General Training Writing Task 1 · formal · other

Letter to the Editor Nominating a Community Volunteer

Your local newspaper wants to reward people who have contributed a lot to the community.

Write a letter to the newspaper. In your letter:

suggest someone who deserves the reward
mention what they have done to help the community
say what reward you would like to give this person

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

Band 8 sample letter

Dear Editor,

I am writing to nominate Mr. Arthur Penhaligon for your community contribution award. Having lived in the Oakwood district for over a decade, I have witnessed his tireless dedication to improving our local neighbourhood, and I believe his efforts merit official recognition.

For the past five years, Arthur has single-handedly managed the 'Green Spaces' initiative. He organises weekly volunteer sessions to clear litter from our public parks and has successfully campaigned for the installation of new recycling bins along the high street. Beyond environmental work, he runs a weekly reading club for elderly residents at the community centre, ensuring that those who are housebound feel connected to the rest of the town.

Regarding the reward, I propose that he receives a lifetime membership to the local leisure centre, combined with a feature article in your publication. Such a gesture would not only honour his service but also inspire other residents to take pride in our shared environment. Thank you for considering this nomination; I am confident that highlighting Arthur’s selfless work would be a wonderful addition to your newspaper.

Yours faithfully,

Eleanor Rigby

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

Why this scores well

A Band 8 response clearly addresses all three bullet points with specific, relevant details while maintaining a consistently formal tone throughout. The most common mistake for Band 6 candidates is failing to provide a concrete, logical suggestion for the reward or drifting into an informal, overly conversational style.

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

merit: to deserve something because of your good qualities
tireless: working very hard and with a lot of energy
initiative: a new plan or process to achieve a goal
housebound: unable to leave your home due to illness or age
gesture: an action performed to show a particular feeling
selfless: caring more about others than about yourself

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.