General Training letters: formal, semi-formal, informal

This lesson is for General Training students. In GT Writing Task 1, you write a letter of at least 150 words in about 20 minutes. The task gives you a situation and three bullet points. Your letter must cover all three points, in the right tone. Get the tone wrong, or miss a point, and your score drops even if your English is good.

Why this matters

Many GT students think letters are easy, so they don't prepare. Then they use the wrong greeting, mix formal and informal language, or forget one bullet point. These are the most common reasons GT Task 1 scores stay low.

Step 1: Decide the tone

Look at who you're writing to.

Type	Who you're writing to	Opening	Closing
Formal	Someone you don't know, like a company or manager whose name you don't know	Dear Sir or Madam,	Yours faithfully,
Semi-formal	Someone you know but not closely, like a landlord or teacher	Dear Mr Rahman,	Yours sincerely,
Informal	A friend or family member	Dear Nadia,	Best wishes, / Take care,

Step 2: Plan for the three bullet points

Each bullet point gets its own paragraph. This makes sure you cover them all, and makes your letter easy to follow.

Step 3: Use this structure

Opening line: why you're writing
Paragraph for bullet 1
Paragraph for bullet 2
Paragraph for bullet 3
Closing line: what you'd like to happen next
Sign-off and name

You don't need to write any addresses.

A sample letter (semi-formal)

Task: The heater in your rented flat has stopped working. Write a letter to your landlord. In your letter: describe the problem, explain how it is affecting you, and say what you would like the landlord to do.

Dear Mr Hossain,

I am writing to let you know about a problem with the heater in my flat.

Since last Tuesday, the heater in the living room has not been working at all. When I turn it on, it makes a loud clicking noise but produces no heat. I have checked the switch and the plug, and both seem to be fine.

As the weather has become much colder this week, the flat is very uncomfortable, especially in the evenings. I work from home, so I am finding it difficult to concentrate, and I have had to buy a small electric heater, which is increasing my electricity bill.

I would be grateful if you could arrange for a technician to repair or replace the heater as soon as possible. I am at home most weekdays, so any time between 9 am and 5 pm would suit me.

Thank you for your help. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Karim Ahmed

This letter is about 170 words. It covers all three bullet points, in three clear paragraphs, with a consistent polite tone.

Common mistakes

Mixing tones: "Dear Sir or Madam" and then "Hey, what's up?"
Missing a bullet point.
Wrong closing: "Yours faithfully" when you used the person's name.
Too short: under 150 words.
Indian or Bangladeshi office phrases like "Kindly do the needful". They sound unnatural to examiners.

Try it yourself

Which opening and closing would you use?

A letter to a friend thanking them for a gift.
A letter to a company complaining about a delivery.
A letter to your manager, Ms Akter, asking for leave.

Show the answers

1) Dear [first name], Best wishes. 2) Dear Sir or Madam, Yours faithfully. 3) Dear Ms Akter, Yours sincerely.

Honest note

Some teachers use slightly different rules for openings and closings. The table above is the standard British approach, and it's safe for IELTS. What matters most is that your tone is consistent.

Your task today

Write an informal letter to a friend inviting them to visit your home town. Cover three points: when, what you'll do, and what they should bring.