IELTS General Writing Task 1 Informal Letter

IELTS General Writing Task 1 Informal letter gives you a common situation of our daily lives and requires you to write a personal response of at least 150 words. In IELTS general writing task 1 you will be given one (1) question, and the time taken to complete this is 20 minutes.

Here you will see that the IELTS General Writing Task 1 informal letter assesses your language accuracy, coherence and cohesiveness, like how you start and end a letter and how you put the information in style. Moreover, here you will get the sample topics & answers, vocabulary and tips much-needed for a band score of 9 in your IELTS writing.

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How to write an informal letter in IELTS? 

How to start informal letter IELTS? It’s easy. You must write a personal letter with a minimum of 150 words in 20 minutes according to the below format.  

1. Dear ____________ [First name of your friend]   2. Paragraph 1- Write an introduction (I’m writing to let you know that….) 3. Paragraph 2- Bullet point 1 with relevant details  4. Paragraph 3- Bullet point 2 with relevant details  5. Paragraph 4- Bullet point 3 with relevant details    6. Looking forward to hearing from you.    7. All the best  8. _______________ [Your first name]

The IELTS General Training has a paper format test with two writing tasks, where task 1 may require you to write an informal letter. 

Generally, you will write an informal letter to a friend, family or some members you know  personally or you may write about a personal situation.

Some of the commonly-used personal letters are invitations, explanations, informative letters, and apologies. Please note that these IELTS general writing letters can be considered semi-formal too.

Structure and Format for Informal Letter

Task 1 gt informal letter gives a situation and asks for a personal response. Since it’s different from a formal/semi-formal letter, it requires a certain structure & format to write appropriately. The structure and format for informal letters are given below to help you organise your letter with a proper introduction and conclusion. 

Structure for Informal Letter

Below is the standard structure for an informal letter that helps you to plan, frame and conclude your writing. Refer to it and start practising your writing skills.

Dear [Your friend’s first name]

Paragraph 1 - Introduction (Highlight the reason for writing this informal letter)
Paragraph 2 - Write about the 1st bullet point and elaborate it.
Paragraph 3 - Write about the 2nd bullet point and elaborate it.
Paragraph 4 - Write about the 3rd bullet point and elaborate it.

See you soon.

Warm Regards,

[Your first name only]

Format for Informal Letter

The informal letter format IELTS consists of:

• a date 
• salutation/greetings  
• body of the letter 
• conclusion 
• writer’s signature, and 
• receiver’s address 

It is pertinent to note that the IELTS general writing task 1 informal letters are similar to formal and semi-formal letters in terms of format. Students can follow this format in all General Training writings with different topics.

To improve your overall band score, a clear understanding of the IELTS band descriptors is required. 

Sample topics for the IELTS Informal Letter Writing

Here are the important IELTS informal letter sample topics given to practice and learn the nuances of writing.

Question 1

Inviting a friend

You are studying English at a private language school attended by many international students. You are planning a surprise birthday party for a friend who has been feeling particularly sad and homesick. Write to another classmate and invite him/her to the party. In your letter:

• Explain the reason for the party
• Give the date and time of the party
• Suggest what the classmate could bring to the party

Begin your letter as follows: 
 
Dear __________ (friend’s name),
 
You should write at least 150 words. You should spend about 20 minutes on this tack. 

Question 2 

Advising a friend about a holiday

An English-speaking friend wants to spend a two-week holiday in your region and has written asking for information and advice. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:

• Offer to find somewhere to stay
• Give advice about what to do.
• Give information about what clothes to bring

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ________________,

You should write at least 150 words. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

Question 3

Apologising to a friend

You borrowed an important textbook from a classmate last term. You now realise your classmate has returned home and overseas and you still have the book. Write a letter to him/her. In your letter:

• Apologise for the mistake 
• Find out how important the book is to him / her.
• Say what you will do.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ______________ ,

You should write at least 150 words. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. 

Question 4 

Thanking a friend for a holiday

You have recently been staying with an old friend for a few days. You hadn’t seen each other for a long time. Write a letter to a friend. In your letter:

• Say how you felt about the visit
• Refer to something enjoyable that you did while staying with him / her
• Invite your friend to visit you

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear ______________ ,

You should write at least 150 words. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

Sample Answer for an Informal letter

The IELTS informal letter to friend is one of the IELTS general writing task 1: informal letter samples frequently-asked in the test. Practise it until you reach the optimum level in writing.

You want to sell your mobile phone. You think a friend of yours might be interested to buy it from you. Write a letter to your friend. 

In your letter:

Explain why you are selling your mobile phone.
Describe the mobile phone.
Suggest the mode of payment to your friend.

Dear Shasna,

How are you and your family? Hope everything is fine. I heard that you are looking for a smartphone in the 20,000 and 30,000 range. Fortunately, I too wanted to sell my smartphone for 25,000. 

I bought the Apple smartphone (iPhone 11) for 50,000 a year ago, and I’m planning to buy the new version (iPhone 12) next month. The reason why I go for the new version is the 6-inch widescreen and the latest camera features. I can watch high-definition videos on a 6-inch screen and take tons of pictures.   

