started.

Okay! First, let’s go over general “What to Do” tips when tackling Writing Task 1 letters.

1. Read and Understand the Question

All questions for Writing Task 1 letters contain three distinct sections, which tell you everything you need to know about your letter. Let’s look at these in depth with an example:

Now, let’s break this question down into sections:

1. Background Information: “There is a problem with a major traffic light in your neighbourhood.” –

This tells you that you will be writing about a problem. Letters that discuss problems allow test-takers to express opinions, possibly express complaints, and perhaps express a need or request.

2. Instruction Words: “Write a letter to your local congresswoman.” –

This is an important sentence, as it is an initial clue towards the style and tone of your letter. One can assume that an average citizen does not know his or her congresswoman, so the letter would be written to a stranger. In that case, the letter should be formal in tone. Additionally, this piece of information indicates how to address the recipient (e.g. “Dear Congresswoman Hays”). If gender is not given, use “Dear Sir or Madam,”.

3. Accompanying Details: “Introduce yourself; Explain what the problem is; Tell the congresswoman what you would like to be done.”

These three details help you set up your letter. They also confirm that a formal letter is required, because you are introducing yourself to a stranger.

Now that you’ve understood what the question is asking and which type of letter you must write, you are ready to map out your outline.

2. Plan your Outline

Do not skip this step. This should take only 2 or 3 minutes and will act as a reference going forward. There is one main, fool-proof way to outline this type of letter, and we suggest that you follow it without straying from the procedure. Keep in mind that some of the points below are only one sentence, and only points III, IV, and V are paragraphs. (We will go into further detail about planning your outline in the next section.)

I. Greeting
II. Reason for Writing
III. Paragraph 1 – First point with detail
IV. Paragraph 2 – Second point with detail
V. Paragraph 3 – Third point with detail
VI. Closing Sentence
VII. Farewell + Name

The next step is to set your tone. This is an extremely important step and can cause test-takers to lose a considerable number of points in the Lexical Resource criterion.

3. Set Your Tone

In this step, make it clear to yourself whether you will need to use formal, semi-formal, or informal language. Here’s a helpful link to remind you what is acceptable for each tone.
how to set your tone.pdf

4. Start Writing

After planning your outline and understanding the tone, begin writing your letter. As a general rule, regardless of the type of letter, fully write out numbers lower than ten and skip a line after each part of your letter for clarity.

Now, let’s take a closer look at each point of the outline in our formal letter example.

Below, we will detail how each part of the letter should be written. Using this outline, it is a good idea to make notes prior to writing your letter. As a reminder, the outline for this type of letter is as follows:

Using this paragraph outline, let’s look at an example.

Band 9 Model Essay

Topic vocabulary is in blue.

Advanced grammar structures are in green.

Transition words are in red.

Greeting

Dear Sir or Madam,

Reason for Writing

I am writing to file an insurance claim for luggage that was lost during my holiday last week.

Paragraph 1

The luggage is a green, medium-sized Samsonite model. Since this holiday was the first time it had been used, it should appear to be in good condition. Unfortunately, it does not have a luggage tag with my contact information.

Paragraph 2
While I am not completely sure how the luggage was lost, I imagine that the airline might have placed it on a different flight. In fact, I have been in contact with the airline and they are almost certain that this is the most probable scenario.

Paragraph 3
Before I left, I had taken out travel insurance with your company. Based on the information in the contract, lost luggage is covered. Therefore, I have attached the insurance claim and I would appreciate it if your company could review the approximated value of the luggage and process the attached claim as soon as possible.

Closing Sentence

Please let me know if you require any other information.

Farewell + Name

Yours faithfully,

Sarah Hutchinson

(Total Word Count: 176 words)

Scoring
In short, this is a Band 9 essay. Let’s look at how it would rate in the scoring areas:

Task Achievement/Response – The essay covers the three main points in the task: it explains why the writer is writing, describes the lost item, explains how it was lost, and specifies what is needed. Additionally, the reasoning behind how the item was lost is included in a plausible way (i.e. it was presumed to have been lost by the airline, which adds a reasonable element of speculation).

Coherence and Cohesion – The essay is clearly organised, contains distinct paragraphs as per the outline, and uses spacing for clarity. Ideas flow logically.

Lexical Resource: The table below showcases the lexical resource. The essay contains useful travel vocabulary and natural collocations, such as the phrasal verb “taken out”, and items like “insurance claim”, “luggage tag”, and “airline”. Transition words are used appropriately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: The table below lists the grammatical structures. Advanced forms (passive voice, past perfect, modal, present perfect, conditionals) are used accurately and naturally.

Potential Areas for Improvement: The candidate could incorporate more phrasal verbs rather than relying mainly on topic-specific vocabulary. Although the word count of 176 is appropriate, it is important not to be overly wordy in this task.

Using the same question prompt, let’s look at a low-scoring essay. This will give you a good idea of what not to do during the exam:

Band 4 Model Essay

Dear Sir or Madam,

Hello. I’m writing about an insurance claim about my luggage that was lost during a holiday that I had last week and I am in contact with the airline about why it was lost but we don’t know why yet.

