Letter to a friend declining a birthday invitation

The task

Your friend is celebrating her birthday soon and has invited you to a party. But you are unable to come because you are going to attend an important meeting that day.

Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:

→thank him/her for the invitation
→explain why you cannot come
→propose to meet another day

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

Model answer

Band 8 sample letter

Band 8175 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Dear Sarah,

Thank you so much for the invitation to your birthday party next Saturday. It sounds like it is going to be a fantastic evening, and I was really looking forward to celebrating with you.

However, I am incredibly sorry to say that I will not be able to make it. My company has scheduled a mandatory, high-stakes project meeting that same evening, and as the lead coordinator, my presence is unfortunately non-negotiable. I tried to see if I could shift my responsibilities, but given the tight deadline for the client proposal, it just isn’t possible for me to step away.

I feel terrible about missing the fun, especially since it has been ages since we caught up properly. Could we perhaps grab a coffee or dinner the following weekend instead? I would love to hear all about your birthday celebrations and treat you to a drink to make up for my absence.

I hope you have a brilliant night surrounded by all our friends. Please send me plenty of photos!

Best wishes,

James

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.

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Examiner's view

Why this scores well

A Band 8 response addresses all three bullet points with a natural, consistent tone and clear paragraph structure. A common Band 6 mistake is using overly formal language like 'I am writing to inform you' or failing to suggest a specific alternative, which disrupts the friendly tone.

→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

high-stakes
involving significant risks or important potential consequences
non-negotiable
something that cannot be changed or challenged
shift my responsibilities
to change or transfer one's work duties
caught up
to talk to someone you have not seen recently
make up for
to compensate for a mistake or missed event
absence
the state of not being present at a place

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?+

Keep practising

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