General Training Writing Task 1 · semi-formal · other

Letter to a Colleague Congratulating Them on Conference Success

One of your colleagues was in charge of organising an annual executive conference, and he/she has been successful in doing it. You want to congratulate your colleague on that.

Write a letter to this colleague. In your letter:

congratulate your colleague for successfully organising the event
mention what you liked about it the most
say how much you would like him/her to organise other events as well

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

Band 8 sample letter

Dear Marcus,

I wanted to reach out and extend my sincere congratulations on the outstanding success of this year’s executive conference. Given the logistical complexity involved, your ability to coordinate such a seamless event was truly impressive, and you deserve significant praise for your hard work.

What I particularly enjoyed was the choice of guest speakers. Their insights were remarkably relevant to our current market challenges, and the interactive breakout sessions facilitated some of the most productive discussions I have witnessed in years. The entire flow of the day felt perfectly balanced, maintaining high energy levels throughout the afternoon.

Given the exceptional standards you set this time, I sincerely hope you will consider taking the lead on our future corporate events. Your meticulous attention to detail and calm approach under pressure are exactly what we need to elevate our upcoming regional summits. I would be delighted to assist you in any capacity if you decide to take on the responsibility again.

Thank you once again for your dedication to making this event such a memorable experience for everyone involved.

Best wishes,

Sarah Jenkins

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

Why this scores well

A Band 8 response thoroughly addresses all three bullet points with a professional yet warm tone while maintaining a clear, cohesive structure. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to provide specific details about what was liked, instead using vague phrases like 'everything was good' without explaining why.

Write to someone you know but not closely, such as a manager, landlord or neighbour, using their title and surname.
Polite and friendly at once: a few contractions are fine, slang is not. Close with Yours sincerely or Kind regards.
State the purpose in the first two sentences; small talk costs words you need for the bullets.

Useful phrases from the letter

logistical complexity: the difficulty of organizing and moving many things
seamless: happening without any problems or sudden changes
breakout sessions: small group meetings held during a conference
facilitated: made an action or process easier to happen
meticulous: showing great attention to very small details
elevate: to improve the quality or status of something

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?

Semi-formal. Write to someone you know but not closely, such as a manager, landlord or neighbour, using their title and surname.

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.