General Training Writing Task 1 · semi-formal · application

Letter to a restaurant owner requesting employment

During a recent plane journey, you sat next to a businessman who owns a chain of restaurants. You talked to him and he suggested that you should contact him about a possible job in one of his restaurants.

Write a letter to this businessman. In your letter:

remind him when and where you met
tell him what kind of job you are interested in
say why you think you would be suitable for the job

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

Band 8 sample letter

Dear Mr. Henderson,

It was a pleasure meeting you on flight BA249 from London to Singapore last Tuesday. We sat next to each other in row 12, and I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation regarding your successful chain of restaurants, The Bistro Group.

During our discussion, you mentioned that you were looking for experienced staff to help manage your new expansion projects. I am very interested in a position as an Assistant Restaurant Manager. With my background in hospitality and your current growth plans, I believe this role would be a perfect fit.

I possess over five years of experience in high-volume dining establishments, where I have honed my skills in staff coordination and operational efficiency. Furthermore, my ability to maintain excellent customer service standards under pressure aligns with the reputation you have built. I am confident that my proactive approach would be a significant asset to your team.

I have attached my curriculum vitae for your consideration. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how I could contribute to your business further. Thank you for your time and for the kind suggestion.

Yours sincerely,

Julian Thorne

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

Why this scores well

A Band 8 response maintains a professional, semi-formal tone while clearly addressing all bullet points with specific, relevant details. A common Band 6 error is failing to clearly link the applicant's past experience to the specific needs of the businessman's restaurant chain.

Write to someone you know but not closely, such as a manager, landlord or neighbour, using their title and surname.
Polite and friendly at once: a few contractions are fine, slang is not. Close with Yours sincerely or Kind regards.
State the purpose in the first two sentences; small talk costs words you need for the bullets.

Useful phrases from the letter

honed: sharpened or refined a skill over time
high-volume: dealing with a very large number of customers
operational efficiency: the ability to perform tasks with minimal waste
proactive: taking action to control a situation before it happens
curriculum vitae: a detailed document describing your career and qualifications
asset: a useful or valuable quality or person

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?

Semi-formal. Write to someone you know but not closely, such as a manager, landlord or neighbour, using their title and surname.

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.