Letter to a friend regarding a forgotten coat

The task

You have just spent a weekend at a friend's house. When you returned home, you discovered you had left a coat containing some belongings in his house.

Write a letter to your friend telling him that you left the coat. In your letter:

→tell him what the coat looks like
→where you think you left it
→what was inside it
→make some suggestions about how to get it back

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

Model answer

Band 8 sample letter

Band 8195 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Dear Mark,

I had such a fantastic time staying with you last weekend; it was lovely to catch up and relax after such a busy month. Unfortunately, since getting back home, I have realised that I accidentally left my favourite coat at your place.

It is a navy blue, mid-length wool coat with a distinctive tan leather collar and silver buttons. I am fairly certain I left it hanging on the coat rack in your hallway, right next to the front door, when we were rushing out to the pub on Saturday evening.

To make matters worse, I had left my spare house keys and a small leather notebook in the deep pocket. I am quite keen to get those back as soon as possible, as I do not have a backup set for my apartment.

Would you mind checking if it is still there? If you do find it, perhaps you could post it to me? I would be more than happy to cover the shipping costs, or alternatively, I could swing by next Saturday morning to collect it if that suits you better.

Let me know what works for you.

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 fully addresses all four bullet points with a natural, consistent tone and clear organisation. A common Band 6 error is failing to provide specific details about the coat or belongings, resulting in a vague response that does not fully satisfy the prompt requirements.

→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

catch up
To talk to someone you have not seen recently.
mid-length
Reaching a point halfway between short and long.
distinctive
Easy to recognise because it is different from others.
quite keen
Very interested or enthusiastic about doing something.
swing by
To visit a place briefly on the way somewhere.
suits you
To be convenient or acceptable for a specific person.

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

More request letters

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