General Training Writing Task 1 · formal · application

Letter to Training Organiser Offering to Manage Social Events: IELTS formal letter sample

An IELTS General Training Writing Task 1 formal letter with a Band 8 sample answer, why it scores well and the phrases worth borrowing for your own letter writing.
  • 183 words
  • Formal letters
  • Application
  • 20 minutes
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The task

You are going on to a month-long training programme in the UK and know that the head of the course would like one of the participants to be the social events' organiser.

Write a letter to the Training Organiser. In your letter:

  • →express your interest in the role
  • →request for more information about it
  • →explain what experience you have

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 express my keen interest in the role of social events organiser for the upcoming month-long training programme in the UK. I understand that you are looking for a volunteer to coordinate activities, and I would be delighted to take on this responsibility.

Could you please provide further details regarding the scope of this position? Specifically, I would appreciate knowing the expected time commitment, whether there is a pre-allocated budget for these activities, and if there are any existing preferences for the types of social outings you would like to see arranged.

In terms of relevant experience, I have previously served as the chairperson of my university’s international student society. In this capacity, I successfully organised weekly cultural excursions and monthly networking dinners for groups of over fifty participants. These experiences required meticulous logistical planning and effective communication with diverse groups, skills which I am eager to apply during our training course.

I look forward to the possibility of contributing to the success of our programme. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Yours sincerely,

Julian Thorne

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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 professional tone throughout. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to ask for specific information, instead providing only generic questions or spending too much word count on irrelevant personal background.

  • →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 interest

    a very strong desire or enthusiasm for something

  • scope

    the extent or range of a particular task

  • pre-allocated budget

    funds that have been set aside beforehand

  • meticulous

    showing great attention to detail and accuracy

  • logistical

    relating to the coordination of complex operations

  • contributing

    helping to cause or promote something to happen

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?+

A Band 8 response addresses all three bullet points with specific, relevant details while maintaining a consistently professional tone throughout. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to ask for specific information, instead providing only generic questions or spending too much word count on irrelevant personal background.

Keep practising

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