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

Letter to manager proposing new office equipment

You have been to a business meeting at another company and saw a piece of equipment which can be useful for your company too.

Write a letter to your manager. In your letter:

describe the piece of equipment you have seen
why having the same equipment would be useful for your company
offer your assistance in buying the equipment

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 share an observation from my recent visit to Apex Solutions regarding a piece of equipment that could significantly improve our own operational efficiency.

While attending the meeting at their headquarters, I observed their use of the 'SwiftScan Pro 500', an automated document processing system. Unlike our current manual scanners, this device features an integrated optical character recognition system that automatically categorises and routes digital files directly into cloud-based project folders. It is remarkably compact and handles high-volume sorting with minimal human intervention.

Integrating this technology into our workspace would be highly advantageous. Our team currently spends approximately five hours each week manually indexing project documents. By automating this workflow, we could reallocate that time toward client-facing tasks, thereby increasing our overall productivity and reducing the risk of human error in data filing.

I have already researched the local distributors and obtained a preliminary price quote and technical specification sheet. If you are interested in exploring this further, I would be happy to coordinate a demonstration with the supplier or prepare a formal cost-benefit analysis for your review.

Best regards,

James Sterling

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

Why this scores well

This response earns a Band 8 by addressing all bullet points with specific, logical detail while maintaining a consistent, professional tone appropriate for a manager. A common mistake for Band 6 candidates is failing to explain the actual benefit of the equipment, instead simply stating that it is 'good' or 'nice' without linking it to company productivity.

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

operational efficiency: the ability to produce results with minimal waste
integrated: combined to work together as a single unit
human intervention: the act of people getting involved in processes
advantageous: involving or creating favorable circumstances for success
reallocate: distribute resources or time to a different purpose
preliminary: occurring before the main or final action

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.