General Training Writing Task 1 · informal · request

Letter to a friend requesting help for event

You are preparing an outdoor event.

Write a letter to your friend to ask for help with the arrangements. In your letter:

what the event is
why the event will happen
how your friend can help you

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 are having a lovely week! I am currently deep in the planning stages for a bit of an outdoor shindig, and I was wondering if you might be available to lend a hand.

I am organising a garden party at my place next month to celebrate finally finishing my master’s degree. It has been a long, gruelling slog, and I thought it would be wonderful to get everyone together in the fresh air for some music and food to mark the occasion properly.

Since you are so brilliant at organising, I was hoping you could assist me with the logistics. Specifically, I am struggling to find a reliable marquee rental and would love your help in scouting out the best local options. Additionally, if you could help me manage the guest list and coordinate the catering order, it would take a massive weight off my shoulders.

Let me know if you are free to help out over the weekend. I would be happy to trade your time for plenty of pizza and drinks!

Best wishes,

James

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

Why this scores well

This letter achieves Band 8 by maintaining a consistently warm, informal tone while addressing all three bullet points with specific, natural details. A common mistake for Band 6 candidates is using overly formal or robotic phrases like 'I am writing to inform you' which disrupts the natural flow of a letter to a friend.

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

shindig: A lively, informal party or social event.
gruelling: Extremely tiring and demanding work or activity.
slog: A period of difficult, persistent, and tiring work.
logistics: The detailed coordination of a complex operation.
scouting out: Searching an area to find something specific.
take a weight off my shoulders: To relieve someone of a burden or worry.

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.