General Training Writing Task 1 · informal · giving information

Letter to a friend about starting a business: 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.
  • 204 words
  • Informal letters
  • Giving information
  • 20 minutes
Write a letter, get a band free →Read the letter

The task

You Want to Start Your Own Business.

Write a Letter to A Friend. In your letter:

  • →tell Him/her About Your Business
  • →explain Why You Think It Is a Good Idea And
  • →ask Him/her for Some Help or Advice

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

Model answer

Band 8 sample letter

Band 8204 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Dear Sam,

I hope you have been doing well since we last met for coffee. I am getting in touch because I have finally decided to take the plunge and start my own business.

I am planning to launch a boutique online store that specialises in bespoke, locally sourced organic skincare products. I have spent the last few months researching the market and developing a prototype range using natural ingredients from our local farms. It has been a passion project of mine for a long time, and I am incredibly excited to finally bring it to life.

I believe this is a fantastic venture because there is a growing demand for sustainable, plastic-free beauty products in our area. People are becoming increasingly conscious of their environmental footprint, and my business model addresses this need directly by using entirely compostable packaging and ethical supply chains.

Given your extensive experience in digital marketing, I was wondering if you might be willing to share some advice on how to build an initial social media presence. If you have any spare time next week, I would love to buy you lunch and pick your brain on a few strategies. Let me know what you think.

Best wishes,

Alex

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

The response achieves Band 8 by fully addressing all three bullet points with natural, cohesive language and an appropriate informal tone. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to provide specific details about the business or asking for vague help, rather than requesting targeted advice as the prompt requires.

  • →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

  • take the plunge

    to decide to do something new and difficult

  • bespoke

    made or designed for a particular person

  • prototype

    a first model of a product to test

  • environmental footprint

    the effect that a person or company has

  • ethical supply chains

    production methods that are fair and honest

  • pick your brain

    to ask someone for advice or information

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?+

The response achieves Band 8 by fully addressing all three bullet points with natural, cohesive language and an appropriate informal tone. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to provide specific details about the business or asking for vague help, rather than requesting targeted advice as the prompt requires.

Keep practising

More giving information 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