IELTS Letter Writing Samples

IELTS is an internationally recognized English proficiency test that is taken by students applying to universities across the globe. There are 4 parameters under which candidates’ skills are evaluated, namely, listening, reading, speaking, and writing. Since writing is a crucial session in the IELTS test, it is a prerequisite to have in-depth knowledge and practice of letter and essay writing. In this blog, we will be covering important tips for letter writing as well as IELTS sample letters for your understanding. 

Check Out: IELTS Sample Essays

IELTS Letter Writing Tips

There are three main types of letter writing. You may have to write, informal, semi-formal and formal letters. We write informal letters to friends and family. Semi-formal letters are meant for colleagues and the formal letter is meant for business dealings, editors etc. There is a proper format for writing IELTS letters. Glance through the tips and guidelines in order to make your IELTS Sample letters worth read! 

• Keep your word limit confined to 150 words. 
• In a formal letter, you need to write “Yours faithfully” in the end. 
• End your semi-formal letter with “Yours Sincerely.
• “Best wishes, Regards” should be used in informal ones. 

Since you are exploring IELTS sample letters, you must also check out our blog on How to Ace IELTS Writing Test?

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Guidelines 

Here are the set of guidelines, you can take note of while writing letters for IELTS examination.

• You need to identify the type of letter. 
• Search for the purpose of the letter. The examples of purpose include “Applying for a job, Thanking a friend,” etc.
• Start a letter with a proper beginning. In a formal letter, use proper salutation like Dear Sir/Madam. You can add sentences like “I am writing to bring to your attention…”
• In informal and semi-formal letters, include salutation words like Dear Umer, Dear Zia etc.
• Keep the sentences crisp and with a clear message. 
• In your request and suggestions part, include sentences like “I would be grateful if you would…”
• Ensure that the letter does not have any grammatical errors. Also, the formal and informal use of grammar should also be kept in mind.
• The choice of words is also paramount for different types of letters. The tone of a formal letter should be precise without getting too personalised while don’t use academic vocabulary in a personal letter.
• Write in paragraphs and finish it in 150 words. In the ending part, make use of sentences like “I look forward to hearing from you.”
• Structure your letter by dividing it into paragraphs so that it becomes easy to read. It would also help the examiner understand how effectively you can utilise paragraphing.

State the purpose

Begin your letter by clearly stating the purpose. The reason for writing your letter needs to be clearly mentioned in the opening paragraph. Make sure the purpose of the letter is in clear response to the situation outlined in the question.

Use the right tone

The tone of your letter must refer to the way in which you are writing the letter, formal or informal style. For example, use Dear for Informal or semi-formal letter written to a friend, colleague or someone you know and Dear Sir/ Madam for Formal letter written to someone you do not know.

Include bullet points presented in the question

Always remember to include the bullet points presented to you in the question such as a situation, who to write the letter to and what you must include in the letter. Some bullet points may contain more than one element. So, make sure to watch for ‘and’ and plurals.

IELTS Letter Format – Letter Topics

• A request
• A letter of complaint
• An apology
• A letter of explanation
• An application or resignation letter
• An invitation
• A letter to make an arrangement

IELTS Letter Format – Marking Criteria

IELTS General Writing Task 1 is marked according to the following set of criteria and each carries 25% of the marks.

Task Achievement	appropriate response to the task
Coherence	ability to present a well-structured essay or letter
Lexical Resource	ability to use a range of appropriate vocabulary and to use it correctly
Grammatical Range & Accuracy	ability to use grammar correctly and to use a range of grammar forms

IELTS Letter Writing: Understanding the Structure

While drafting your IELTS letter, you can organise the structure by yourself but it is important to follow a basic format whether it is a formal or an informal letter. Before providing you with IELTS sample letters, we are first giving you the pointers that you must keep in mind for the structure and paragraphing while writing the letter:

Salutation Opening Statement (Introduce the reason for writing this letter) Body Paragraph A & B (Explain the given situation in detail) Body Paragraph C (Elaborate on the final point before wrapping up) Closing statement (if required) Signing off (Yours faithfully, Yours sincerely, etc.) Name

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IELTS Sample Letters

IELTS Sample Letter: Question 1 

Write a letter to the editor of the local newspaper. In your letter describe you want to apply as a multimedia news reporter, explain why you want to be part of the organisation and also tell about your education qualification. 

Dear Sir/Madam I am writing to inform you that I have am an avid reader of your prestigious newspaper. There is not a single day that goes by without reading your newspaper stories and in-depth articles.  At this time of cut-throat competition of information dissemination and the boom of social media, your news outlet is turning into a real protagonist and authentic source of news.  Sir, being a news enthusiast, and coming from a journalism background, I have a personal desire to work in your esteemed organisation as a multimedia news reporter. I am familiar with the modern convergence of media and dynamism of print media, electronic media, narrative journalism as well as components of new media.  It has been a wonderful learning experience working in online news environments at various other organisations. However, I believe one should chase their dreams and update their skills utilising the modern way of learning, which is the reason I chose your organisation for applying for the position of Multimedia Journalist.  I look forward to hearing from you.  Yours faithfully Syed Hussain

IELTS Sample Letters: Question 2

You borrowed an important textbook from a classmate. You now realize your classmate has left for his hometown and you still have his book. Write a letter to him/her. In your letter:

• Apologize for not returning the book on time. 
• Find out how important the book is to him/her
• Say what you will do in order to return the book.

Dear Khalid Khar Hope you are doing well. It has been a month since you moved to your home town. Although it’s such a short time since we saw each other, it feels much longer.   I remembered yesterday that I borrowed the Guinness Book of World Record last year from you during our final college semester. Since then, the book has been with me and I am extremely sorry for not returning it on time because I spent the final months of the semester pursuing an internship. I vividly remember how much you love reading encyclopedias and general knowledge books like this one. Let me know if you are planning to stay for longer in your hometown. I will send you the book through courier as I understand that this is one of your personal favourites. Take care and write back soon!   Rachel Gomes

[Bonus] Sample Letters

Apart from the above IELTS sample letters, here are some additional letter-writing topics that can be helpful for you!

Motivational Letter	Internship Request Letter
How to write a Joining Letter?	Sponsorship Letter
Resignation Letter for Higher Studies	Formal Letter Format

Hope this blog on IELTS sample letters helped you gain a comprehensive understanding of writing letters with precision. We at Leverage Edu have the best IELTS faculty for online preparation of the exam. Ranging from high-quality study material to doubt clearance, we do it all to help students get a high score in IELTS. Get in touch with us to get a high IELTS score!