IELTS Formal Letter: Letter to College Inquiring About Photography Course

The task

You saw an advertisement for an evening photography course at a local college and would like more details before enrolling.

Write a letter to the relevant person. In your letter:

→mention how you heard about the course
→ask specific questions about the course content and schedule
→inquire about the costs and enrollment process

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

Model answer

Band 8 sample letter

Band 8152 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Dear Admissions Officer,

I recently came across an advertisement for your evening photography course in the local community newsletter and am keen to pursue this interest further. I would appreciate some additional information before I decide to enrol.

Regarding the course content, could you clarify whether the curriculum focuses primarily on technical camera settings or artistic composition? Furthermore, I am interested in knowing the exact schedule; specifically, are the classes held on a weekly basis, and what is the expected duration of each session?

Could you also provide details concerning the total course fees and any additional costs for materials or equipment? If there are any specific prerequisites for students, please let me know. Finally, I would be grateful if you could guide me through the registration process, including any deadlines I should be aware of to secure a place.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours faithfully,

Jonathan Miller

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 bullet points with sufficient detail and maintains a consistently professional register throughout. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to ask specific questions, instead providing vague requests for information which limits the development of the response.

→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

keen
very interested or enthusiastic about a particular activity
curriculum
the subjects comprising a course of study
duration
the length of time something continues to exist
prerequisites
things required beforehand as a necessary condition
grateful
feeling or showing an appreciation of kindness
enrol
officially register as a member of an institution

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 giving information letters

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