IELTS Formal Letter: Letter to accommodation officer requesting student housing assistance

The task

You are going to study at a college in another country. You need to find a place to live.

Write a letter to the college's accommodation officer. In your letter:

→give details of your course and of your arrival date
→describe the kind of accommodation you need
→say what you would like the accommodation officer to do

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

Model answer

Band 8 sample letter

Band 8183 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Dear Mr. Henderson,

I am writing to seek your assistance in securing suitable housing for my upcoming academic tenure at your institution. I have been accepted into the Master of Science in Data Analytics programme, which commences on 15 September, and I plan to arrive in the city on 10 September.

Regarding my preferences, I require a quiet, furnished single room within close proximity to the main campus. Ideally, I am looking for a studio apartment or a room in a shared student house where a desk is provided, as I will be spending a significant amount of time studying. Access to high-speed internet and a shared kitchen facility are essential requirements for my daily routine.

Could you please advise if there are any vacancies within the university-managed residences that meet these criteria? If university housing is fully booked, I would appreciate it if you could provide a list of recommended private letting agencies or verified off-campus landlords that you trust.

Thank you for your time and guidance regarding this matter. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

Julian Thorne

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 specific, relevant details while maintaining a consistently formal register throughout. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to provide a clear arrival date or listing requirements that are too vague, which fails to demonstrate the precise communication expected at higher levels.

→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

academic tenure
the period of time spent studying at university
commences
the formal term for starting an event
proximity
the state of being near to something else
letting agencies
businesses that help people find rental properties
verified
checked to ensure that something is true
residences
official buildings where students live at college

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

More request letters

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