The General Training writing test includes two tasks which are based on the topics of common interest. However, in task 1, you need to respond to a situation by writing an informal letter, that can explain a situation. You need to write at least 150 words in 20 minutes. Thus, students need proper planning and preparation for writing a letter. In this blog, we will cover format of GT task 1 informal letter along with samples, and tips. Let’s get started with the blog.
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In the IELTS general writing task 1 there are three types of letters: Formal, Semi-formal, and Informal. However, in this section, we will be discussing about IELTS informal letter which will be asked in your exam. An informal letter is a type of letter which is written to a friend, relative, or someone you know personally. It is a way of communicating and explaining a situation to your friend. Moreover, in an informal letter, you can make use of contractions and everyday language, with personal details. In our next sections, we will talk about the structure and format of the informal letter in IELTS.
In GT task 1 informal letter, you will be given a situation and ask for a personal response. As it is different from the formal or semi-formal letter, it needs a specific structure to write properly. Thus, it is important to understand the structural breakdown of the IELTS informal letter.
Below is the standard informal letter structure which will help you to plan, frame, and conclude your writing. Grab a quick look at it.
The format for the informal letter is as important as a structure for achieving a high IELTS band score in the writing section of IELTS General Training. Thus, this section will let you know about the format of informal letters which you need to follow in an exam. The informal letter format in IELTS consists of:
Overall, this is the format and structure for IELTS informal letter that you need to follow in your writing section. In the next section, you will learn about some sample questions and answers for the informal letter.
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As we discussed above, the key to write a high-scoring informal letter is to understand the right format and integrating the accurate structure Thus, this section will cover the IELTS informal letter samples with answers. Through these samples, you will get an idea of how to write a informal letter. Let’s have a look at each one of them.
The first IELTS informal letter sample is given below. Read it and understand the format of writing it.
You are having a party and want to invite a friend from a different city.
Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:
Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Now have a look at sample on how to write a letter to your friend inviting him/her on your birthday.
Dear Rashi,
I hope you’re well and fine. I’m writing this letter to invite you to my birthday party I’ll be having next Friday, September 17th
This is a very exciting time in my life, and we’d like to formally celebrate my birthday with our family and friends. Not only it will be a fun gathering, but we will also be able to catch up and spend some time together.
Since the guest list is large, we’ve decided to have the party at “Safari” restaurant in Jaipur. If you’ll be coming from your city, so, it would be best to take the Highway South route for 30 miles, and then take the “Steel Town 19A” exit. The restaurant is about 200 feet from the exit on the left-hand side.
As per the sources, the weather forecast is predicting a storm next Friday, we’ve blocked off a few rooms at the hotel next to the restaurant. Having said that, I would be happy to pay for your room, since you’d be travelling a lot to celebrate with us.
I hope you’ll be able to join us for the festivities!
Warm regards,
Jatin
This is one of the informal letter writing questions that can be asked in an exam. Grab a quick look at it.
A friend of yours recently gave you a nice birthday present.
Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:
Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Now have a look at sample on how to write a letter to your friend thanking him/her for the birthday gift.
Dear Yash,
To start with, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the watch that you have sent to me as my birthday present. I have always praised your choice and this too is an exception. You will be surprised to know that I always wanted to have this kind of watch for me. Further, it would have been better, if you could gift me this watch in person to me.
Although it has been your loss as we had a grand birthday party in the evening. Our whole batch honored the occasion and it was quite a wonderful evening as we danced for more than four hours before going for dinner.
You will be glad to know Raghav, Gaurav & Imran have collectively gifted me a concert ticket and Rashi bought a leather jacket for me. It was an evening to remember and I will cherish it for years to come.
Lastly, I would like to once again say thank you for such a lovely present.
See you soon,
Sanket
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This is one of the IELTS informal letter sample which can be asked in the exam. Read further for a better understanding.
You want to invite your friend to go on vacation with you.
Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:
Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Now have a look at sample on how to write a letter to your friend requesting him/her to spend summer holidays with you.
Dear Anika,
How are you? I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing this letter to invite you for the vacation that I am planning for this summer. I hope you would be interested in the vacation too.
As you are aware vacations are the best way to relax our bodies and mind, and especially to release the stress of work. So, I have decided that this year, I will take 1 month out for the vacation and I believe it will help me to focus on my work in a better way.
This summer, I am planning to visit Canada, as I heard their summer weather is considered the best one, in the whole world. Also, Google is organizing an event for software developers in Ottawa, which is the capital of Canada. Thus, we both can join for that event while staying there as it would help us to accelerate our career.
As per the previous letter, I realized you are also struggling to decide the destination for the summer holidays. So, I thought we could plan for Canada and make it one of the best trips of ours. Let me know your plan so we can take action accordingly.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Take Care,
Shubham Sharma
This is one such example of General Training task 1 informal letter. Take a quick look for a better understanding.
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:
Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Now have a look at sample on how to write a letter to your friend advising him/her to buy a mobile phone
Dear Tanya,
How are you and your family? I hope everything is well and fine. I heard that you are looking for a smartphone between the 20,000 and 30,000 range. Fortunately, I 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 am going 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 lots of pictures.
My iPhone 11 is not lesser and weaker than other smartphones in the market. It is still one of the go-to mobile phones for its processor, RAM and storage space. 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 Paytm link so that you can make the payment online.
Looking forward to your response.
Warm regards,
Lakshya
Overall, these are the IELTS informal letter samples with answers which will help you in an exam. Further, we will discuss the general topics or categories for the IELTS informal letter.
Here are some of the important informal letter topics which you may encounter in your IELTS General Writing Task 1. The topics are as follows:
These are some of the topics of the GT task 1 informal letter. The next section will discuss the vocabulary to be used in the informal letter.
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In the IELTS task of ‘write a letter to your friend’ or ‘write to your family member’, the style of the letter is informal. So in this section, you will get to know the correct style for writing the letter. See the below given pointers.
Overall, these are the lines and vocabulary you need to use in GT task 1 informal letter. Further, the next section will cover some of the best tips to excel in the task of informal letters.
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To excel in the GT task 1 informal letter, consider the following tips for a high score.
To sum up, we discussed the GT task 1 informal letter, format, topics, samples, and tips for scoring high in the exam. However, while writing the informal letter you should maintain a normal tone for achieving higher scores. Furthermore, if you are facing issues in the letter-writing task then we’re here for you! Take our free IELTS writing mock test online or offline and check your IELTS result instantly on your screens.
Informal letters are majorly non-official letters. Some of the things that should be kept in mind while writing the informal letter are phrasal verbs, slang, idioms, contractions, and reductions can be used.
Some of the Informal letter topics are as follows:
Yes! If a candidate aims to get a high band score in the GT task 1 informal letter, there are requirements for lexical resources that use a wide range of vocabulary to convey the right meanings and use uncommon lexical items, which means they should avoid using very simple words and repeating the same words in the letter.
The informal letter begins with the ‘Dear’ + ’Name’ of the receiver and ends with Best Wishes/Regards + Your First Name. Formal letters begin with Dear Sir/Madam and end with Yours Faithfully+ Full Name of Yours.
The format of informal letters must include the address of the sender, date, address of the receiver, salutation/greeting, body of the letter, conclusion, and signature of the sender.
Yes, while answering the IELTS writing task 1 informal letter, you can use the contractions at the appropriate places. You can start practicing from the writing samples.
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