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General Training Task 1: purpose, tone and complete letters
مُقدَّميبقى موقعك المحفوظ في هذا المتصفح. لا يكتمل استئناف الموقع الدرس أو الإجابة على أسئلته.
A beautiful letter still needs a clear purpose
- You borrow equipment, discover a missing part and write a careful description. In this situation, the manager still needs to know what help you want. A letter has a purpose, a reason for writing, as well as a story. Other tasks may ask you to thank someone or give information without requesting action.
- In General Training Task 1, write a letter of at least 150 words. Use about 20 minutes as a planning guide within the shared Writing hour. Your greeting has a small job; it should not become a 150-word welcoming ceremony.
A letter asking a library manager to solve a missing-cable problem describes the cable but never says what help is wanted. What should the writer clarify?
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For this help-seeking letter, a useful requested action completes the purpose. Other letters may give information or thanks without asking for action. A grand greeting or unrelated story cannot supply the missing request.
Turn every bullet point into a job for the letter
- Read this original task and underline each instruction verb. A plan needs loan details → problem and effect → requested solution. The effect matters because the task explicitly asks why the problem affects you.
- Add relevant details that make the invented situation clear. Keep them consistent: a kit borrowed on Tuesday should not become a kit purchased last month.
You borrowed a recording kit from a community library. At home, you discovered that an important part was missing. Write a letter to the library manager, Ms Patel. In your letter:
- describe the kit you borrowed and when you collected it;
- explain what is missing and how this affects your planned activity;
- suggest what the library could do to help.
Write at least 150 words. This is an original practice task, not an official IELTS question.
Put these jobs in the order used by the sample response.
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The response identifies the loan, explains the problem and its effect, then requests a feasible solution. This is one useful structure, not a compulsory universal paragraph formula.
Which detail addresses the effect requested by the second bullet?
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The inability to use the microphones explains the practical effect. A date or a kit label supplies identification, not that effect.
Match the tone to the relationship and purpose
- The manager is named, but the task does not make her your close friend. A polite formal opening fits: “Dear Ms Patel, I am writing about the recording kit I borrowed…” State the issue without insults or exaggerated threats.
- A friend could receive a warmer personal opening, while a familiar tutor or manager may call for a polite semi-formal tone. These are useful choices, not a rule that every named recipient is informal. Keep the tone consistent through the request and closing.
“Hey, sort this out immediately!” and “I humbly beseech your esteemed institution” pull in different directions. For this task, ordinary respectful language communicates more clearly. A formal letter does not require the longest words available.
Because Ms Patel is named in the task, the writer must treat her as a close friend.
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A name does not establish a close personal relationship. The role and situation support a polite formal tone here.
Which opening best fits this letter to the library manager?
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The first is polite and states the issue directly. The demand is hostile and the apology about an unnamed wedding does not address the task.
Read a complete response before inspecting its parts
- This sample invents a project, collection details and practical alternatives. Each detail supports the prompt; the sample does not invent a library policy or claim that a replacement is already guaranteed.
- Read it once as Ms Patel: can you identify the kit, understand the problem and decide what response the writer is requesting? Then use the paragraph checks below. This sample has no official band rating.
Dear Ms Patel,
I am writing about the recording kit I collected from Brook Lane Library on Tuesday afternoon. The loan was registered under my name, Nina Cole, and the case was labelled R4. I borrowed the kit to record interviews for our neighbourhood history project this weekend.
When I unpacked the case, I found the recorder and two microphones, but the cable connecting the microphones to the recorder was missing. I checked the pockets in the case and compared the contents with the equipment list supplied by the library. Without that cable, I cannot use the microphones for the interviews, and the participants have already arranged their appointments.
Could you please check whether the cable was left at the loan desk? I could collect it on Friday afternoon. If it cannot be found, would it be possible to exchange the kit for a complete one before Saturday? Please let me know which option is available so that I can confirm the arrangements with the participants.
Thank you for your help. I look forward to your reply.
Yours sincerely, Nina Cole
Which missing part does the sample letter identify? Copy ONE WORD from the response.
