General Training Writing Task 1 · formal · application

Application to volunteer at the local city hospital

Your local hospital has advertised people to do unpaid work helping at the hospital. You would like to do some work at the hospital in your free time.

Write a letter to the hospital. In your letter:

explain why you would like to do unpaid work at the hospital
say what type of unpaid work you would be able to do
give details of when you would be available for this work

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

Band 8 sample letter

Dear Hospital Administrator,

I am writing to express my keen interest in the volunteer programme advertised in the local newspaper recently. As a long-term resident of the area, I have always admired the dedicated work of your staff, and I am eager to contribute my time to support the hospital’s efforts.

My motivation for this role stems from a desire to give back to the community that has supported my family for many years. I believe that assisting in a healthcare environment is a meaningful way to provide comfort to patients and support the medical team in their vital daily tasks.

Regarding the type of work I could undertake, I am comfortable with administrative duties, such as filing and managing reception enquiries, or providing companionship to elderly patients. Having previously worked in customer service, I am adept at communicating with diverse groups of people and remaining calm under pressure.

Concerning my availability, I am free every Tuesday and Thursday from 09:00 until 14:00. I am also happy to assist on occasional weekends if there is an urgent requirement. Thank you for considering my application, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours faithfully,

Julian Thorne

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

Why this scores well

This response achieves Band 8 by fully addressing all bullet points with specific, natural details and maintaining a consistent, professional tone throughout. A common Band 6 error is failing to provide specific time frames or skills, instead using overly vague language that lacks the necessary focus for an 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 strong desire or enthusiasm for something
contribute: to give time or effort to a goal
vital: absolutely necessary or extremely important for success
administrative duties: tasks related to office work and management
adept: very skilled or proficient at something
diverse: showing a great deal of variety

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.