Letter to a local shop requesting specific items

The task

You live near a record shop that sells music, movies, and books.

Write a letter to the shop. In your letter:

→ask if they have a few different items you are looking for
→ask what the prices are and if they can be orders
→ask when they would arrive and if you can have them held in advance

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

Model answer

Band 8 sample letter

Band 8186 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Dear Manager,

I am a regular customer at your shop on High Street and am writing to enquire about the availability of several items I am hoping to purchase.

Specifically, I am looking for the vinyl edition of Miles Davis’s 'Kind of Blue', the recent biography of Alan Turing by Andrew Hodges, and the Criterion Collection Blu-ray of 'Seven Samurai'. Could you please confirm if these are currently in stock?

If any of these items are unavailable, I would like to know their individual prices and whether it is possible to place a special order for them. I am particularly interested in acquiring the vinyl record and the biography as soon as possible.

Could you also advise on the expected delivery timeframe for any items that need to be ordered? Furthermore, if you are able to source them, would it be possible for you to hold these items at the counter for me to collect once they arrive? I would be happy to pay a deposit in advance if that is your standard policy.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours faithfully,

Jonathan Sterling

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 covers all bullet points with clear, coherent requests and maintains a consistently formal register throughout. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to address the request for holding items in advance or providing vague, generic item descriptions rather than specific examples.

→Write to an organisation or someone you do not know: open with Dear Sir or Madam, close with Yours faithfully.
→If you know the person's surname, use Dear Mr or Ms and close with Yours sincerely.
→No contractions, no slang; polite indirect requests such as I would be grateful if you could.

6 phrases

Useful phrases from the letter

enquire
To ask for information about something specific
availability
The state of being able to be obtained
item
An individual article or object for sale
source
To obtain or find a particular product
timeframe
A period of time during which something happens
deposit
A sum of money paid as a guarantee

Frequently asked questions

Is this letter formal or informal?+

Formal. Write to an organisation or someone you do not know: open with Dear Sir or Madam, close with Yours faithfully.

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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