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The response identifies the cable connecting the microphones to the recorder. The recorder and microphones are present.
When did Nina collect the kit?
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Tuesday afternoon is the collection time. Friday afternoon is the proposed cable collection, and the weekend is the planned interview period.
The sample letter claims that the library has already guaranteed Nina a replacement.
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It asks whether an exchange is possible if the cable cannot be found. It does not state a guarantee or invent a replacement policy.
Connect each paragraph to the task's actual demand
- The first paragraph identifies what, when and why. The second names the missing cable and explains its effect on the interviews. The third requests a check or exchange and gives useful collection timing.
- “The cable is missing” addresses only part of the second bullet. Adding “so I cannot use the microphones for the interviews” supplies the requested effect. A relevant reason develops the task; an unrelated story about buying lunch does not.
Match the details to their jobs in the letter.
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R4 identifies the kit, the inability to use microphones explains the effect, and the exchange question requests help.
The bullet asks what is missing and how this affects the activity. Which response addresses both parts?
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The third names the missing item and connects it to the planned interviews. The others address only a part or another aspect of the situation.
Change the weak sentence rather than adding a grand phrase
- Weak: “I have a problem. Please help.” Better: “Could you check whether the microphone cable was left at the loan desk?” The second version identifies a feasible action; it does not demand something the reader cannot identify.
- Weak: “You always lose equipment.” Better: “The microphone cable was missing when I unpacked the kit.” Describe what the task supports. Do not turn one missing item into a claim about every loan or an accusation about who caused it.
A useful request names the action and enough context to carry it out. Keep options conditional when availability is unknown: “If it cannot be found, would it be possible to exchange the kit?” This asks for help without pretending the answer is already settled.
Which sentence reports the supported problem without an unsupported general accusation?
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The second identifies the observed missing item. One case does not establish that equipment is always lost or that every staff member caused it.
Why does “If it cannot be found…” help the request?
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It introduces an alternative without claiming the cable search has failed or that an exchange is guaranteed.
Finish a letter that answers all the points
- Make a short plan, write connected paragraphs, then check purpose, every bullet and consistent tone. Bullet points help your planning; the completed answer is a letter, not your planning list.
- Check that your response reaches the minimum word count, but do not use repetition to get there. Check names, dates, verb forms and the closing too. A sensible 20-minute practice limit protects time for the more heavily weighted Task 2.
Reaching 150 words alone proves that a letter fully answers the task.
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The minimum length is only one requirement. Purpose, all requested points, appropriate development, organisation and language still need review; this lesson does not produce a band score.
What should the completed Task 1 answer look like?
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The plan can use bullet points, but the submitted response should be a letter with connected prose appropriate to its recipient.
Transfer the method to a new situation
- Original transfer task: you help at a community garden, but your regular volunteering day now clashes with a course. Write to the coordinator: describe your current duties; explain the clash and its effect; suggest another arrangement. Decide the tone from your relationship with the coordinator.
- Before writing the full letter, draft one clear purpose sentence and a three-part plan. After writing, underline where you addressed each requested point. Practise with a General Training letter prompt and use the learning diagnostic to record what needs attention. These lesson checks do not grade the quality of a complete letter.
For the garden transfer task, which request offers a useful new arrangement?
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The second gives a feasible alternative related to the clash. The others do not request a workable arrangement or invent an unrelated requirement.
What can these short lesson checks establish?
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They can check the distinctions taught here. They cannot calibrate a full letter, assess every writing criterion or guarantee an IELTS score.
Three relationships, three useful choices
- Close friend: “Hi Rowan, thanks for offering to help with my move.” Familiar course tutor: “Dear Maya, I am writing to ask about changing my tutorial time.” Unknown service manager: “Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing about my recent delivery.” Choose from the relationship and purpose, not whether a name appears.
- Compare “I would be grateful if you could consider my application” with “Could I join your Saturday group?” Both can be polite, but the second makes a familiar tutor's decision easier to identify. More elaborate language is not automatically more appropriate. A letter does not need to arrive wearing a ceremonial cape.
