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 General Training Writing Task 1 Topics
1   Task 1 (Letter) Overview
IELTS General Writing task 1 is a letter to a friend, agency, or someone else. Candidates should finish the letter in 20 minutes with at least 150 words. High score answers usually are around 200 words. However, a more extended writing doesn't get credit in finial score but spends more time. A long letter usually means less time left for task 2, the essay writing.

In General Task 1 of the writing module, candidates will see a brief description of the question, which includes some instructions regarding the letter. Letter's topic is common and understandable, easy to deal with, like:
  • Writing to a teacher to ask a reference letter
  • Writing to a friend to introduce your new job
  • Writing to a travel agent to change your booked flight
  • Writing to a dealer to inquire goods
  • Writing to a landlord for defeat of heating system
  • Writing to a friend to attend a birthday party
In the Topics section, we collect some popular topics and their questions that are recalled by recent test takers.

In addition to topics, question type is another critical factor in preparing letter writing. We list four main types and sample questions in the Type section.

Letter style relies on how well you know the receiver; the letter can be Formal, Semi-formal, or Informal. You must write with right style based on your understanding of the question. In the Style section, we present more details and samples.

Letter writing has own conventions that you had better follow in test:

Use standard written phrases: In letter writing, people usually use some standard expressions and sentences that help to both express and understand, like "I am writing to ...", or "I would appreciate it if you could."

Use common words correctly: Avoid using rare words in letter writing, on the other hand, spell letter vocabulary correctly, like "sincerely," "faithfully," "in connection with," "apologize," and so on.

Divide letter into paragraphs" Usually a Task 1 has 4 paragraphs: 1, Introduction; 2, Problem or Situation; 3, Solution or Action; 4, Conclusion.

Last but not least, you should reflect each instruction into letter and ensure nothing left. Miss or misunderstand any part or point of the question prompt will loss your score. Besides, the right grammar, such as capitalization and punctuation, and strong vocabulary are primary factors to get a good band.

2   Task 1 (Letter) Style
Identify the purpose of the letter and choose the right style is the first step of the task.

1. Formal: To someone you have not met, whose name you don't know.

  • Requesting information from a company
  • Applying for a job
  • Complaining to a bank, store, airline
  • Making a recommendation/suggestion

Start with: Dear Sir/Madam,

End with: Yours faithfully

2. Semi-formal: To someone you may or may not have met, whose last name you know.

  • Complaining to a landlord
  • Explaining to a neighbor
  • Asking a professor for permission

Start with: Dear Mr Brown, Dear Ms Stone,

End with: Yours sincerely

3. Informal: To someone you know well, whose first name you know and use.

  • Inviting someone you know well
  • Thanking a friend
  • Apologizing
  • Asking for advice

Start with: Dear John, Dear Anita

End with: Best regards, Warm wishes,

3   Task 1 (Letter) Question Type
The common question types in General Task 1 are as following:
  • Complaint Letter
  • Suggestion Letter
  • Invitation Letter
  • Apology Letter
  • Application Letter
  • Recommendation Letter
  • Request Letter
  • Thank-you Letter
  • Consultation Letter
  • Description Letter
  • Explanation Letter
  • Personal Correspondence
We summarize question types is only to help your preparing and to practice. In fact, a Task 1 (letter) question may involve two or more question types. For example, Complaint and Suggestion are often in one letter. When working for real writing test, you must apply question types flexibly.



4   Task 1 (Letter) Topic
Select the topic you are interested in, and you will get one question related to the topic. Then you can view the question's sample answers (for VIP if available) or get other questions with the same topic by only one click. This handy tool combines topic, question, and sample answer, assist you in familiarising with letter writing as soon as possible.
accident apply for job apply for training aviation services away from home book building bus service business cafe cancel appointment caring changing room charity event child children city clean colleague college accommodation community environment community legacy community life construction correction course course remark co-worker party culture damage day off entertainment environment event family party financial aid first aid foreign language friend gift go sightseeing go to school goodbye government service help holiday home repair homestay hotel hotel booking hotel facilities hotel service house housekeep impairment information injury internet interview job job abroad job change job reference landlord left left stuff local place loss report lost lost item luggage magazine meal media miss appointment model person museum neighbor new home new product noise online shopping outing parking part time job party personal ceremony pet photo physical activity presentation private event prize product quality public event receptionist recommend a job reference letter refuse invitation relocation rent rent home rental resignation restaurant road room school service school trip self introduce service services short training speech sports facilities Sports facilities study study abroad teacher test preparation ticket time off tour service toy issue train service translation travel arrangement trip trip ideas trip planning tv program unavailable vacation vacation abroad vehicle damage volunteer work work culture work performance review work with others
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