General Training Writing Task 1 · formal · giving information

Letter to music club requesting course information

You're interested in a music course that you saw in an advertisement.

Write a letter to the club. In your letter:

explain why you're interested?
request more information about the course
talk about your past experiences?

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

Band 8 sample letter

Dear Admissions Team,

I am writing to express my keen interest in the Advanced Jazz Piano course advertised in the latest edition of the City Arts Magazine. Having followed your club’s performances for some time, I am eager to refine my technical skills under your guidance.

Could you please provide further details regarding the course structure and the exact duration of the weekly sessions? I would also appreciate information concerning the tuition fees and whether there are any specific requirements for enrolment, such as a formal audition or a proficiency assessment.

Regarding my background, I have been playing the piano for over a decade, primarily focusing on classical compositions. Recently, I have transitioned into jazz improvisation and have performed at several local venues as part of a small ensemble. I believe this course would be the ideal environment to bridge the gap between my classical training and my growing passion for jazz.

I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

Yours faithfully,

Julian Thorne

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

Why this scores well

This letter achieves Band 8 by addressing all three bullet points with specific, coherent details and maintaining an appropriately professional tone throughout. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to provide enough personal detail about past experiences, often resulting in a letter that is too brief or lacks natural flow.

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

keen interest: a strong desire or enthusiasm for something
refine: to improve something by making small changes
enrolment: the process of officially joining a course
proficiency assessment: a test to check how good someone is
transitioned: changed from one state or style to another
earliest convenience: as soon as it is easy for you

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

On your phone? Get the BandLadder app.

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.