Make a small decision, then explain its job
- In the guided checks, identify reader → purpose → requested detail before choosing. A sentence may be polite and grammatical yet leave half a bullet unanswered. Add the missing reason, effect or arrangement rather than repeating the same point.
- Keep invented details consistent with the task. Make uncertain alternatives conditional; do not promise a service policy you have not been given. For information or thanks, an appropriate ending can simply close the message without inventing a demand.
Original situation: Your friend Alex lent you a tent. Write to thank Alex and describe your camping weekend.
Which opening states this purpose in an appropriate tone?
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Thanks fits the completed loan and close relationship. A complaint changes the purpose; a future request omits the thanks. Start with the actual reason for this letter.
Original situation: A letter to your course tutor must explain why you missed class and ask how to catch up.
The draft says “I missed class because my train was cancelled.” What relevant job remains?
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The reason is supplied; the catch-up request is missing. Add a practical question about the missed work, rather than expanding a point already covered.
Original situation: You know your neighbour through brief conversations. You want to discuss their late-night music politely.
Which request is direct and respectful?
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The third supplies an actionable request and a relevant reason. The accusation assigns motives; the second leaves the reader without an action. State the behavior you want changed.
Original situation: A hotel complaint must identify your stay and explain how a faulty lamp affected you. The draft says “I stayed in room 12 on Monday, and its desk lamp did not work.”
Which addition supplies the missing effect?
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The second connects the fault to a concrete consequence. More room identification repeats a completed job. Develop the part the bullet actually asks for.
Original situation: You write to an unfamiliar training provider to ask about its weekend course.
Which sentence asks about availability without inventing an acceptance?
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The question asks for unknown information. The other sentences turn uncertainty into an unsupported acceptance. Use a question or conditional where availability is not established.
Original situation: Your friend invited you to stay, but you cannot visit because your exams finish later. The letter should decline and suggest another date.
Which sentence completes those jobs warmly?
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The third gives thanks, a reason for declining and an alternative. The first never declines; the second offers no new date. Check each requested job, not just friendliness.
Original situation: You write to a familiar supervisor to request one day off for a family event.
Which opening avoids both overfamiliarity and inflated language?
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The second is polite and specific for a professional relationship. The others are casual without agreement or unnecessarily inflated. Plain language can maintain respect.
Original situation: A letter giving a new volunteer instructions must say where to meet and what to bring.
Which sentence covers both?
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The first gives a location/time and an item. The others omit one requested detail. A friendly sentence can accompany instructions but cannot replace missing information.
Original situation: You complain about an order delivered on Thursday. Your next paragraph says you noticed the problem when it arrived on Tuesday.
What needs revision?
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The two arrival dates conflict. Choose one timeline and check every reference to it; a new greeting or longer vocabulary will not repair the factual inconsistency.
Original situation: A friend asks you for information about your town. The task asks you to describe transport and recommend a place to visit.
Must your ending also ask the friend to take action?
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Giving information can achieve the purpose without a new request. All requested information still matters. Do not apply the complaint model to every letter type.
Choose without a sentence frame
- The independent checks use fresh everyday situations. Decide what best serves the stated purpose and relationship; several sentences could be grammatical, but only one best meets each question's specified job.
- These decisions support planning and revision. They do not measure your ability to sustain a complete letter. Write the two letters below, compare their models only after drafting, and revise your own wording rather than copying a complete response.
Original situation: You thank a former neighbour for looking after your plants. The task asks what they did and why it helped.
Which sentence develops both points?
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The first connects a specific action with its benefit. The general thanks lacks detail, and the family location does not describe the help. Add a concrete action and its effect.
Original situation: You write to a sports-centre manager about a cancelled class. You want to know if a replacement session is planned.
Which sentence best expresses the request?
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The third asks the needed question. The other details could supply background but leave the manager unsure what reply is wanted. Put the request in words.
Original situation: A friend is visiting your town. The task asks you to recommend a restaurant and explain why it suits them.
Which option covers both jobs?
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The recommendation is tied to the visitor’s needs. Location or opening time alone does not explain suitability. Connect a feature to the reader.
