General Training Writing Task 1 · informal · advice

Letter to friend advising against buying a house

A friend is considering buying a house nearby, but you have decided to leave the area due to a rise in crime.

Write a letter to your friend advising them not to move into the neighbourhood. In your letter:

recommend that your friend not go ahead with the purchase
give the reasons behind your decision to leave
suggest possible alternative areas that you know

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

Band 8 sample letter

Dear Sarah,

I was thrilled to hear you’re considering buying that place on Oak Street, but I feel I must be honest with you—please reconsider moving to this neighbourhood.

To be frank, I am actually in the process of packing my bags to leave. The area has deteriorated significantly over the past year. There has been a worrying surge in burglaries and anti-social behaviour, which has made me feel quite unsafe, especially when walking home after dark. I simply don’t want to see you land in the same stressful situation.

If you are still looking for a house, I would strongly suggest checking out the Westbridge district instead. It is much quieter, the community spirit is excellent, and it feels far more secure for residents. Alternatively, the northern suburbs offer a similar commute to your office but without the recent safety concerns we have been dealing with here.

I really hope you take this advice to heart, as I would hate for your first home purchase to turn into a regrettable experience. Let’s grab a coffee soon to discuss this further.

Best wishes,

Jamie

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

Why this scores well

This response achieves Band 8 by addressing all bullet points with a natural, consistent informal tone and specific, relevant reasoning. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to provide concrete alternative locations or using overly formal language that contradicts the relationship with 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

deteriorated: became progressively worse in quality or condition
anti-social behaviour: conduct that causes alarm, harassment, or distress
surge: a sudden powerful forward or upward movement
community spirit: a feeling of fellowship with others nearby
regrettable: giving rise to regret; undesirable or unwelcome
take this to heart: to consider something seriously and act accordingly

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.