General Training Writing Task 1 · informal · other

Letter to a friend offering moving assistance

Your friend is about to move into a new house.

Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:

offer to help him/her to move
explain how exactly you can help
ask him/her some questions about the new house

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

Band 8 sample letter

Dear Sam,

I was thrilled to hear that you have finally found a new place and will be moving in next weekend! It is such a huge step, and I know how much you have been looking forward to settling into your own space.

I would love to help you with the move. Moving house is notoriously exhausting, so please let me take some of the weight off your shoulders. I am completely free on Saturday and Sunday, so I am ready to jump in whenever you need me.

I have access to my brother’s large van, so we can easily transport your heavier furniture without having to hire a professional service. I am also happy to help with packing your kitchenware or simply lifting boxes and assembling your flat-pack furniture once we arrive at the new property. Just let me know which tasks you want me to tackle.

By the way, how is the layout of the place? I am curious if you have finally managed to get that home office space you wanted, or if the garden is as spacious as it looked in the photos.

See you soon!

Best wishes,

Alex

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

Why this scores well

This letter achieves Band 8 by addressing all bullet points with natural, specific details while maintaining a warm, consistent informal tone. The most common mistake in Band 6 answers is failing to provide specific examples of help, often resulting in vague statements like 'I will help you with anything', which lacks the required depth.

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

notoriously: well known for being a bad or difficult thing
take some of the weight off: to help someone by doing some of their work
jump in: to become involved in an activity or task quickly
flat-pack: furniture sold in pieces that the buyer must assemble
tackle: to make a determined effort to deal with something
settling into: becoming comfortable and familiar with a new living environment

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.