IELTS letter writing samples and essay samples for General Training, with model answers

General Training Writing has a letter of at least 150 words in about 20 minutes, with three bullet points to cover, and an essay of at least 250 words. Write the purpose of the letter first, match your tone to the reader, and cover every bullet point.

IDP says that for Express Entry you must take the General Training version, so this is the paper to prepare for if that is your route. Its Writing paper has two tasks, and Task 1 is a letter. IELTS describes it first.

IELTS gives four situations as examples of what you might be asked to write about. They are everyday problems.

• writing to a college accommodation officer about problems with your accommodation.
• writing to a new employer about problems you are having with managing your time.
• writing to a local newspaper about a plan to develop a local airport.
• writing to a renting agency to sort out problems with the heating system in your house.

IDP's letter article says common situations may include these types. Our practice letters below use a complaint, a request and an invitation, all types from this list.

• Letter of complaint (e.g. personal, business, recent, experience, product)
• Letter of invitation (e.g. party, dinner, celebration)
• Letter of request (e.g. refund, repair, advice, reservation)
• Letter of enquiry (e.g. information request, booking)
• Letter of thanks or appreciation.
• Letter of recommendation (e.g. job, colleague)
• Letter of suggestion (e.g. suggesting ideas, plans, solutions)

IELTS says what the task tests, and the skills involved.

• ask for and/or provide general factual information.
• express needs, wants, likes and dislikes.
• express opinions (views, complaints, etc.).

IDP says the examiner checks four features of task achievement.

• Purpose of the letter is presented.
• Tone of the letter is appropriate.
• Bullet points are presented, highlighted and extended.
• Format is appropriate - letter format.

Its general summary of the task lists five things the examiner assesses.

• Clearly explain the purpose of the letter.
• Fully address the three bullet-pointed requirements set out in the task.
• Extend these three functions appropriately and relevantly.
• Use an appropriate format for the letter.
• Consistently use a tone appropriate to the task.

Purpose, bullet points and tone

On tone, IDP and the British Council say much the same thing. Pick the style from the person you are writing to; IDP's rules for each style, and for the greeting and closing, are in the tone section below.

Format

A letter has a greeting, a body and a closing. IDP lists each part.

• A greeting (Dear sir/madam, Dear John, Dear Mr. Smith)
• The main body (consisting of paragraphs for each part of the letter)
• A closing (Yours sincerely, Yours faithfully, Best wishes, Kind regards, Love)

What changes between the bands

These are IDP's published descriptors for task achievement in a General Training letter. They tell you what the examiner looks for. They do not tell you where your own letter would fall.

Our reading of the ladder: across the three bands the same four things change. The purpose goes from clear, to generally clear, to sometimes unclear. The tone goes from consistent, to mostly consistent, to variable. The bullet points go from clearly highlighted, to adequately highlighted, to presented but not always covered. The descriptors say the format is appropriate at band 7, that an appropriate format is used at band 6 and that the format may be inappropriate in places at band 5. We do not say which band any letter reaches.

Tone is one of the four things on the examiner's checklist. IDP gives short rules for each type.

IDP also gives pairs of words to swap, formal on the left and informal on the right.

Our note on the greeting. IDP's examples pair Dear Sir/Madam with Yours faithfully and Dear John with Best wishes, and IDP says the closing must match the style. Our formal letter pairs Dear Sir or Madam with Yours faithfully, and our semi-formal letter to a manager pairs Dear Ms Patel with Kind regards. IDP's list of closings includes both, and its rule is that the closing must match the greeting and the tone.

The three letters below are ours. The situations are invented, and none is a past test question. We make no claim about the level they would reach. Plan your own answer for 5 minutes, then compare it with ours.

First letter: a formal letter of complaint

Situation: You bought a washing machine from an online store two weeks ago. It arrived with a damaged door and it leaks. Write a letter to the store. In your letter, describe the problem, explain what you have already done about it, and say what you want the store to do. Write at least 150 words. You do not need to write any addresses. Begin your letter as follows: Dear Sir or Madam,.

