General Training Writing Task 1 · semi-formal · giving information

Letter to an elderly neighbour regarding graduation party

You are having a graduation party next Saturday night. You have invited 50 people to celebrate at an outdoor barbecue evening, which may continue till late night.

Write a letter to your elderly neighbour. In your letter:

explain what will be happening
offer your apologies in advance
invite him/her to visit your house someday

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 hope you are having a pleasant week. I am writing to let you know that I will be hosting a graduation party in my garden this coming Saturday evening. I have invited around 50 guests for an outdoor barbecue, and as it is a special milestone, the celebrations might continue until quite late into the night.

Please accept my sincere apologies in advance for any noise or disturbance this event may cause you. I have instructed all my guests to be mindful of the time and keep the music volume low after 10:00 p.m. to ensure we do not disrupt your evening.

I would be delighted if you could drop by for a drink or a quick visit to my house sometime next week when things are quieter. It would be lovely to catch up properly once the busy festivities have concluded.

Thank you for your understanding and patience regarding this matter.

Best wishes,

Arthur Miller

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

Why this scores well

A Band 8 response clearly addresses all three bullet points with a consistent, polite semi-formal tone that respects the neighbourly relationship. A common Band 6 error is failing to mention the specific number of guests or the late-night nature of the event, or adopting an overly casual tone that sounds disrespectful to an elderly neighbour.

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

milestone: a significant stage or event in someone's life
disturbance: an interruption that causes annoyance or worry
mindful: being conscious or aware of someone else's needs
disrupt: to interrupt the normal progress of an activity
festivities: activities celebrated at a party or special event
concluded: brought to an end or finished completely

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.