IELTS Writing · General Training
IELTS Writing Task 1 General: The Complete Letter-Writing Guide
If you're sitting General Training, IELTS Writing Task 1 asks you to write a letter, not describe a chart like Academic candidates do. This guide covers exactly how General Training Writing Task 1 is scored, the 3 letter types you'll be asked for, the structure that earns full marks, a Band 9 model letter, and how General Training differs from Academic overall.
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What is IELTS Writing Task 1 General Training?
In General Training Writing, Task 1 gives you a situation and asks you to write a letter of at least 150 words in response, in about 20 minutes. You might be asked to request information, make a complaint, apply for something, or explain a situation to a friend, an employer, or an organisation. This is the single biggest difference between General Training and Academic Writing: Academic Task 1 asks you to describe a chart, graph or diagram, while General Training Task 1 is always a letter.
Task 1 makes up roughly a third of your Writing band, with Task 2 (the essay, identical in structure to Academic) worth roughly twice as much. That means Task 1 is worth mastering quickly so you can spend the bulk of your 60 minutes on Task 2.
How Task 1 General is scored
Examiners mark every General Training Task 1 letter against the same four criteria used across all IELTS Writing tasks, each worth 25 percent of your Task 1 score.
Task Achievement
Have you covered every bullet point in the prompt, and does your letter fulfil the actual purpose it was asked to fulfil?
Coherence and Cohesion
Is the letter logically organised into clear paragraphs, with ideas linked naturally rather than repeating the same connectors?
Lexical Resource
Do you use a range of vocabulary appropriate to the letter's tone, with only occasional, non-distracting errors?
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Do you use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures accurately, matched to the register the letter requires?
The one criterion unique to Task 1 General is tone: a formal letter written with casual language, or an informal letter that reads like a legal notice, is marked down under Coherence and Cohesion even when the content is accurate.
The 3 Task 1 letter types
Every General Training Task 1 prompt asks for one of three letter types. Identifying the type before you write a single sentence tells you the expected tone.
Formal
Written to someone you do not know personally, such as a company, landlord, or local authority. Use a formal register throughout, no contractions, and address the reader as "Dear Sir or Madam" if their name is unknown.
Example: complaining to a company about a faulty product.
Semi-formal
Written to someone you have a professional or acquaintance relationship with, such as a neighbour, colleague, or landlord you know by name. Polite but less rigid than formal, and the person's name is usually used.
Example: asking a neighbour to keep noise down during exams.
Informal
Written to a friend or family member. Contractions and a conversational tone are appropriate and expected here, unlike in the other two letter types.
Example: telling a friend about a recent house move.
Band 9 letter structure
Every letter, regardless of type, follows the same four-part shape. What changes between letter types is tone, not structure.
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Salutation
"Dear Sir or Madam" for formal letters when the name is unknown, "Dear Mr/Ms [Surname]" when it is known, or "Dear [First name]" for semi-formal and informal letters.
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Opening line
State the reason for writing in one sentence. This is usually a direct paraphrase of the task prompt.
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Body (all the bullet points given in the task)
The task always gives you two or three specific points to cover. Address each one in its own short paragraph, since missing a bullet point costs marks under Task Achievement regardless of language quality elsewhere.
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Closing
A closing line appropriate to the letter type, followed by the correct sign-off: "Yours faithfully" after "Dear Sir or Madam", "Yours sincerely" after a named greeting in a formal or semi-formal letter, or simply "Best wishes" or "Love" for an informal letter.
Band 9 model letter
Formal complaint letter, 163 words
"You recently bought a piece of equipment for your kitchen but it did not work properly. Write a letter to the shop manager. Explain what is wrong, say what happened when you contacted the shop, and say what you would like the manager to do."
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to complain about a blender I purchased from your store on Regent Street on 3 September, which stopped working after only two uses.
When I first switched it on, it made a loud grinding noise and then failed to turn on at all. I returned to the store two days later with my receipt, but I was told that I would need to contact the manufacturer directly rather than receive a refund from the shop, which I found both inconvenient and unsatisfactory given that the fault appeared so soon after purchase.
I would appreciate it if you could arrange either a full refund or a replacement of the same model, since the item is clearly faulty and still within its return period. I have kept the original receipt and packaging, which I am happy to provide.
I look forward to your prompt response.
