General Training Writing Task 1 · formal · application

Letter to a School Principal Requesting Student Admission

Your family is going to move to another town.

Write a letter to the Principal of a local school. In your letter:

ask if they will accept your son
describe his academic achievements
scope of interest

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 inquire about the possibility of enrolling my son, Leo, in your institution for the upcoming academic year. Our family is relocating to your town this August, and we are keen to secure a place for him at your highly regarded school.

Leo is currently finishing his final year at St. Jude’s Junior School. He has consistently demonstrated strong academic potential, particularly in mathematics and the sciences. Last term, he was awarded the ‘Distinction in Numeracy’ certificate for placing in the top five percent of his age group nationally. His teachers have often noted his ability to grasp complex abstract concepts with ease.

Beyond his academic pursuits, Leo possesses a wide range of interests. He is an avid member of the school’s chess club and has represented his current school in regional competitions. Furthermore, he is passionate about environmental science and frequently volunteers for local conservation projects. We believe his proactive nature and enthusiasm for learning would make him a valuable addition to your student body.

I have attached his latest school reports for your review. I look forward to hearing from you regarding the availability of places and the next steps for enrolment.

Yours sincerely,

Arthur Miller

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

Why this scores well

A Band 8 response maintains a professional tone while clearly addressing all three bullet points with specific, illustrative details. The most common mistake for Band 6 candidates is failing to balance the three requirements, often spending too much space on the relocation reason while neglecting to provide specific examples of the child's interests.

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

enrolling: officially registering someone as a student at school
keen: showing a strong desire or interest to do
demonstrated: clearly shown or proven by evidence or argument
abstract concepts: ideas that are theoretical rather than physical reality
proactive: creating change rather than reacting to events later
enrolment: the process of becoming a member of school

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.