IELTS Formal Letter: Letter to community center manager requesting event space

The task

You want to organize an event for your community.

Write a letter to the manager of the local community center. In your letter:

→describe the type of event you want to organize
→request to book a room for a specific date and time
→inquire about any fees or rules you need to be aware of

Write at least 150 words. You do not need to write any addresses. Begin your letter: Dear Mr/Ms [Name],

Model answer

Band 8 sample letter

Band 8171 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Dear Mr. Henderson,

I am contacting you to propose hosting a neighbourhood cultural exchange evening at the community center. The goal is to bring residents together to share traditional dishes and stories, fostering a stronger sense of connection within our diverse local population.

I would like to request the use of the Main Hall on Saturday, 15th November, from 6:00 pm until 9:30 pm. This timeframe would allow us adequate space to arrange tables for the food and ensure enough room for attendees to mingle comfortably.

Please could you clarify if there are any specific rental fees associated with booking the hall for a community-led initiative? Additionally, I would appreciate information regarding any health and safety regulations or noise restrictions that we must adhere to during the event. If there are particular forms I need to complete to secure this booking, kindly let me know at your earliest convenience.

I look forward to hearing from you and hope to make this gathering a success for our community.

Yours sincerely,

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 fully addresses all three bullet points with a clear, professional tone and sophisticated vocabulary. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to inquire about specific rules or fees, resulting in an incomplete response to the prompt's requirements.

→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

fostering
encouraging the development or growth of something
mingle
to move around and talk to other people
clarify
to make a statement or situation less confused
adhere to
to follow or comply with official rules
at your earliest convenience
as soon as it is easy for you
initiative
a new plan or process to achieve something

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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