General Training Writing Task 1 · informal · advice

Letter to a friend struggling at new school

A good friend has just changed schools and is having difficulty fitting in and needs your advice.

Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:

make suggestions as to how they could make friends
suggest joining clubs, participating in school activities
give any extra general advice

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 so sorry to hear that things have been tough since you started at your new school. It is completely normal to feel like an outsider at first, but I am confident that you will find your feet soon.

To make friends, try initiating small conversations with the people sitting next to you during lessons. Asking for help with a specific task or borrowing a pen is a fantastic, low-pressure way to break the ice. You could also offer to share your notes if you notice someone else struggling; kindness is always a great bridge to a new friendship.

I also strongly suggest looking into the school’s extracurricular programme. Joining the debating society or the football team would be a brilliant move, as these groups naturally foster a sense of community. Being involved in shared activities means you have a ready-made topic of conversation with your teammates.

Most importantly, remember to be patient with yourself. Do not feel pressured to find your 'best friend' immediately. Just focus on being yourself, and you will eventually attract the right crowd. Stay positive, and let me know how next week goes!

Best wishes,

Alex

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

Why this scores well

This response achieves Band 8 by fully addressing all bullet points with natural, cohesive suggestions while maintaining a consistently warm, informal tone throughout. A common Band 6 mistake is providing generic, repetitive advice or using a formal register that sounds unnatural when addressing a close 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

find your feet: To become comfortable and confident in a situation.
break the ice: To do something to make people feel more relaxed.
extracurricular: Activities outside of the regular school curriculum.
foster: To encourage or promote the development of something.
ready-made: Available for immediate use or participation.
attract the right crowd: To meet people who share your personal interests.

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.