Letter to a friend offering a spare room

The task

You have a spare room in your apartment and want to offer it to a friend.

Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:

→invite them to stay in your spare room
→describe the room and the flat
→explain why you think it would be a good arrangement

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 8191 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Dear Sarah,

I hope you have been settling into your new job well! I am getting in touch because I have some exciting news: my flatmate has just moved out, and I immediately thought of you. I would love for you to move into the spare room here.

The room is a bright, quiet space at the back of the apartment, and it comes fully furnished with a comfortable desk and plenty of shelving. Our flat is quite spacious, with a large open-plan kitchen and a balcony that gets great afternoon sun. It is located just a ten-minute walk from the metro, so commuting will be a breeze for you.

I think this would be a fantastic arrangement for both of us. We have always had such a laugh together, and it would be wonderful to have some company again. Plus, since you are currently looking for a place, it would save you the stress of dealing with agencies and high deposits.

Let me know if you would like to come over this weekend to see the place. I would be thrilled to have you as a flatmate!

Best wishes,

Mark

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 achieves all criteria by maintaining a consistently warm, informal tone while addressing all three bullet points with natural, specific detail. The most common mistake for Band 6 is including irrelevant information, such as describing the entire history of the apartment, which distracts from the clear purpose of the invitation.

→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

settling into
becoming comfortable in a new place or situation
open-plan
a room design without many internal walls
a breeze
something that is very easy to do
had such a laugh
enjoyed spending time together having fun
flatmate
a person who shares a flat with you
thrilled
extremely pleased and excited about something

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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