IELTS General Task 1 Writing Tips to help you get higher marks

In this tutorial, we offer you some IELTS GENERAL WRITING TASK 1 tips so we will be looking at different aspects of letter writing.

It will be useful for you to have some IELTS general Writing task 1 tips to guide you and to help you get an amazing score when it comes to this part of your IELTS exam.

It is important to learn the rules for writing letters, for example using formal, set, fixed phrases like ‘ I would be grateful if you could provide me with information on … or ……I am writing to complain about the appalling meal my family had at your restaurant last weekend’  –So, you need to know exactly how these work. Understanding what is expected from you, not only in terms of the marking bands but in terms of how these letters ‘work’ perfectly is very important and I hope my IELTS Task 1 writing tips today will help you with your exam preparation.

1.IDENTIFY THE TYPE OF LETTER

In the general IELTS Task 1 exam, you will always be asked to write a letter. It is important to identify the type of letter that you are required to write.  The letter will either be formal, semi-formal or neutral and this will determine the tone of your letter so be sure to adjust your style.

2. USE MNEMONICS TO MEMORIZE IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Our mnemonic today is (of course) the word GENERAL because this tutorial is all about offering you IELTS GENERAL WRITING TASK 1 tips so let’s look at our letters.

• G is for GREETINGS the start and end of the letters
• E is for EFFICIENT how to make the most of your time in the exam and produce a great letter following the exam prompts.
• N is for what NOT to do
• E is for EXPAND it’s important to develop or expand your ideas so your letter becomes real and believable.
• R is for REGISTER which means understanding changing the tone of your writing according to who you are writing to so a letter to your Bank for example will be more formal than a letter to a friend.
• A is for ACCURACY in all things exam you have to be accurate! In spelling, in punctuation and in how you lay out your letter – what is actually looks like on the page.
• L is for LANGUAGE and here I will be sharing some really great chunks of functional language and key expressions with you can use in your practice and in your exam as well.

I have also compiled lots of great expressions which you can use in your writing according to the function of the letter such as for a complaint, request for information, or job applications! I hope you find all this really useful for your IELTS General task one preparation!

3. LEARN AND USE STANDARD PHRASES FOR EACH TYPE OF LETTER:

• Apologizing
  I’m sorry about…
  I am sorry that…
  I’m very sorry about…
  I’m very sorry for…
  Please forgive me for…
  I’d like to apologize for…
  Please accept my apologies.
  Please accept my sincere apologies. (very formal)
• Asking for Help
  I’d be grateful if you could…
  I would be grateful if you could…
  I would appreciate it if you could…
  Could you please…
  I was wondering if you could help me.(informal)
  I would like to know…
• Asking for Information
  I am writing to enquire about…
  I am writing to find out about…
  What I am looking for is…
  I would like to know about/if…
• Closing
  I look forward to seeing you.
  I look forward to hearing from you.
  I look forward to meeting you.
• Complaining / expressing dissatisfaction
  I’m writing to express my dissatisfaction with…
  I’m writing to express my annoyance with…
  I am not happy about…
  …was very disappointing.
• Conveying regards
  Please give my best regards to your family.
  Please pass on my best wishes to your wife and children.
  Please give my regards to your parents.
• Expressing satisfaction
  I was delighted to hear that…
  I was very happy to learn that…
  I was thrilled to find out that…
  I was glad to hear that…
  …was very enjoyable.
• Expressing concern / sympathy
  I was sorry to hear about… (your accident/ illness)
  I am writing to express my concern about…
• Giving bad news
  I regret to inform you that…(semi-formal)
  I am sorry to tell you that…(informal)
  I regret to advise you that…(formal)
  I am afraid I have some bad news.(informal)
• Giving good news
  I am pleased to inform you that…(semi-formal)
  I am delighted to tell you that…(informal)
  I am happy to advise you that…(formal)
  I thought you might like to know that…
• Giving reasons
  This is because…
  This is because of…
  This is due to… (formal)
  This is as a result of…(formal)
  This is owing to…(formal)
• Making suggestions
  Would it be a good idea to…
  Perhaps it would be a good idea to…
• Thanking
  Thanks.
  Thank you.
  Thank you very much.
  Thank you kindly.
  I can’t thank you enough.
  No words can express my gratitude.
  I am extremely grateful for…
  I very much appreciate your ______ing

4.LEARN THE CORRECT SPELLING OF COMMON WORDS

• Make sure to learn the spelling of commonly used words in task 1. A lot of students make mistakes with common words such as ” sincerely”. In addition to learning new IELTS vocabulary before your exam, it is also important to learnt he correct spelling.

5.Write atleast 150 words in your task 1

• The task 1 exam will require you to write at least 150 words. It is important to that you practice writing letters before the exam so that you know how much to write and practice the different kinds of task 1 sample topics that you could get.

6. Be sure to stay on topic in the exam

• A lot of students get overwhelmed in the exam and don’t answer what is asked of them. Be sure to practice answering the question so that you complete your task 1 in 20 minutes.

7. Include all the bulleted points

• The IELTS letter question will always have 3 parts that it requires you to complete. Make sure that you answer all 3 bullet questions so that you do not lose any valuable marks in the exam.

8. USE THE CORRECT OPENING AND CLOSING LINES

• Be sure to learn the correct closing and opening sentences in your task 1 letter. Here are some examples:
  

  Informal	Dear Jason Dear Kyla	Best regards Warm wishes
  Semi- formal	Dear Mr Lewis, Dear Ms Brown	Yours sincerely
  Formal	Dear Sir / Madam	Yours faithfully

Remember to check out our IELTS essay correction service if you need more help with your writing tasks.

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