IELTS General Training Writing Task 1 asks you to write a letter of at least 150 words in approximately 20 minutes. You receive a situation and three bullet points to address, and you must write a complete letter responding to that situation. The tone of your letter (formal, semi-formal or informal) depends on who you are writing to. Getting the tone wrong is the most common reason General Training candidates lose half a band on this task.
Task 1 General at a glance
GT Task 1 is letter writing - see the official IELTS General Training Writing format.
The three letter tones explained
Every General Training Task 1 letter falls into one of three tones based on your relationship with the recipient. The tone determines your opening, closing, vocabulary choices and overall register. Getting the tone right is half the battle for Task Achievement.
Formal letter
To people you have never met: companies, organisations, managers you do not know personally. Used for complaints, formal requests, business enquiries.
Opening: Dear Sir or Madam
Closing: Yours faithfully
Semi-formal letter
To people in known roles whose names you have: your manager, your child's teacher, your landlord. Used for workplace communication, school matters.
Opening: Dear Mr Patel / Dear Ms Smith
Closing: Kind regards / Best regards
Informal letter
To friends, family, anyone you know personally. Used for invitations, personal news, casual requests.
Opening: Hi James / Dear Sara
Closing: Best wishes / Take care / See you soon
Tone matching
Read the question carefully to identify who you are writing to. A formal opening with informal closing or vice versa tanks your Coherence score immediately.
If you addressed the letter to a specific name (Dear Mr Patel), close with "Yours sincerely". If you addressed it to a general title (Dear Sir or Madam), close with "Yours faithfully". This is one of the most reliable formal letter conventions and examiners notice when candidates get it right.
The structure that works for every letter
Every General Training letter follows the same basic structure regardless of tone. Each bullet point in the question becomes one paragraph in your letter.
Greeting
Dear Sir/Madam, Dear Mr Smith, Hi James
Opening line
State your purpose for writing
Three body paragraphs
One paragraph per bullet point
Closing
Sign-off matching the opening
The opening line is critical. Examiners look for it as evidence that you have identified the letter's purpose. Examples:
- "I am writing to complain about a recent purchase from your store."
- "I am writing to apply for the management position advertised on your website."
- "I am writing to invite you to my wedding next month."
- "I am writing to request a reference for my upcoming job application."
Your 20-minute plan for Task 1
| Minutes | What to do |
|---|---|
| 0-3 min | Read the prompt, work out who you are writing to and the right tone, and underline the 3 bullet points |
| 3-4 min | Plan one short idea for each bullet point |
| 4-18 min | Write the greeting, your opening line, 3 body paragraphs (one per bullet) and the sign-off |
| 18-20 min | Check the tone stays the same throughout, all 3 bullets are covered, and you are over 150 words |
How Task 1 General is marked
Task 1 is marked against the same four criteria as Academic Task 1 and Task 2, each worth 25% of your Task 1 band:
Task Achievement
Did you address all three bullet points? Use appropriate tone throughout? Maintain the right register for the recipient?
25% of Task 1Coherence & Cohesion
Logical paragraph structure with clear progression? Appropriate linking? Each bullet point in its own paragraph?
25% of Task 1Lexical Resource
Vocabulary appropriate for the tone? Range beyond basic words? Letter-specific phrases used correctly?
25% of Task 1Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Mix of sentence structures? Correct verb tenses? Modal verbs used naturally (would, could, should)?
25% of Task 1The mistakes that cost most candidates half a band
Wrong tone for the recipient
The single most common reason General Training candidates lose marks. Writing "Hi mate" to a manager or "Dear Sir/Madam" to a friend signals you have not understood the situation, even if your English is excellent.
Missing one of the three bullet points
Each bullet point must be addressed in detail. Skipping one or barely touching it caps your Task Achievement at band 5. Some candidates over-elaborate on point 1 and run out of words for point 3.
Mixing formality levels in one letter
Starting formal ("I am writing to inform you") then switching informal ("Anyway, thanks heaps") destroys cohesion. Pick one tone and maintain it throughout the letter.
Writing back in bullet points
Despite the bullet points in the question, your response must be written prose. Writing back in bullet points caps your Coherence and Cohesion at band 4.
"I'm" is fine in informal letters. "I am" is required in formal letters. Using contractions throughout a formal letter lowers your Lexical Resource score. Examiners notice this distinction immediately.
Band 5 vs Band 7 comparison
Here is the same opening paragraph at two band levels, addressing a complaint about a faulty product.
"Dear Sir, I am writing because I bought a phone from your shop and it is broken. I need you to fix this problem because I paid a lot of money. The phone stopped working after two days only."
"Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with a smartphone I recently purchased from your store. Despite paying a premium price, the device became completely unresponsive within just two days of purchase, leaving me unable to use it for either work or personal calls."
Frequently asked questions
How many words should I write for General Training Task 1?
Aim for 170-190 words. The minimum is 150 but going slightly over gives you space to address all three bullet points properly. Writing more than 200 words wastes time you need for Task 2.
Should I use my real name in the letter?
No. End with a generic name like "Yours sincerely, John Smith" or "Best wishes, Sarah". Some candidates use just "John" without a surname for informal letters. Never use your real personal details on the test.
Can I use first person in Task 1 General?
Yes. Letters are written in first person by definition. "I am writing", "I would like", "I hope" are all expected. This is different from Academic Task 1 where first person is generally avoided.
What if I am not sure whether the tone should be formal or informal?
Look at how the recipient is described in the question. "Your friend Sarah" means informal. "The manager of the company" means formal. "Your child's teacher" means semi-formal. If genuinely unclear, default to semi-formal as it is the safest middle ground.
Do I need to write my address at the top of the letter?
No. IELTS examiners do not expect you to write addresses or the date. Save those words for the actual content of your letter. Start directly with the greeting.