General Training Writing Task 1 · informal · giving information

Letter to a friend about a museum visit

You have recently visited a museum. Now write a letter to your friend about the museum you have visited.

Write a letter to him/ her. In your letter:

where you went
what you saw there
how you feel about it

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

Band 8 sample letter

Dear Sarah,

I hope you’ve been having a brilliant week! I’m finally catching up on everything, and I just had to tell you about the incredible afternoon I spent at the National History Museum last Saturday.

I decided to head over to the main city centre branch on a whim, mostly to escape the rain. It’s an imposing Victorian building that I’ve walked past dozens of times but never actually entered. I am so glad I finally stepped inside because the architecture alone is breathtaking.

The exhibits were absolutely fascinating, particularly the new interactive dinosaur hall. I spent ages staring at a massive, reconstructed T-Rex skeleton that looked like it might roar at any second. They also had a stunning collection of rare gemstones in the mineral gallery, which shimmered under the dim lights.

To be honest, I felt completely rejuvenated by the experience. It was such a refreshing break from my usual routine, and I left feeling genuinely inspired. You would absolutely love the place, so we should definitely go together next time you’re in town.

Let’s catch up properly soon!

Best wishes,

Jamie

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

Why this scores well

A Band 8 response fully addresses all three bullet points with a natural, consistent informal tone and varied, precise vocabulary. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to elaborate on personal feelings or providing only a superficial description of the museum visit.

Write to a friend or relative by first name and close with Best wishes, Love or See you soon.
Contractions, phrasal verbs and a warm opening line are expected; a stiff formal tone loses marks here.
Still cover every bullet in its own paragraph; friendly does not mean unstructured.

Useful phrases from the letter

on a whim: doing something suddenly without any prior planning
imposing: grand and impressive in appearance or size
reconstructed: built or put together again after being broken
rejuvenated: feeling fresh, energetic, and young again
breathtaking: so spectacular that it takes your breath away
routine: a sequence of actions followed on a regular basis

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?

Informal. Write to a friend or relative by first name and close with Best wishes, Love or See you soon.

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.