General Training Writing Task 1 · informal · invitation

An informal letter inviting a friend to birthday: IELTS informal letter sample

An IELTS General Training Writing Task 1 informal letter with a Band 8 sample answer, why it scores well and the phrases worth borrowing for your own letter writing.
  • 176 words
  • Informal letters
  • Invitation
  • 20 minutes
Write a letter, get a band free →Read the letter

The task

You are having a birthday party next week.

Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:

  • →invite them to your party
  • →give details about the date, time, and location
  • →mention some activities you have planned

Write at least 150 words. You do not need to write any addresses. Begin your letter: Dear [Name],

Model answer

Band 8 sample letter

Band 8176 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Dear Sarah,

I hope you’ve been keeping well! Can you believe another year has flown by? My birthday is coming up next week, and I would absolutely love for you to celebrate with me.

I’m hosting a get-together on Saturday, 15th July. The festivities will kick off at 7:00 p.m. at my place. Since the weather forecast looks promising, I’ve decided to hold the party in my back garden.

I’ve put quite a bit of thought into the evening. We’ll start with a casual barbecue, and later on, I’m planning to set up a projector for an outdoor movie screening of some 90s classics. I’ve also organised a few lawn games to keep things lively, and I’m sure there will be plenty of music and dancing once the sun goes down.

It really wouldn't feel like a proper celebration without you there, so I truly hope you can make it. Please let me know by Wednesday if you’re free so I can finalise the food and drinks.

Looking forward to catching up properly!

Best wishes,

Jamie

Write your own and get a band

Answer this prompt in a timed General Training writing test and get a band for task achievement, coherence, vocabulary and grammar, with the sentences to fix.

Write a letter, get a band free →

Examiner's view

Why this scores well

A Band 8 response clearly addresses all three bullet points with natural, cohesive language and a consistently friendly tone. A common mistake for Band 6 candidates is using overly formal or repetitive sentence structures that fail to sound like a genuine letter to a friend.

  • →Write to a friend or relative by first name and close with Best wishes, Love or See you soon.
  • →Contractions, phrasal verbs and a warm opening line are expected; a stiff formal tone loses marks here.
  • →Still cover every bullet in its own paragraph; friendly does not mean unstructured.

6 phrases

Useful phrases from the letter

  • flown by

    passed very quickly in a short amount of time

  • get-together

    an informal social gathering of friends or family

  • festivities

    the activities and events associated with a celebration

  • kicking off

    starting or beginning an event or a process

  • finalise

    to complete the last details of a plan

  • catching up

    talking to someone to exchange recent life news

Frequently asked questions

Is this letter formal or informal?+

Informal. Write to a friend or relative by first name and close with Best wishes, Love or See you soon.

How many words should an IELTS General Training letter be?+

At least 150 words, and 160 to 200 is the comfortable range. Spend about 20 minutes on it and leave 40 for Task 2, which carries twice the marks.

What does the examiner look for?+

A Band 8 response clearly addresses all three bullet points with natural, cohesive language and a consistently friendly tone. A common mistake for Band 6 candidates is using overly formal or repetitive sentence structures that fail to sound like a genuine letter to a friend.

Keep practising

More invitation letters

© 2026 BandLadder. Written and checked by the BandLadder team. You may quote or cite this page with credit to BandLadder and a link to it; republishing it in full needs our written permission. Content use policy

Write a letter, get a band free