In this tutorial, we offer you some IELTS GENERAL WRITING TASK 1 tips so we will be looking at different aspects of letter writing.

I have done quite a few tutorials about Letter writing because this is a form of writing which personally, I really enjoy and I still write a lot of letters.

I thought it would be useful for you to have some IELTS general Writing task 1 tips to guide you and to help you get an amazing score when it comes to this part of your IELTS exam.

A long time ago when I was at school, we had lessons all about how to write different kinds of letters and it is the quite rigid or fixed format of some letters which I find really interesting and which – because some of the conventions – or rules of writing, for example using formal, set, fixed phrases like ‘ I would be grateful if you could provide me with information on … or ……I am writing to complain about the appalling meal my family had at your restaurant last weekend’  – are still observed today. So, you need to know exactly how these work. Understanding what is expected from you, not only in terms of the marking bands but in terms of how these letters ‘work’ perfectly is very important and I hope my writing tips today will help you with your exam preparation if you are nearing the beginning of your work or almost reaching your exam date!

For this tutorial I thought it would be fun to use a mnemonic. A mnemonic is a group of letters which can help you to remember ideas, facts and information and they can be really helpful to use when you are revising for an exam and you need to train your brain to quickly recall important information. I have used them quite a lot when I have been taking exams and as well as acting as a memory assistant, mnemonics can also help make sure you do not leave anything OUT – make sure you have not forgotten anything so you have the best chance to score very high marks.

Our mnemonic today is (of course) the word GENERAL because this tutorial is all about offering you IELTS GENERAL WRITING TASK 1 tips so let’s look at our letters.

G is for GREETINGS the start and end of the letters

E is for EFFICIENT how to make the most of your time in the exam and produce a great letter following the exam prompts.

N is for what NOT to do

E is for EXPAND it’s important to develop or expand your ideas so your letter becomes real and believable.

R is for REGISTER which means understanding changing the tone of your writing according to who you are writing to so a letter to your Bank for example will be more formal than a letter to a friend.

A is for ACCURACY in all things exam you have to be accurate! In spelling, in punctuation and in how you lay out your letter – what is actually looks like on the page.

L is for LANGUAGE and here I will be sharing some really great chunks of functional language and key expressions with you can use in your practice and in your exam as well.

I have also compiled lots of great expressions which you can use in your writing according to the function of the letter such as for a complaint, request for information, or job applications! I hope you find all this really useful for your IELTS General task one preparation!

Key Expressions to use for letter writing:

Apologizing

I’m sorry about…

I am sorry that…

I’m very sorry about…

I’m very sorry for…

Please forgive me for…

I’d like to apologize for…

Please accept my apologies.

Please accept my sincere apologies. (very formal)

Asking for Help

I’d be grateful if you could…

I would be grateful if you could…

I would appreciate it if you could…

Could you please…