IELTS Writing Task 1 Letters

Here are 15 letter prompts for IELTS General Training Task 1.

CONTENTS

1 — need to take some time off work

2 — local council is considering closing a sports and leisure centre

3 — a training course that will be useful for your job

4 — lost a valuable item

5 — advise a friend to go to college or get a job

6 — left some important papers at a hotel

7 — a faulty piece of furniture

8 — invite a friend to your new home

9 — kitchen appliance isn’t working, and no reply to your phone call to the shop

10 — apply to be a waiter or waitress

11 — faulty heating system at a hotel

12 — say thank you to a family you stayed with

13 — studying for a qualification and need some time off

14 — ask friend for help finding a job in a new country

15 — compliment a restaurant on a great party

FULL QUESTIONS

You are working for a company. You need to take some time off work and want to ask your manager about this.

Write a letter to your manager. In your letter:

  • explain why you want to take time off work
  • give details of the amount of time you need
  • suggest how your work could be covered while you are away

Begin with: Dear…

Begin with: Dear Sir or Madam…

2 — Your local council is considering closing a sports and leisure centre that it runs, in order to save money.

Write a letter to the local council. In your letter:

  • give details of how you and your friends or family use the centre
  • explain why the sports and leisure centre is important for the local community
  • describe the possible effects on local people if the centre closes

Begin with: Dear Sir or Madam…

3 — You work for an international company. You have seen an advertisement for a training course which will be useful for your job.

Write a letter to your manager. In your letter:

  • describe the training course you want to do
  • explain what the company could do to help you

say how the course will be useful for your job

4 — On a recent holiday you lost a valuable item. Fortunately, you have travel insurance to cover the cost of anything lost.

Write a letter to the manager of your insurance company. In your letter:

  • describe the item you lost
  • explain how you lost it
  • tell the insurance company what you would like to them to do

5 — You recently received a letter from a friend asking you for advice about whether to go to college or try to get a job.  You think he/she should get a job.

Write a letter to this friend. In this letter:

  • say why he/she would not enjoy going to college
  • explain why getting a job is a good idea for him/her
  • suggest types of job that would be suitable for him/her

Begin with: Dear…

6 — You recently attended a meeting at a hotel. When you returned home, you found you had left some important papers at the hotel.

Write a letter to the manager of the hotel. In your letter:

  • say where you think you left the papers
  • explain why they are so important
  • tell the manager what you want him/her to do

Begin with: Dear Madam or Sir…

7 — You recently bought a piece of furniture that was faulty. You called the shop about the problem but were asked to put the complaint in writing.

Write a letter to the shop.  In your letter:

  • explain what the problem is
  • explain if anything was done to improve the situation
  • say what you would like the shop to do

Begin with: Dear Sir or Madam…

8 — You have recently moved to a different house.

Write a letter to an English-speaking friend. In your letter:

  • explain why you have moved house
  • describe the new house
  • invite your friend to come and visit

Begin with: Dear…

9 — You have recently bought a piece of equipment for your kitchen but it did not work. You phoned the shop but no action was taken.

Write a letter to the shop manager. In your letter:

  • describe the problem with the equipment
  • explain what happened when you phoned the shop
  • say what you would like the manager to do

Begin with: Dear Sir or Madam…

10 — A restaurant has placed an advertisement for waiters and waitresses in your local newspaper.

Write a letter to the restaurant, applying for the job. In the letter:

  • explain what you are currently doing
  • describe your suitability for this area of work
  • say when you can attend the interview

Begin with: Dear Sir or Madam

11 – You recently spent a night in a hotel.  There was a great deal of noise at night because of a faulty heating system. The manager promised to contact regarding compensation but still hasn’t contacted you.

Write a letter to the manager of the hotel. In your letter:

  • describe the problem at the hotel
  • explain what the manager had said at the time
  • say what you want the manager to do

12 — You stayed with a family in another country while you were studying.

Write a letter to the family. In your letter:

  • thank the family for your stay
  • say what you enjoyed about your stay
  • invite the family to visit you in the future

Begin with: Dear…

13 — You are studying for a qualification and you would like to some time off work to complete it.

Write a letter to your supervisor. In your letter:

  • ask for some time off to complete the qualification
  • suggest what you will do later at work if you receive this time off
  • say how the qualification helps your job or the company

Begin with: Dear…

14 — You are going to another country to study. You would like to do a part-time job while studying, so you want to ask a friend who lives there for some help.

Write a letter to this friend. In your letter:

  • give details of your study plans
  • explain why you want to get a part-time job
  • suggest how your friend could help you find a job

Begin with: Dear…

15 — You and a friend ate a meal at a restaurant to celebrate a special occasion, and you were very pleased with the food and service.

Write a letter to the restaurant manager. In your letter:

  • give details of your visit to the restaurant
  • explain the reason for the celebration
  • say what was good about the food and the service

Begin with: Dear Sir or Madam…