• The opening paragraph gives the purpose at once: to complain and to ask for a repair or a replacement.
• Each bullet point has its own paragraph: the problem, what the writer has already done, and what the writer wants.
• The tone is polite and firm. It uses I would be grateful and Please let me know, and it has no contractions.
• Dear Sir or Madam is matched with Yours faithfully. The writer does not know the reader's name.

Second letter: a semi-formal letter to a manager

Situation: You would like to take an evening course that starts next month, and you need to change your working hours. Write a letter to your manager. In your letter, explain what the course is and why it is useful, say which hours you would like to change, and suggest how your work will be covered. Write at least 150 words. Begin your letter as follows: Dear Ms Patel,.

• The writer knows the manager, so the tone is polite but not stiff. It is a request, so it uses could and would.
• The second paragraph explains the course and links it to the job, which gives the manager a reason to agree.
• The writer offers a solution (make up the time, a handover list), which covers the third bullet point in full.
• Dear Ms Patel is matched with Kind regards.

Third letter: an informal letter to a friend

Situation: A friend of yours has just moved to your neighbourhood. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter, say what you like about the area, invite your friend to something this month, and offer to help with the move. Write at least 150 words. Begin your letter as follows: Dear Mia,.

• The purpose is clear in the first paragraph: to tell Mia about the area and to make some offers.
• The tone is warm and friendly. It uses contractions (I'm, you'll, don't), exclamation marks in two places and a short, direct question.
• Each bullet point has a paragraph and an extra detail: the market, the festival and the trolley.
• Dear Mia is matched with Best wishes.

Five letter mistakes to fix first

1. Missing a bullet point, or missing half of one. Watch for the word and and for plurals.
2. Opening with a greeting and then three lines of small talk before the purpose. Put the purpose in the first paragraph.
3. The wrong tone: Hey there to a landlord, or I would be most obliged to a friend.
4. A greeting and a closing that do not match, such as Dear Sir or Madam with Best wishes.
5. Writing a list of points with no detail. Each bullet point needs at least one extra sentence of detail.

IELTS Australia says about 20 minutes for Task 1. Our split below is for practice, and you can change it to suit your own writing speed.

After the letter comes the essay. IELTS says what it is in General Training.

• The instructions for Task 2 give information about an opinion, argument or problem. The instructions then tell you what you should discuss in your essay.
• Marking: Task 2 contributes twice as much as Task 1 to the Writing score.

IELTS gives topics of general interest as examples.

• whether children’s leisure activities should be educational.
• how environmental problems can be solved.
• whether smoking should be banned in public places.

How to write an agree or disagree essay

Some Task 2 questions give you a statement and ask how far you agree. This is the pattern IELTS teaches for that kind of question. Its page says you start by asking yourself to what extent you agree. There are three possible cases.

• You agree completely.
• You disagree completely.
• You partially agree (which means you also partially disagree)

Then you ask why. IELTS says that this is how you find your ideas, and that fewer ideas are better.

• Next, ask yourself: ‘Why do I think that?’ This is a very useful question because by answering it you will start generating ideas that you will then include in your essay.
• In all three cases the secret is that less is more, so I recommend having no more than four in total.
• Notice that I didn’t write full sentences but notes. Keep your full sentences for the essay!

The structure follows from your answer. IELTS says to keep it simple.

• Two sentences are enough here. In the first sentence you should paraphrase the task question. In the second sentence say if you (partially) agree/disagree so you immediately let the reader know what you think.
• Remember: it’s much better to have few well-developed ideas than a lot of poorly developed ones, so when you write the paragraphs make sure to give reasons, examples and details.
• Again, keep life simple and write one or two sentences only. You should briefly repeat and summarise your answer to the question. Don’t introduce information that you didn’t mention in your paragraphs before.

IDP adds that the examples should come from what you know, and that a memorised essay is a risk.

• Support your ideas with relevant examples from your own knowledge and experience (not made up statistics and research)
• Don't use memorised essays that might not address the task.

Our reading: because you need two body paragraphs, plan the second one before you write the first. If you partly agree, decide which reasons go where. The two model essays below show two of the three positions.

