General Training Writing Task 1 · informal · making arrangements

Letter to a friend rescheduling an Australian visit

You arranged to visit a friend in Australia, but an important event at home now means that you must change the dates of the visit.

Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:

explain the important event
apologise for the situation
suggest a new arrangement

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 doing well. I am getting in touch because I have some disappointing news regarding my upcoming trip to visit you in Sydney next month.

Unfortunately, my brother has just announced his engagement, and he has decided to hold a surprise celebration for his fiancée on the exact dates I was supposed to be away. As I am helping him coordinate the logistics for the party, it is essential that I am here to support him during such a significant milestone.

I am incredibly sorry to have to change our plans at the last minute. I know you have already taken time off work to host me, and I feel terrible about the inconvenience this causes. Please accept my sincerest apologies for letting you down.

I would love to reschedule if you are still open to having me. Would it be possible to visit in late October instead? I have checked my calendar, and I am completely free during those weeks. Please let me know if those dates work for you, or if another time would be better.

I really hope we can still make this happen.

Best wishes,

James

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

Why this scores well

A Band 8 response achieves all bullet points with a natural, consistent informal tone and a logical flow that justifies the change. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to provide a specific, plausible reason for the change or using overly formal language that sounds unnatural for 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

getting in touch: contacting someone to share some important information
logistics: the detailed coordination of a complex operation
significant milestone: a very important stage or event in life
inconvenience: a situation that causes trouble or difficulty
reschedule: to change the time of a planned event
letting you down: failing to help or support someone as expected

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

On your phone? Get the BandLadder app.

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.