IELTS Task 1 General Training: Letter Types and Tone
Match formal, semi-formal, and informal tone precisely so every bullet point is fully addressed.
What this lesson covers
IELTS General Training Task 1 gives you a scenario and three bullet points to cover. The most common error is using the wrong tone. A formal complaint to a company manager and an informal letter to a friend are completely different registers — vocabulary, greeting, closing, and sentence style all change. If you use a casual tone in a formal letter, you lose Lexical Resource points even if your grammar is perfect.
Examples
Weak
Hi there! I am writing because I have a problem with my order. It was really bad and I was not happy. Please fix it or give me money back. Thanks!
Stronger
Dear Customer Services Manager,
I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with an order I placed on 14 March. The item arrived significantly later than the stated delivery window, and the packaging was damaged on arrival, rendering the product unusable.
I would be grateful if you could arrange a full refund at your earliest convenience.
Yours faithfully,
[Your Name]
The strong letter uses a formal salutation, precise vocabulary (“express my dissatisfaction,” “rendering the product unusable”), a polite but firm request (“would be grateful”), and the correct closing for a letter to an unknown recipient (“Yours faithfully”).
How It Works
| Pattern | Meaning / Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Formal: "I am writing to..." | Open with your purpose — do not write a greeting that omits the reason | I am writing to request a full refund for the damaged goods delivered on 14 March. |
| Semi-formal: "I hope this finds you well." | Appropriate for letters to people you know professionally (e.g., a landlord) | I hope this finds you well. I am contacting you regarding a maintenance issue at the property. |
| Informal: "Just a quick note to..." | Use only when the scenario specifies a close friend or family member | Just a quick note to say I cannot make it to dinner on Saturday after all — work has been relentless this week. |
Use this when
- Formal: writing to a company, manager, official body, or unknown recipient.
- Semi-formal: writing to a landlord, teacher, or professional you know by name.
- Informal: writing to a close friend, flatmate, or relative.
Common Mistakes
| Avoid | Prefer | Why |
|---|---|---|
| ”Dear Sir/Madam” + “Yours sincerely" | "Dear Sir/Madam” + “Yours faithfully" | "Yours sincerely” is for letters where you know the recipient’s name. “Yours faithfully” is for Dear Sir/Madam. |
| Covering two bullet points in detail and ignoring the third. | Covering all three bullet points with roughly equal depth. | Each bullet point is a separate Task Achievement requirement. Missing one can drop your score to Band 5. |
| ”I am very, very upset about this terrible situation." | "I was disappointed to find that the product did not meet the standard described.” | Formal complaints are firm, not emotional. Replace “very upset” with precise descriptive language. |
Practice Lab
Self-mark each task. Retry until every answer is correct.
Score: 0/3
1. Quick pick
You are writing a formal complaint to a hotel manager about a noisy room. Which opening is correct?
2. Build it
Put the sentence in the correct order.
Tap a chunk to move it between the bank and answer area.
3. Sort it
Sort each phrase: formal letter language or informal letter language?
I would be grateful if you could address this matter promptly.
Can you sort this out for me ASAP? Really need it fixed!
I wish to express my dissatisfaction with the standard of service received.
Honestly it was a bit of a disaster and I was pretty annoyed.
Why It Matters
Task Achievement for a General Training letter is assessed on whether you covered all bullet points, used the appropriate format, and matched the right tone. A single bullet point missed drops Task Achievement to Band 5. A formal letter written in an informal register loses Lexical Resource points on every line. Getting tone right is the quickest way to protect your overall score.
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