General Training Writing Task 1 · formal · request

Letter to a Hall Owner Requesting Rental Space

You and some of your friends want to start a weekly dance club, and you have found a hall that would be suitable to hold your meetings.

Write a letter to the owner of the hall. In your letter:

explain the dance project
ask if it is possible to rent the hall and under what terms
state what day and times you would like to use the hall

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

Band 8 sample letter

Dear Mr. Henderson,

I am writing to enquire about the potential for renting the community hall on High Street for a new local initiative. A small group of friends and I are establishing a weekly amateur dance club aimed at providing a social space for residents to practise various styles, including ballroom and salsa, in a relaxed environment.

We have identified your hall as the ideal venue due to its central location and the quality of its flooring. I would appreciate it if you could confirm whether the premises are available for private hire. Furthermore, could you please outline your current rental terms, including any security deposit requirements and insurance obligations we would need to meet?

Ideally, we are looking to secure the hall every Thursday evening. We would require access from 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm to allow sufficient time for setting up and clearing away equipment. If this slot is already booked, we would be open to discussing alternative evenings that might suit your schedule.

Thank you for considering this request. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

Julian Thorne

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

Why this scores well

This response achieves Band 8 by addressing all bullet points clearly with a consistently formal tone and precise vocabulary. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to ask about specific rental terms, such as insurance or deposits, instead focusing only on the price.

Write to an organisation or someone you do not know: open with Dear Sir or Madam, close with Yours faithfully.
If you know the person's surname, use Dear Mr or Ms and close with Yours sincerely.
No contractions, no slang; polite indirect requests such as I would be grateful if you could.

Useful phrases from the letter

enquire: To ask for information about something
initiative: A new plan or process to achieve something
premises: A building or site occupied by an organization
private hire: Renting a space for exclusive personal use
obligations: Things that one must do because of agreements
secure: To succeed in obtaining or achieving something

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?

Formal. Write to an organisation or someone you do not know: open with Dear Sir or Madam, close with Yours faithfully.

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.