GENERAL TRAINING TASK 1

Writing Task 1 of the IELTS GT Test is LETTER WRITING. You are given a situation that requires you to write a letter of around 150 words. For example, you may be asked to congratulate a friend who has recently been promoted in his/her job; a letter to your landlord describing a problem in the house you have rented; or a letter to your manager at your workplace.

You need to write a letter which can be informal (to a friend), semi-formal (to a neighbour/colleague) or formal (manager).

LATEST GT TASK 1 QUESTIONS~

Take a look at some of the latest IELTS General task 1 questions that have been seen on recent exams. The letter topics were reported by IELTS student in 2024. These questions could be repeated from previous months. Keep in mind that the provided questions are not predictions.

Choose one of the topics and improve your writing skills every day. (AT THE END OF THE QUESTIONS SECTION, THERE ARE SAMPLE ANSWER LETTERS*)

Formal Topics » Semi Formal Topics » Informal Topics »

• informal - Your friend is thinking about learning to drive and would like some advice. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter

  say why a driving license is advantageous

  recommend a driving school

  give any extra guidance/tips

• ​​ semi-formal - Write a letter to your landlord complaining about noise in the block of flats which he owns. Include: where you live

  what the problem is

  what he should do

• formal - Your local public library wants improvement to their services and facilities. In order to get ideas from the public, they have asked library users to send them suggestions in writing. Write a letter to the librarian. In your letter

  describe what you like about the library

  say what you don't like

  make suggestions for improvements

• informal - You have invited a friend to visit you next month. Unfortunately, you will not be able to meet him/her. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter

  Apologize for the change of plans

  Explain why you are unable to meet him/her

  Suggest another time for him/her to visit

• formal - Your organized flight has been canceled. Write a letter to the airline company. You should

  Complain about the situation

  Request what you need from them to make a travel insurance claim

  Suggest what they should do in future situations

• informal - You have seen an advertisement in an Australian magazine for someone to live with a family for six months and look after their six year old child. Write a letter to the parents. In your letter

  Explain why you would like the job

  give details of why you would be a suitable person to employ

  say how you would spend your free time while you are in Australia

• informal- Your English-speaking friend who lives in your town has asked for your advice about learning a new sport. Write an email to your friend. In your email

  Recommend a new sport that would be suitable for your friend to learn

  Explain how your friend could learn this sport

  Suggest that you both learn this sport together

• informal-You have recently moved to a different house. Write a letter to an English- speaking friend.

  In your letter

  explain why you have moved

  describe the new house

  invite your friend to come and visit

• semi-formal - You are studying mathematics at university and have an assignment next week. You have been sick. Write a letter to your teacher asking for an extension on your assignment. In the letter

  explain that you are a student of mathematics class

  Explain that you have been sick

  Ask for an extension

• formal - You have recently visited a local school in your community. It needs people who can help renovate the building and also do other jobs. Write a letter to the principal of the school and say

  how would you be able to help

  When and why would you do it

  Who will help you to do it

• formal - You had traveled by air and had an unpleasant flight. Write a letter to the airline company Manager. In your letter- Describe the flight Explain what the problem was Ask how this issue can be solved

• formal - As the graduation day draws near, you have to apply for a library card for your graduate thesis. Write a letter to the person in-charge of the library. In your letter

  explain your situation

  Inquire about to the required materials and the required procedures

  Express your thanks

• semi-formal-You are a student at a University in the UK. You have recently lost your University ID Card. Write to the local police station giving details of who are you what happened Ask to record your details so that you can apply a new ID card.

• formal-Your local newspaper wants to reward people who have contributed a lot to the community. Write a letter to the newspaper. In your letter

  suggest someone who deserves the reward

  mention what they have done to help the community

  say what reward you would like to give this person

• semi-formal - One of your colleagues from another country is coming to your office for an official meeting. Write a letter to him/her and Describe how to get from the airport to his/her hotel Describe the hotel he/she will be staying in Describe the arrangement for the meeting

• formal - Write a letter to a transport office about a problem with the transportation system in your area

  Describe the situation you are facing

  Why do you consider it a problem

  What change you would like to recommend

• formal - You have bought an item of clothing at an online store. However, when the item arrived, it was the wrong size and color. Write a letter to the customer service manager of the company. In your letter

  describe the problem

  say how you feel about this

  say what you want the manager to do

• formal - Your local council is closing the children’s playground in your locality as not many children visit the park. Write a letter to the council requesting not to close it

  How important is the play ground for children?

  Why don't children go to the playground?

  What can be done to bring children back to the park?

• formal - You have been invited to talk about your country at the international meet at an American college. Write a letter to the secretary of the International community. You should write Accept the invitation and find a suitable date Discuss what you should talk about Ask if you require any instrument.

• informal - You were late for a friend’s wedding recently and would like to explain why. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter

  apologize for being late

  explain the reason why you were late

  suggest some activities you could do together when you both have time

• formal - Write a letter to the manager of a hotel where you stayed and left two things there.

  Give details of your stay

  Why those 2 things are important

  How he can return them

• informal - You are planning to take a vacation. Write a letter to a friend. In your letter describe the vacation spot you have chosen explain how you plan to spend your time there invite your friend to join you on your vacation [Begin your letter as follows: Dear .......]

