IELTS General Training Letter: Formal, Semi-formal, Informal

In IELTS General Training Writing Task 1 you have to write a letter of at least 150 words, and many candidates lose marks not because their English is weak but because their tone is wrong or they miss part of the task. This guide to IELTS General Training letter writing shows you how to recognise the three letter types, cover every bullet point and finish in about 20 minutes, leaving the rest of the hour for Task 2.

What the task asks you to do

The question describes a situation and then gives you (usually) three bullet points. Your letter must deal with all of them. If you ignore one, you cannot score well for Task Achievement, however good your grammar is.

A typical prompt looks like this:

You recently stayed at a hotel and left something behind in your room. Write a letter to the hotel manager. In your letter: describe the item you left; explain where you think you left it; say what you would like the manager to do.

Before you write a word, underline the three things you must do. They become the three body paragraphs of your letter.

Formal, semi-formal or informal: how to decide

The tone depends on who you are writing to and how well you know them.

• Formal: a person or organisation you do not know, or whose name you are not given (a manager, a council, a company). Example: complaining to a hotel.
• Semi-formal: someone you know by name but have a respectful relationship with (a neighbour, a landlord, a teacher, a colleague). Example: asking your landlord to repair a heater.
• Informal: a friend or family member. Example: inviting a friend to visit your new city.

Openings and closings for each letter type

Getting these right is quick and easy, and it shows the examiner you understand the conventions.

Formal letters

• Open: Dear Sir or Madam,
• Close: Yours faithfully, followed by your full name.

Semi-formal letters

• Open: Dear Mr Sharma, or Dear Ms Lopez,
• Close: Yours sincerely, or Kind regards, followed by your full name.

Informal letters

• Open: Dear Anita, or Hi Rahul,
• Close: Best wishes,, Take care, or See you soon, followed by your first name.

Notice that in UK style we do not put a full stop after Mr, Ms or Dr.

A simple structure that always works

Keep the organisation clear. A letter of around 170–190 words is ideal: comfortably over the minimum, but short enough to check.

1. Greeting
2. Opening sentence stating your purpose (one or two lines)
3. Body paragraph 1: first bullet point
4. Body paragraph 2: second bullet point
5. Body paragraph 3: third bullet point
6. Closing sentence (a polite request or friendly sign-off line)
7. Closing phrase and name

This structure helps your Coherence and Cohesion score because each paragraph has one clear job. For more on how Task 1 fits into the whole Writing paper, see how to avoid common IELTS writing mistakes.

Model sentences for each tone

Here is how the same idea changes with the tone.

Purpose sentence

• Formal: I am writing to enquire about a watch that I believe I left in my room during my recent stay.
• Semi-formal: I am writing to let you know about a problem with the heating in the flat.
• Informal: I'm so sorry I haven't written for ages. I've got some great news!

Making a request

• Formal: I would be grateful if you could check the room and contact me at your earliest convenience.
• Semi-formal: Would it be possible for someone to come and look at it this week?
• Informal: Could you let me know by Friday if you can come?

Closing line

• Formal: I look forward to hearing from you.
• Semi-formal: Thank you for your help with this matter.
• Informal: Can't wait to see you!

Contractions such as I'm and can't are natural in informal letters but should be avoided in formal ones. Semi-formal letters sit in the middle: be polite, use full forms mostly, and keep the language warm but respectful.

Worked example: a formal letter body paragraph

Taking the first bullet point of the hotel prompt, a strong paragraph might read:

The item is a silver wristwatch with a black leather strap. It has great sentimental value because it was a gift from my grandfather, and the initials "R.K." are engraved on the back.

Notice what this does: it describes the item precisely, adds a reason that makes the request urgent, and includes a specific detail. That is what "fully developed" bullet points look like. Accurate, precise words also help your Lexical Resource score, and you can build this kind of vocabulary with our Daily Vocabulary practice.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Mixing tones: starting with Dear Sir or Madam and then writing Hey, thanks a lot! confuses the reader.
• Missing a bullet point: the most expensive mistake in this task.
• Writing a memorised letter: examiners recognise learnt templates that do not fit the situation. Adapt your phrases to the prompt.
• Spending too long: Task 2 is worth twice as much as Task 1, so stop at around 20 minutes. Our guide to IELTS Writing Task 2 structure explains how to use the remaining 40 minutes well.
• Forgetting to check: leave two minutes to correct spelling, articles and verb tenses.

Next steps

Practise one letter of each type this week. Time yourself strictly at 20 minutes, then check each letter against this list: correct tone, correct opening and closing, all bullet points covered, clear paragraphs, and at least 150 words. If you are unsure which version of the test suits your plans, read IELTS Academic vs General Training before you book, and use our IELTS grammar guide to tidy up the small errors that hold letters back.

When you feel ready to try a full Writing paper under timed conditions, take a free sample mock test and see how your letters compare.