Yours faithfully,
A. Harrison
Getting the tone right: 2 more openings
The same situation, written to three different people, needs three different registers. Here's how the opening lines alone shift between letter types.
"Dear Mark, I hope you're doing well. I'm writing because I have my IELTS exam coming up next week and I was wondering if you could help me with something."
"Hi Sam! Guess what, I've finally moved into the new flat I told you about! It's been such a hectic couple of weeks but I wanted to fill you in on everything."
Notice the shift: no contractions and a distant, transactional tone in the formal letter above, a warm but still polite tone with the neighbour's first name in the semi-formal opening, and exclamation marks and casual phrasing between friends. Same task type, three different registers.
Common mistakes
- Mismatching tone and letter type. Using contractions and casual phrasing in a formal letter, or overly stiff language in an informal one, is marked down under Coherence and Cohesion even when the content is correct.
- Missing a bullet point. Every task gives specific points to cover, and skipping one caps the Task Achievement score regardless of how well the rest of the letter is written.
- Using the wrong sign-off. "Yours faithfully" pairs only with "Dear Sir or Madam"; a named greeting requires "Yours sincerely" in a formal or semi-formal letter.
- Writing under 150 words. Task 1 letters are penalised for falling short of the word count, just as Academic Task 1 reports are.
- Overexplaining the situation. The reader already knows the context described in the prompt; the letter should respond to it, not repeat it back at length.
General Training vs Academic
General Training shares two of the four test sections entirely with Academic. Here's exactly what changes and what doesn't.
| Section | Academic | General Training |
|---|---|---|
| Listening | Identical test | Identical test |
| Speaking | Identical test | Identical test |
| Reading | 3 long passages from academic texts and journals | Shorter, everyday texts: notices, advertisements, workplace documents, and one longer passage |
| Writing Task 1 | Describe a chart, graph, map, or process (150 words) | Write a letter responding to a situation (150 words) |
| Writing Task 2 | Essay (250 words) | Essay (250 words), generally on more everyday, less academic topics |
Because Listening, Speaking, and the Task 2 essay structure are shared with Academic, most of the preparation on this site (the Listening, Speaking and Task 2 guides) applies equally whichever version you're sitting. If you're taking Academic instead, see our Academic Task 1 examples with 5 full Band 9 chart, graph and map answers.
Learn the method. Practise it under exam conditions.
The Writing Band 9 Masterclass teaches the complete letter and essay system examiners reward. The Practice Papers let you apply it to full-length timed prompts with model answers to compare against.
Explore the Writing MasterclassFrequently asked questions
How many words should IELTS Writing Task 1 General Training be?
At least 150 words, in about 20 minutes. There's no strict upper limit, but 170 to 190 words is a practical target: long enough to cover every bullet point properly, short enough to leave 40 minutes for Task 2, which is worth twice as much of your Writing band.
Is General Training Writing Task 1 easier than Academic?
Not easier overall, just different. Academic Task 1 requires you to interpret and select data from a chart; General Training Task 1 requires precise control of tone and register across formal, semi-formal and informal registers, plus covering every bullet point exactly. Both are marked to the same four criteria and the same standard.
Do I need to memorise a template letter?
No. Memorised letters are easy for examiners to spot and are marked down under Task Achievement if they don't precisely address the bullet points given in that specific task, in the same way memorised Task 2 essays are penalised.
What's the difference between formal, semi-formal and informal letters?
It comes down to who you're writing to. Formal letters go to someone you don't know personally (a company, an authority); semi-formal letters go to someone you have a professional or acquaintance relationship with (a named landlord, a colleague); informal letters go to friends or family. The structure stays the same across all three, but vocabulary, contractions and sign-off all change with the register.
Can I use the same Task 2 preparation for General Training and Academic?
Yes. The essay types, structure, and scoring criteria for Task 2 are identical across both versions; only the topics tend to be slightly more everyday in General Training.
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IELTS Writing Task 1 Examples (Academic)
5 Band 9 model answers covering every chart type, if you're sitting the Academic module instead.
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The 5 essay types, a structure that works for all of them, and a full band 9 model essay, shared by both test versions.
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How the Listening test works, section by section, with 2 worked example question types.
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IELTS Vocabulary by Topic
Word lists, synonyms and collocations organised by the topics that come up most in Writing and Speaking.