• formal - You are visiting another town next month for a short break. Write a letter to the tourist information center. In your letter

  Tell them how long you are staying

  Ask for some suggestions for what to do

  Find out if any local events are happening at that time

• formal - You are the manager of a restaurant that has received a letter of complaint about the poor service from a member of your staff. Write a letter of apology to the person who has complained. In your letter

  say how sorry you are

  how you will make up for the inconvenience

  assure the person that such a situation will not happen in the future

• informal - Your friend asked you to find a part-time job for him/her to earn some money while studying. You found a job that might be suitable for him/her. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter

  give him/her the job description

  explain why he/she should take the job

  say what he/she should do to get the job

• formal - Write a letter to the shop or company which supplied the equipment. In your letter

  describe the problem with the equipment

  explain how this problem is affecting your work

  say what you want the shop or company to do

• formal - You are studying for a qualification, and you would like some time off work to complete it. Write a letter to your manager. In your letter

  Ask for some time off to complete the qualification

  Suggest what you will do later at work if you have time off

  Say how the qualification helps your job or company.

• formal - Write a letter to your local council about a recent construction that is bothersome. In the letter

  Describe the construction

  Explain why the construction is a problem for you

  Say what you would like them to do about it

• formal - You recently attended a meeting at a hotel. When you returned home , you found you had left some important paper at the hotel . Write a letter to the manager of the hotel . In your letter

  Say where you think you left the papers

  Explain why they are so important

  Tell the manager what you want him/her to do

• formal - Write a letter to the restaurant manager. In your letter

  Give details of the food and services you ordered

  Describe the problems that occurred

  Explain what you want the restaurant to do

• informal -You stayed at your friend’s house when you attended a conference in Australia. Unfortunately, you left a large envelope with some important documents in your room. Write a letter to your friend. In the letter Thank your friend for the stay Describe where you left the envelope Ask him/her to return it to you by post.

• formal - You have seen an advertisement for a weekend course to study a foreign language. Write a letter to the institution offering the course. In your letter:

  ask for details of the course

  ask if the course teachers are qualified native speakers

  request that the institution sends you their brochure. (You do NOT need to write any addresses.) Begin your letter as follows: Dear Sir / Madam

• formal -You started in your present job two years ago. You now feel that for your further career development, it is important for to move to a different department in the same company. Write a letter to your manager. In your letter say

  what you have learned in your present job suggest

  how the company would benefit from moving you to a different department

  explain why you do not wish to leave the company

• formal - You have bought some clothing online and are not satisfied with your purchase. Write a letter to the company that you bought the clothing from. In your letter

  give details of the purchase

  explain the problem

  explain why you need a replacement urgently

• semi-formal - A colleague gave you a book which you used for your presentation. Write a letter to your colleague. In your letter, you should say

  what the presentation was about

  why the presentation was important

  how the book helped you

• informal - Write a letter to an English-speaking friend. In your letter

  explain why you changed jobs

  describe your job

  tell your other news to your friend

• formal - You ordered a new cheque book from your bank two weeks ago, but you have received nothing. Write a letter to the manager complaining about the bad service.

  Say-

  when and how you ordered the cheque book

  Ask how much longer you will have to wait and ask the manager

  what action he will take over this matter

• formal -You are applying for a job, as well as attaching a CV. You need to write a cover letter explaining your reasons for choosing this particular job at this particular company, and why you would be a good hire. Things to include are – Possible qualifications or reasons for you to be hired – Masters in computer science, – Your energy and enthusiasm for the job – Your past experience in a similar position

• informal - You want to sell some of your furniture. You think a friend of yours might like to buy it from you. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter

  explain why you are selling

  describe the furniture

  suggest a date when your friend can come and see the furniture

• formal - The system used for rubbish/garbage collection in your local area is not working properly. This is causing problems for you and your neighbors. Write a letter to the local council. In your letter

Describe how the rubbish collection system is not working properly explain how this is affecting you and your neighbors suggest what should be done about the problem

• formal -The office you work in does not have any cafeteria for staff. Write a letter your manager to request setting up a cafeteria for the staff. In your letter, you should tell: what you heard about the inconvenience from the staff how you feel about it what suggestions you have

• formal-You were hurt in a minor accident inside a supermarket and you wish to complain to the supermarket authority about it. Write a letter to the manager of the supermarket. In your letter, say

  who you are

  give details about the accident

  suggest how the supermarket could prevent similar accidents in the future

• informal - You recently stayed with a childhood friend for a few days. Write a letter to this friend. In your letter

  Thank your friend for letting you stay with them

  refer to something enjoyable that you did while staying with him/her

  invite your friend to visit you

• formal -You applied for a new passport, but it got delayed. Due to this delay, you missed your study intake. You are very disappointed over this delay. Write a letter to Regional Passport Office for the same. In your letter

  introduce yourself

  describe what happened and how you are at loss

  say what you want the officer to do

• informal- A friend of yours is coming to stay at your house for a week while you are away on holiday. Write a letter to your friend to prepare them for their stay. In your letter

  give your friend information about the location of your house

  tell your friend what tasks you would like them to do each day

  explain what he/she can do and see in your area

• formal-You travelled by plane last week and your suitcase was lost. You have still heard nothing from the airline company. Write to the airline and -

  explain what happened

  describe your suitcase and tell them what was in it

  find out what they are going to do about it

• formal -You organized a party for your relatives on your 19th birthday and invited elderly guests. It was a successful party. Write a letter to the hotel Manager, to provide them feedback. In your letter, you should say

  when the party took place

  why it was successful

  thank the manager for the staff member who was really helpful

• formal - You have lost a valuable item on a train. Write a letter to the railway company. In your letter describe the item

  explain where and when you left it

  say what action you would like the company to take

• formal - Recently you have travelled by plane and during the journey you had an issue with one of airline employees. Write a letter to the company manager. Give details of your flight. Discuss the issue you have encountered What do you expect the company to do

INDEX-

LATEST GT TASK 1 QUESTIONS

SAMPLE ANSWERS