General Training Writing Task 1 · formal · application

Application letter to museum director for volunteer role

A museum near your home is looking for people to do part-time voluntary! unpaid work. You would like to do some voluntary unpaid work at the museum.

Write a letter to the museum director to apply for voluntary/unpaid work. In your letter:

explain why you want to do voluntary unpaid work at the museum
describe some skills and qualities you have that would be useful
give details of when you would be available for work

Write at least 150 words. You do not need to write any addresses. Begin your letter: Dear Sir or Madam,

Band 8 sample letter

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to express my keen interest in the part-time voluntary position currently advertised at the local history museum. As a long-term resident of the area, I have always admired the museum’s dedication to preserving our community’s heritage and would appreciate the opportunity to contribute to your efforts.

My primary motivation for volunteering stems from a deep-seated passion for local history. I believe that museums serve as vital educational hubs, and I am eager to support your team in making our shared past more accessible to the public. I am particularly drawn to your upcoming exhibition on the industrial revolution.

Regarding my suitability, I possess strong communication skills honed through years of experience in retail, where I regularly assisted diverse groups of visitors. Furthermore, I am highly organised and comfortable with administrative tasks, such as cataloguing and managing archives. My attention to detail ensures that I can handle historical artefacts with the necessary care and precision.

I am available for volunteer duties every Tuesday and Thursday, as well as on Saturday mornings. I am happy to adjust this schedule should your operational requirements change.

I look forward to the possibility of discussing this further.

Yours faithfully,

Julian Thorne

203 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Why this scores well

A Band 8 response clearly addresses all three bullet points with specific, relevant details while maintaining a consistent, professional tone throughout. A common Band 6 error is failing to provide specific availability, instead offering only vague statements like 'I can work whenever you need me,' which lacks the necessary detail for a successful application.

Write to an organisation or someone you do not know: open with Dear Sir or Madam, close with Yours faithfully.
If you know the person's surname, use Dear Mr or Ms and close with Yours sincerely.
No contractions, no slang; polite indirect requests such as I would be grateful if you could.

Useful phrases from the letter

keen interest: a very strong and enthusiastic level of interest
deep-seated: firmly established and difficult to change or remove
honed: refined or developed a skill over a period
diverse groups: people who are very different from one another
cataloguing: systematically listing items in a formal record
operational requirements: the specific needs related to running a business

Write your own and get a band

Answer this prompt in a timed General Training writing test and get a band for task achievement, coherence, vocabulary and grammar, with the sentences to fix.

Practise IELTS General writing

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Frequently asked questions

Is this letter formal or informal?

Formal. Write to an organisation or someone you do not know: open with Dear Sir or Madam, close with Yours faithfully.

How long should an IELTS General Training letter be?

At least 150 words, and 160 to 200 is the comfortable range. Spend about 20 minutes on it and leave 40 for Task 2, which carries twice the marks.