Original situation: You ask an accommodation officer to change your room because you work nights. You have not been offered another room.
Which sentence keeps the request accurate?
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The first asks for an unconfirmed arrangement. The others claim a decision that the scenario does not supply. Check whether you are requesting or reporting a confirmed outcome.
Original situation: You write to your cousin to apologise for missing their performance and explain the reason.
Which opening fits the relationship and purpose?
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The third is personal and supplies apology plus reason. The official formula mismatches a cousin; the travel question avoids the apology. Match both relationship and purpose.
Original situation: A letter to a local newspaper must support a new park, explain a benefit and suggest a feature.
The draft supports the park and says children need safe outdoor space. What remains?
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The feature has not been supplied. A fenced play area develops a related suggestion; repeating the benefit leaves the third job undone. Map draft sentences to the prompt.
Original situation: You write to a tutor you know to ask for advice on choosing an evening course.
Which request has a suitable tone?
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The first respects the professional relationship and asks a bounded question. Demands and assumed intimacy are poor choices for this situation. Name the advice you need.
Original situation: A company sent one damaged chair. You want to report the condition without inventing a wider pattern.
Which sentence fits?
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The third reports the observed fault. One damaged item does not establish every product’s condition or someone’s motive. Replace general accusation with specific observation.
Original situation: You invite an old friend to a celebration. The task asks what it celebrates, when it is and why you want them there.
Which detail addresses the final point?
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The second explains why this person matters at the event. Time and place are useful but answer other jobs. Develop the requested reason.
Original situation: You write to a club secretary about renewing membership. You need to ask both the fee and the deadline.
Which request is complete?
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The first makes both requested details explicit. General enquiries can leave either unanswered. A specific two-part question is clearer than “more information”.
Original situation: You offered to help a friend paint on Sunday, but a work shift prevents you. You can help on Monday.
Which sentence explains and offers a realistic alternative?
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The third connects the changed situation with an available alternative. The first contradicts availability; the second omits the new arrangement. Keep timing consistent.
Original situation: You report a leak to your landlord. The task asks where it is and what damage it is causing.
Which sentence supplies both?
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The second locates the leak and names current damage. Serious or urgent alone does not describe the effect. Supply observable detail.
Original situation: You thank a family friend for advice that helped you prepare for a job interview.
Which ending fits without inventing another request?
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The first returns to the benefit and closes the thanks. No new demand is required. Conclude the actual purpose rather than importing a complaint ending.
Original situation: You write to an unfamiliar course administrator. The task gives no name.
Which greeting is a conventional formal choice?
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The third is a conventional formal greeting when no name is provided. The alternatives assume a friendship or invent a name. A greeting helps establish tone but does not replace content.
Original situation: Your letter says you will collect a repaired bicycle on Friday, then asks the shop to keep it until your return on Monday. You cannot visit before Monday.
What should be changed?
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Availability makes Monday the consistent collection day. Repair the conflicting arrangement wherever it appears; extra description does not fix it.
Original situation: A familiar colleague will cover your desk for a day. You must give instructions about urgent calls and thank them.
Which sentence gives the instruction clearly?
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The first tells the colleague what to do and where. The thanks is useful elsewhere; the general observation leaves the action unclear. Distinguish instruction from appreciation.
Original situation: You complain to a gym about a faulty locker and ask for repair. You do not know when repair can happen.
Which sentence requests action without claiming a promise?
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The third asks for action and information. The other options invent a commitment. Use a question when the schedule is unknown.
Original situation: You describe a weekend course to a friend and recommend it because they enjoy practical work.
Which detail best supports the recommendation?
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The second directly matches the friend’s practical interest. The other details do not explain the recommendation. Tie evidence to the reader’s needs.
Original situation: A letter asks an organiser to move a meeting because it clashes with an appointment. The appointment time is fixed, but either Tuesday or Thursday would suit you.
Which request supplies workable alternatives?
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The first offers possible dates and explains the constraint. Cancellation is broader than needed; promising the original time contradicts availability. Ask for a feasible change.
