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Interactive Practice · Writing Skills

Writing Practice & Self-Assessment: Task 1 (General Training — Letter Writing)

Format: IELTS General Training Task 1 — writing a formal, semi-formal, or informal letter covering three bullet points

Choose a real-life situation and write a 150-word letter responding to it, just like the real IELTS General Training Task 1. There's no auto-scoring here — instead, you'll compare your own letter against a model answer and work through the same criteria an examiner would use.

EDUSAMBAM Editorial Team · 5 letter-writing tasks · Self-paced · Self-assessed
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How this helps your writing

  1. Choose a task below — each gives you a real-life situation and three points you must cover in your letter.
  2. Pick Practice Mode (structure checklist visible, no time pressure) while you're learning the format, or Exam Mode (checklist hidden, strict 20-minute countdown) to test yourself properly.
  3. Write at least 150 words, covering all three bullet points in a tone appropriate to who you're writing to.
  4. When you're done, reveal the model answer and work through the band-descriptor checklist yourself, comparing your response against each criterion honestly.

Openings & Closings by Letter Type

Formal (name unknown)
  • Opening: "Dear Sir or Madam,"
  • Closing: "Yours faithfully,"
Formal (name known)
  • Opening: "Dear Mr/Ms [Surname],"
  • Closing: "Yours sincerely,"
Semi-Formal
  • Opening: "Dear [Title] [Surname],"
  • Closing: "Best wishes," / "Kind regards,"
Informal
  • Opening: "Dear [First name]," / "Hi [First name],"
  • Closing: "Lots of love," / "Take care,"

Choose a task

Task

Structure checklist visible, timer counts up — good for learning the format.
Structure Checklist
    00:00
    Elapsed time
    0 words  (target: 150+)

    Self-Assessment

    Task Achievement
    • I addressed all three bullet points from the task
    • I used a tone and register appropriate to who I'm writing to and why
    • I used an appropriate opening (salutation) for this type of letter
    • I used an appropriate closing (sign-off) for this type of letter
    • I stated the purpose of the letter clearly, early on
    • I wrote at least 150 words
    Coherence & Cohesion
    • My letter is organised into clear paragraphs (roughly one per bullet point)
    • I used linking words naturally, without overusing the same one repeatedly
    • Ideas within each paragraph flow logically from one sentence to the next
    Lexical Resource
    • I used vocabulary that matches the register (formal/semi-formal/informal)
    • I used precise, natural phrasing rather than overly literal translations
    • I avoided repeating the same word or phrase too often
    Grammatical Range & Accuracy
    • I used a mix of simple and complex sentence structures
    • I used tenses correctly and consistently throughout
    • I checked for basic errors in spelling, articles, and subject-verb agreement