My iPhone 11 is no lesser than other smartphones in the market. It is still one of the go-to mobile phones for its processor, RAM and storage spaces. In the last year, I had no issues with my phone like battery drainage, stuck up or any features. 

If you are interested in buying my phone, just drop me a message. I will share the GPay link so that you can do the payment online. 

(174 words)

IELTS informal letter sample PDF

Improve your letter writing skills by following the IELTS general writing task 1 tips. 

Informal letter: Phrases and Vocabulary

To write an IELTS informal letter, we have brought to you a list of useful vocabulary and phrases.

1. Dear Santhosh, / My dearest Amrutha,
    
2. Apologise, give purpose, else

Apologise

• Please accept my apologies
• I am sorry for not making it to today's event. My work kept / studies keep me engaged throughout the day, that I never have a minute to myself
• I am sorry it consumed so much time to write but I have ...

Give purpose

• I am writing to thank / tell / ask / apologise / wish / congratulate / inform / let you know …
• I regret to inform you that

Else

• Hello Carl! Do you remember me? I'm the girl you met the other day ...
• It was really great hearing from you

3. More details

Expressing congratulations

• Good to hear that ... / What a surprise to hear that!
• I am happy for you / Good for you!
• How wonderful that you are getting married!
• You should be so proud of yourself

Expressing regret

• Unfortunately, I've got some bad news for you
• I find it hard to tell you that
• I can't find an easy way to tell you this
• Words can't express how much I regret
• If you need anything, I'd be glad to ...

Expressing thanks

• How nice of you to think of me / Thanks again!
• I won't forget your kind gesture

Giving advice

• If I were you I'd ... / ... how about doing this
• Why don't you ... / Let me give you some advice
• Hope this helped / Let me know how it went
• Letters of invitation / accepting or refusing an invitation
• I'd love it if you could come to
• I hope you will be able to make it
• I hope we can get together some other time. How about next week instead

4. Informal ending, name, signature

• With best wishes, May
• Yours, May
• With love and many thanks from me, May
• With love, May

Check out the IELTS general writing task 1 vocabulary to get an insight into the different words to be used in GT letter writing. 

Informal letter: Checklist

To score band 9 in the informal letter of the IELTS gt writing task 1, keep this checklist in mind that ensures promising results. 

1. Start and end the letter in an informal way [Hey! How’re you? See you soon]
2. Add an exclamation mark (!) when you need to highlight any point.
3. Maintain direct commands throughout the informal letter (Let me show you something)
4. Ask direct questions (why made this thing happen?)
5. Take help from phrasal verbs, idioms and/or regional slang words (get off from my side; look after the dishes)
6. Don’t be formal anywhere because you are talking to a friend.
7. Use vocabulary related to INFORMAL letters like select = choose, attend = participate.
8. Give informal suggestions in your writing like Let’s, How about?, How to? Why don’t we?
9. Use contractions (I’m, I’d, I can’t, etc)
10. Practice a ‘spoken’ style to get the examiner’s attention.
11. Write at least 180 words so that you can remove the unnecessary words while editing.

Conclusion

Informal letters are commonly asked in the IELTS General Training Writing Task 1 questions. Unlike formal and semi-formal letters, an informal letter is tricky to write because it expects your personal response. If you practice the given structure and format, you can score in this test without much hassle.

FAQs 

1. How do I write an informal letter for IELTS?

To write an informal letter in the IELTS exam, you can follow the below format.
Dear [First name only of friend]
Paragraph 1- Say why you are writing to them (I'm just writing to let you know that….)
Paragraph 2- Bullet point 1 and supporting details.
Paragraph 3- Bullet point 2 and supporting details.
Paragraph 4- Bullet point 3 and supporting details.
See you soon.
Warm Regards,
[Your first name only]

2. What are the 5 parts of an informal letter?

An informal letter in IELTS general training writing task 1 contains five (5) parts as follows.

• Address space
• Salutation
• Main body
• Closing salutation
• Signature 

3. What is the difference between formal and informal letters?

The main difference between formal and informal letters is that the formal letter requires you to write professionally, which starts with Dear Sir/Madam & concludes with Yours sincerely + full name. Whereas informal letters require you to write personally, which starts with Dear + friend’s name and ends with Best wishes + your name. 

4. Can I use contractions in IELTS informal letters?

Yes. While answering the IELTS writing task 1 informal letter, you can use contractions at the appropriate places. You can start practising from the writing samples. 

5. What are the best opening lines for an informal letter?

Below are the best opening lines for an informal letter.

• Hi, how are you and your family?
• Hi, how are things going?
• Hi, how are you? How is your family?

6. What is the format of an informal letter?

In IELTS General Writing task 1, the informal letter is always written to a friend. You must follow a specific style: friendly and enthusiastic.

7. Is vocabulary important for an informal letter? 

Absolutely. In the IELTS task, vocabulary is important for an informal letter to describe a situation, share your experience and give a suggestion. Since each topic is different from others, you need to memorise new vocabulary and include them at the appropriate level while writing.