Original situation: A letter to a friend has a clear invitation and full arrangements, but suddenly calls the friend “your esteemed authority”.
What most needs revision?
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The content is present; the phrase creates a tone mismatch. Keep useful arrangements and revise the wording. Formality is not a universal measure of quality.
Write to a friend who has offered help
- Original task: your close friend Rowan offered to help you move. Write a letter: thank Rowan and describe the move; explain which help you need and why; suggest a time and how to reach the new home. Write at least 150 words before opening the model.
- Keep the tone warm and the arrangements usable. A list of addresses and times alone is not a letter; a friendly story with no help or travel arrangements leaves the task unfinished. The model is one possible response, not a script or a rated answer.
Write at least 150 words to your close friend Rowan, who offered to help you move. Thank Rowan and describe the move; explain which help you need and why; suggest a time and how to reach the new home. Invent consistent details. Draft before opening the model, then revise one missing or vague detail. Original practice task; no band is assigned.
Use the model to inspect your decisions, not to count matching words. Several letters can meet the checklist. Marking a self-review records reflection, not correctness or a band. If you missed a bullet, add the missing information before polishing vocabulary.
Write to a tutor you know
- Original task: you attend Maya Chen's Wednesday evening photography course. Your work shift has changed. Write a letter: describe the course and timetable problem; explain why you wish to continue; suggest an arrangement and ask whether it is possible. Write at least 150 words before opening the model.
- You know the tutor through the course, not as a close friend. Use polite, direct language with enough detail for her decision. Compare a weaker complete draft, the improved model and your own version; then revise one specific weakness. A long apology cannot secretly attend the Wednesday class for you.
Write at least 150 words to Maya Chen, your Wednesday evening photography tutor. Your work shift changed. Describe the course and timetable problem; explain why you wish to continue; suggest an arrangement and ask whether it is possible. You know Maya through class. Draft before opening the models, then revise one coverage or tone weakness. Original practice; no band is assigned.
Compare the jobs performed by each paragraph. A different reasonable arrangement or closing can work. This is private self-review, not automated evaluation. If your proposal is unclear, rewrite it as a specific question and retain the necessary reason.
Transfer to a different reader and purpose
- Move from asking for help to giving useful information. For each transfer check, identify what the recipient needs to know; do not force every letter into a complaint-and-request template.
- Then write your own short thank-you letter to someone who hosted you. Describe one specific kind act and why it mattered. No automatic score is attached; ask a reader whether the thanks feels personal and clear, then improve one vague sentence.
Original situation: You write to a new neighbour who asked about local recycling. The task asks you to explain collection day and how to sort glass.
Which sentence supplies the requested information?
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This purpose is giving instructions, not asking for a remedy. The second covers both requested details. A friendly introduction can accompany, but cannot replace, usable information.
Original situation: You are leaving a volunteer group and write to a familiar coordinator to thank them and describe a skill you gained.
Which sentence develops that purpose?
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The first links a specific act to learning and thanks. A request changes the purpose; a departure date alone supplies no gratitude or gained skill. Transfer the purpose check beyond complaints.
Return later and revise from memory
- On another day, try the review checks before reopening examples. Recall purpose, coverage, relationship and consistency; remembering a greeting alone does not complete a letter.
- Reopen one of your drafts and improve a sentence that fails a requested job. Then try a fresh General Training writing task. Use paragraph development if your relevant points remain undeveloped. Short lesson answers and private self-review are not examiner marks or band predictions.
Sources checked on 19 October 2026: official IELTS General Training Writing format and official Writing preparation guidance. All scenarios and responses here are originally authored teaching examples, not official tasks or band predictions.
Original situation: A letter to a friend describes a visit and thanks them. The task also asks you to invite them to your home.
The draft has no invitation. What should revision add?
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Purpose and coverage return together: thanks alone does not answer the invitation job. Add it before polishing the greeting or repeating completed content.
Original situation: You write to a manager whose first name is given in the task, but you have never met.
Does the first name require a close-friend tone?
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A name identifies a recipient, not a relationship. Recall the context first; retain a suitable greeting and clear purpose rather than relying on a name-only rule.