General Training Writing Task 1 · formal · request

Letter to a local business requesting team sponsorship

You want a local business to sponsor your sports team.

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

introduce your sports team and its achievements
explain the benefits the business would gain from sponsoring you
outline what the sponsorship money would be used for

Write at least 150 words. You do not need to write any addresses. Begin your letter: Dear Mr/Ms [Name],

Band 8 sample letter

Dear Mr. Thompson,

I am writing to invite your company to consider a sponsorship opportunity with the Riverside Rovers, our local youth football team. We have been a pillar of the community for five years and recently celebrated a significant achievement by winning the regional championship title this past season.

Partnering with the Rovers offers your business excellent exposure to our dedicated local fan base. We would prominently feature your company logo on our match-day kits and social media banners, ensuring your brand remains visible to hundreds of families and local supporters every weekend. This partnership would demonstrate your commitment to supporting healthy, community-focused initiatives.

Regarding the financial support, the funds would be allocated primarily to upgrading our aging equipment and covering travel expenses for upcoming away games. Specifically, we are looking to purchase new training bibs and professional-grade footballs to ensure our players can train effectively throughout the winter months.

I would appreciate the chance to discuss how we can tailor this sponsorship to meet your marketing goals. Thank you for considering our request and for your ongoing contributions to our town.

Yours sincerely,

James Bennett

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

Why this scores well

A Band 8 response clearly addresses all three bullet points with specific, relevant details while maintaining a professional and persuasive tone throughout. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to link the sponsorship money to specific items, instead providing vague statements about needing funds for the team.

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

pillar of the community: a very important and respected part of society
prominently feature: to display something in a very noticeable way
match-day kits: the uniforms worn by players during official games
allocated: distributed for a particular purpose or task
professional-grade: high quality equipment suitable for expert use
tailor: to adapt something to suit a specific need

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.