General Training Writing Task 1 · informal · giving information

Letter to a friend helping with college project

Your English-speaking friend has asked for your help with a college project he/she is doing about celebrating New Year in different countries.

Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:

say how important New Year is to people in your country
describe how New Year is celebrated in your country
explain what you like about New Year celebrations in your country

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

Band 8 sample letter

Dear Sam,

It is great to hear from you! I would be absolutely delighted to help with your college project on international New Year traditions. It sounds like a fascinating topic.

In my country, New Year is arguably the most significant cultural event of the year. It serves as a vital period for families to reconnect and express gratitude for the past twelve months while welcoming the future with optimism. Almost everyone takes time off work, and the atmosphere across the country is incredibly festive.

We celebrate by gathering for a massive reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve, featuring traditional dishes that symbolise prosperity and longevity. At midnight, the streets come alive with spectacular firework displays and local performances. Many people also visit temples or shrines to offer prayers for health and success in the coming year.

What I personally love most is the sense of unity. Despite our busy modern lives, these celebrations force us to pause and prioritise our loved ones. There is a palpable feeling of hope and renewal that brings everyone together, regardless of their background.

I hope this proves useful for your research. Let me know if you need any further details!

Best wishes,

Alex

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

Why this scores well

The response achieves Band 8 by addressing all bullet points with natural, detailed descriptions while maintaining a consistently warm, informal tone. A common mistake for Band 6 candidates is providing generic, brief descriptions of celebrations without explaining personal feelings, which fails to fully develop the final bullet point.

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

arguably: used when stating an opinion that can be proven
vital: absolutely necessary or extremely important for something
symbolise: to be a sign or representation of something
spectacular: very beautiful, exciting, or impressive to look at
palpable: an atmosphere so intense it seems almost physical
renewal: the process of starting something again after an interval

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.

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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.