The luggage is mediumed size, green, and it does not have a luggage tag on it.

I think the airline lost the bag. They also think this. We have been in contact to find out why it was lost and where the luggage is.

Please help me. I took out insurance before leaving so if you could please look at my claim that I attached to this letter that would be great. Please call me. It's very urgent.

Let me know if you need anything else.

Thanks,
Sarah Hutchinson

Word Count: 134

Scoring
In short, this is a Band 4 essay. Let’s look at how it would rate in the scoring areas:

Task Achievement/Response – The essay covers the three main points in the task, but not well. The description, for example, is only one sentence long. This could have been developed more, which would have also helped the word count reach the minimum 150 words. The response is not consistently formal (there are contractions, for example), although there are some points that are formal in tone (such as the greeting and some conditional language). The ending, most notably, seems aggressive and is not polite.

Coherence and Cohesion – The essay is separated into paragraphs, but there are inadequate statements (such as the description) and it is a bit repetitive (the reason for writing, for example, is a long run-on sentence).

Lexical Resource – The word choice and vocabulary are weak and contain errors. “Mediumed size,” for example, should be “medium-sized,” and “its very urgent” should be “It’s very urgent.” There is little to suggest that the writer has a strong command of vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy – Although there is some present perfect in the letter (“We have been in contact”), the writer does not show a strong grasp of more advanced structures. The past tense is often used, and arguably overused. For example, “I took out insurance before leaving” would be better with the past perfect (“Before I left, I had taken out travel insurance…”). Overall, the tone is not consistently formal and the grammatical range is limited.

Potential Areas for Improvement – The candidate should review formal tone, clearer paragraphing, better ways to refer to the past (including past perfect and past perfect continuous), and conditional phrases.

Now, it’s your turn to try out this outline and paragraph planning model for yourself. Take a look at the question below:

Follow our guide, and then read the example essay with notes. Good luck!

Model Essay

Topic vocabulary are in blue.

Advanced grammar structures are in green.

Transition words are in red.

Dear Congresswoman Hays,

I am writing regarding a problem with a major traffic light in the Breezewood neighborhood.

My name is Paula Rodgers, and I was born and raised in Breezewood. As such, the neighborhood and its residents are very important to me, and I currently reside there with my family.

For the past week, the major traffic light on Park Avenue and Broad Street has been out of order. Consequently, this has caused not only two accidents, but also various roadside mishaps. Drivers are unsure of how to handle this busy intersection, and pedestrians cross the street in unsafe circumstances.

We would appreciate it if something could be done to resolve this problem. If a maintenance crew could be sent to fix the traffic light, I am sure that the issue could be quickly resolved.

I sincerely hope that you can help us restore safety in Breezewood.

Yours faithfully,

Paula Rodgers

Word Count: 152 words

Scoring
In short, this is a Band 9 essay. Let’s look at how it would rate in the scoring areas:

Task Achievement/Response - The essay covers the three main points in the task – it explains why she is writing, a description of the problem, and a request for action.

Coherence and Cohesion – The essay was clearly organized, contained different paragraphs as per the outline, and contained spaces after each paragraph. Each idea flowed nicely after the other and was formal in tone.

Lexical Resource: A table below will showcase the lexical resource. In general, the essay was full of useful vocabulary as well as handy paired words, such as the phrase “born and raised”. This wide range of authentic vocabulary shows that the writer has a broad range of vocabulary. Transition words were used nicely and appropriately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: A table below will showcase the grammatical structures. In general, the essay was full of advanced forms, most notably the mixed conditional sentence “If a maintenance crew could be sent to fix the traffic light, I am sure that the issue could be quickly resolved”. Additionally, these forms did not seem forced, but flowed very well with the tone and style of the letter.

Potential Areas for Improvement: Perhaps the candidate could have used more phrasal verbs, and more advanced grammatical structures (such as modal perfects and past perfects). The second introduction sentence would have been better off as two sentences instead of one long sentence. Although the word count of 152 is appropriate, it is a bit too close to the minimum. Perhaps more information could have been added in the introduction, or more detail could have been given regarding the traffic light problem.

Now that we’ve gone over the structure of this type of writing task, let’s recap the Do’s and Don’ts of the Formal Letter General Writing Task:

What To Do:

DO read the question carefully and understand how it should be answered. Separate the question into three main areas: background information, instruction words, and accompanying details.

DO take the time to plan your outline and notes. Remember: it will take only a few minutes and makes all the difference.

DO use proper and formal language. Also try to use a wide grammatical range, focusing on the passive voice and conditional phrases.

DO use any extra time to check your grammatical accuracy and spelling.

DO make one single line if you have made a mistake. Make one single line through the incorrect word and then write the correct word beside it. (For example: bacround background)

What Not To Do:

DON’T start writing your essay immediately without having outlined or planned your essay.

DON’T write too much or too little. Remember to clearly set out your paragraphs, skipping a line after each paragraph. You should have at least 150 words in your letter.

DON’T use informal language or make careless errors. Remember: contractions should never be used in a formal letter!