General Training Writing Task 1 · informal · making arrangements

Letter to a friend regarding house sitting arrangements

You are going away to travel for the summer. A friend will be looking after your house while you are away.

Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:

say where you are going
describe how to look after your pet
explain some of the things your friend should do to look after your house

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

Band 8 sample letter

Dear Sarah,

I am so excited for my upcoming summer adventure! I will be spending the next six weeks travelling through the mountains in Northern Italy, which has been a dream of mine for ages. Thank you so much for agreeing to stay at my place while I am away; it is a huge relief knowing the house is in safe hands.

Regarding Barnaby, he is quite low-maintenance but needs his routine. Please ensure he gets his dry kibble twice a day—once at 8 a.m. and again at 6 p.m. He has a habit of begging for treats, but please ignore him as he is currently on a strict diet. A quick walk around the park in the evening should be enough to keep him happy.

As for the house, could you please water the ferns in the living room every three days? They are quite sensitive to the heat. Also, please remember to bring in the mail from the porch daily so it does not pile up. If the alarm goes off, the code is 4492, but it should stay deactivated while you are there.

I really appreciate your help. Have a wonderful summer!

Best wishes,

Mark

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

Why this scores well

The letter achieves Band 8 by addressing all three bullet points with specific, natural details and maintaining a consistent, warm tone throughout. A common mistake for Band 6 candidates is failing to provide specific instructions for the pet or house, instead using vague language that lacks the necessary detail to be considered a useful arrangement.

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

low-maintenance: requiring very little effort or attention to care
kibble: dry processed food prepared for dogs or cats
strict diet: a carefully controlled intake of specific food
sensitive: easily damaged or affected by environmental changes
pile up: to accumulate in a large quantity over time
deactivated: switched off so that a device stops working

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.