General Training Writing Task 1 · informal · giving information

Letter to an old friend sharing career news

You haven't spoken to an English-speaking friend who lives abroad for a long time. You have recently started a new job.

Write a letter to the relevant person. In your letter:

ask how they are doing
give an update on your personal life
describe your new job and how you feel about it

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

Band 8 sample letter

Dear Sarah,

It has been far too long since we last caught up. I was just looking through some old photos from our university days and realised how much time has slipped by since you moved to Sydney. How have you been lately? I hope life in Australia is treating you well and that you are enjoying the warmer weather.

Things here have been quite a whirlwind recently. I finally moved into that flat I told you about last year, which is much closer to the city centre. It has been lovely having my own space, though I still have a few boxes to unpack in the spare room. It would be wonderful if you could visit one day; there is plenty of space for you to stay.

On the career front, I have just started a new position as a project manager at a boutique design agency. It is a challenging role, but I am thoroughly enjoying the fast-paced environment and the creative team I work with. Although the learning curve is steep, I feel very motivated by the projects we have in the pipeline.

Do drop me a line when you have a moment. I would love to hear all your news.

Best wishes,

James

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

Why this scores well

A Band 8 response maintains a consistent, natural informal tone while addressing all three bullet points with specific, personal detail. A common Band 6 mistake is writing too formally, such as using 'I am writing to inform you,' which fails to sound like a genuine letter to a friend.

Write to a friend or relative by first name and close with Best wishes, Love or See you soon.
Contractions, phrasal verbs and a warm opening line are expected; a stiff formal tone loses marks here.
Still cover every bullet in its own paragraph; friendly does not mean unstructured.

Useful phrases from the letter

whirlwind: a very busy and fast-moving sequence of events
boutique: a small, specialized business or design firm
steep: rising or falling sharply or very quickly
pipeline: work or projects that are currently in progress
dropped me a line: sent a short message or informal letter
caught up: discussed recent events with someone after time apart

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?

Informal. Write to a friend or relative by first name and close with Best wishes, Love or See you soon.

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.