First model essay: partly agree

Prompt: Every school student should be taught how to manage money in a compulsory subject. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Write at least 250 words.

• The first paragraph has two sentences. The first restates the topic. The second gives the position: partly agree.
• Paragraph two gives reasons for the part the writer agrees with. Paragraph three gives reasons for the part the writer does not agree with. This is the partial agreement pattern in the table above.
• The conclusion is short and repeats the answer without adding a new idea.
• Examples are general (loans, savings, wages, tax). There are no made-up figures.

Second model essay: disagree

Prompt: Tourists should be charged higher entry prices than local residents at museums and national parks. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Write at least 250 words.

• The first paragraph restates the question in new words and says clearly: I disagree.
• Both body paragraphs give reasons for the same position: fairness, then the effect on income.
• The second paragraph admits one point in favour of the other side (taxes paid by residents) and answers it. That makes the argument more complete.
• The conclusion repeats the position in two sentences, the second restating the alternative from the third paragraph.

Nobody can tell you what you will be asked. IDP says so, and it says certain themes come up again and again.

IDP names five themes in an article on its Pakistan site.

• Education is among the most popular topics that may be included in Writing Task 2.
• Technology's profound influence on our contemporary world makes it a prevalent theme in IELTS Writing Task 2.
• Given the ongoing advancements in health care, health-related topics are commonly featured in IELTS Writing Task 2.
• The global environmental crisis is a subject that impacts everyone and is a popular topic of Writing Task 2 questions.
• Government expenditure touches the lives of all citizens, leading to strong opinions on how funds should be allocated.

It also gives three ways to prepare. They are simple and they work for any topic.

• Stay informed by reading the news to become familiar with these recurring themes and associated vocabulary.
• Develop a vocabulary bank specific to each topic and practise using it in various contexts.
• Practise writing essays on these topics to build confidence and enhance your ability to use advanced, topic-specific vocabulary.
• Familiarise yourself with essay types (opinion, discussion, advantages/disadvantages, problems/solutions) to prepare for various question formats.

The prompts below are ours. They are invented, so you are not rehearsing a past test. They cover education, technology, work, the environment and health and society, all themes IDP names, with one prompt for each common question type. Write at least 250 words for each one.

To use one: choose a prompt, spend 5 minutes planning, write for 35, and check your answer against the checklist in the next section. Practise a theme you know less about as often as one you know well, because the test does not choose for you.

If you want an outside check on a letter or an essay, the owners offer feedback in two places. We have not tested these services and make no claim about how accurate their feedback is.

The British Council says Ready Premium comes with a booking with the British Council. The sample tasks and PDFs in the next section are on the owners' public pages.

Our own check is a list. It cannot give a band, and it will not catch every fault, but it tells you whether your letter or essay has the features the examiners mark.

Letter check

1. Is the purpose in the first paragraph, in your own words?
2. Is every bullet point covered, including both halves of a bullet with an and in it?
3. Does each bullet point have one extra detail, such as a time, a reason or an example?
4. Do the greeting, the tone and the closing all match the person you are writing to?
5. Have you left out addresses and avoided notes and bullet points, as the IELTS rules above say?
6. Is it at least 150 words, and did you finish with time left to check?

Essay check

1. Did you answer every part of the question?
2. Is your position clear in the first paragraph and repeated in the last?
3. Does each body paragraph hold one developed idea with a reason or example?
4. Are the examples from what you know, with no invented figures?
5. Is the conclusion short, with nothing new in it?
6. Is it at least 250 words, and is the writing in full sentences?

The British Council has a General Training Writing page with sample tasks and a PDF of marked sample scripts. It also says what each part is.

IDP Canada says you can download practice questions.

For books, courses and the rest of your preparation, see our IELTS General Training books and preparation page. For word lists and linking words, see IELTS vocabulary. For a full timed writing set, see IELTS General Training writing practice test. To see how IELTS scores line up with Canada's language levels, use our IELTS to CLB page. This page is general test preparation, not immigration advice, and the owner's pages decide what the test is.

Common questions