The Secret Formula of Writing Letters in the IELTS

The Secret Formula of Writing Letters in the IELTS

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     How do you write a letter that will get you that coveted band score of at least 7.0?

    Having a good command of English is not enough. Examiners are also looking at your ability to organize your thoughts in a way that will make your letter easy to read.  This can only be done if you have carefully planned what to write along with the understanding of what makes a good letter, and I am going to teach you both.  In writing letters, consistently follow these steps.

   Step 1 – Read and understand the question given.

     Your first step should be to fully understand the question or situation given.  Misunderstanding the situation will lead you to formulating a letter that does not answer the task questions and would earn you a very low score.  Reread the question if necessary.  It is better to be slow, but sure.

   To illustrate, let’s try this SAMPLE QUESTION:

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. You had a good meal in a local restaurant with your family. Write a letter to the newspaper to tell them about it, describe the meal you had, and why you think the restaurant is worth visiting. You should write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write your own address. Begin your letter as follows: Dear Sir,

    

 As you can observe, there are four important details to keep in mind, namely:

Point 1:

     You are writing to a newspaper and NOT to the restaurant.

Point 2:

      You have to share your positive experiences in the restaurant since you have to say why you think it is worth visiting.

Point 3:

      Describing the meal is not only about enumerating the dishes you have ordered, but giving your positive comments about them. You can also pick a favorite, and recommend the newspaper readers to try it.

Point 4:

    Begin your salutation as instructed. In this case, with “Dear Sir,”.

    From my students’ experience, I have observed that it is easy for them to miss Point 1, so it is really best to always counter check to whom you are writing the letter. If you miss this point, the whole letter becomes a disaster!

    I’d also like to draw your attention to Point 3.  Describing the meal as requested by the question is easy, but only a few exam candidates would think about picking a favorite.  Recommending your favorite dish to the reader would make your letter more alive and convincing. 

Step 2 – Know which type of letter you are going to write: Personal or Formal letter?

    After reading the question, know what type of letter you are going to write.  The IELTS requires you only to write either Personal or Formal letters.  I have charted the difference between the two types to help you.

Personal Letter	Formal Letter
The addressee is someone you personally know (e.g. family, friends, neighbors, etc.)	The addressee is someone you may or may not know, and has an authority or position (e.g. manager, landlord, accommodation officer,your boss, etc.)
In this letter, you can use contractions (e.g. can’t, doesn’t, I’ll, I’m, etc.)	No contractions are allowed, so use: cannot, does not, I will, I am and others.
In the salutation, use the first name or nickname of the addressee. (e.g. Dear Sam,)	In the salutation, use the last name if you know the addressee. (e.g. Dear Mr. Roberts,)                               OR If you don’t know the addressee, use: Dear Sir/Madam,              Dear Sir, Dear Sir/Ma’am,               Dear Ma’am, NB: Follow instructions carefully as some would tell you which Salutation to use.
To set the informal tone of your letter, choose words that help your letter sound informal or friendly. Ex.  Thanks for inviting me and the kids to your party. Give me a ring as soon as you get this. I’m so sorry for missing your party last night, but I had an emergency. It would be awesome if you would reply to me very soon. Let me know if you’ve heard some news.	Set the tone of your letter to formal or business-like by choosing appropriate words/phrases. Ex. Thank you for the gift baskets you sent us, the children loved them! Please contact me through my mobile 09983633252 as soon as possible. I apologize for missing the company’s dinner party last night, but I had an emergency. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Please do inform me once you have updates with regard to my situation.
Complimentary Close and Signature Line Use first name/nickname to sign your letter.                                   Your friend,                                  (skip one line)                                   Sally	Complimentary Close and Signature Line Use full name to sign your letter.                                  Sincerely yours,                                   (skip one line)                                  Sally Saunders

Step 3 –  Brainstorm or Plan your letter

        One very important thing to do before you start to write your letter is to BRAINSTORM.  Brainstorming is providing specific details that will compose the “meat” of your letter.  Ideally, Steps 1 to 3 should be done in three (3) minutes or less, so that leaves you with 17 minutes to write your letter as Task 1 should be done in 20 minutes.

     In the actual Writing Test, there is no draft paper provided, but you can scribble and make annotations on your Questionnaire (where you see the Task questions and instructions).   

   If there is one important advice that I can give you for the Task 1 of the GT, it is ‘DO NOT SKIP THE BRAINSTORMING PART’.  While others skip it because they feel it is a waste of time, I do not believe that it is a wise thing to do.  

    First of all, skipping means you CAN FORGET some very important information.

SAMPLE QUESTION (Personal Letter)                                 Anna                                                                  You stayed at your friends’ house when you participated in a business seminar in    Sydney                                       conference resource materials             on top of dresser  Australia. You left a file with important documents in your room.                                                         in a pink folder, encased in envelope        mail ASAP, will refund Task: Write a letter to your friend, describing the file and ask him/her to return it to you by post. Additional Info: ·        Thank Anna for boat cruise at Port Stephen – dolphin watching ·        Invite Anna to visit my city

  Second, skipping means WRITING THE LETTER LONGER because you have to think first what to write.  In contrast, if you have bothered to brainstorm earlier, less thinking would be required when you compose your letter because all the information you need have already been thought of and written in the draft.

    

      The sample question above tells you exactly how to Brainstorm your answers.  

    Underlining or encircling words, whichever works for you, is necessary at this stage to help you identify the details that you need to provide and include to make your story up.  As can be seen, you can simply underline and put the details on top of the words/phrases during brainstorming.   I also do not advise students to brainstorm using sentences as this takes so much time.  Remember that you need to be time efficient, so be brief and on point as much as possible. In addition, notice the “Additional Info” below the question. This is information I added to make my story sound better and realistic.  Feel free to do the same. 

NB: It is important to choose a city/country that you are familiar with so that you can provide very specific details about the place.  Study at least one English speaking city or country and be familiar with its tourist spots as this information can be very helpful when you formulate events or activities that you did during your trip.

Step 4 – Write your letter

     Okay, now you know what to write, but how should you start your letter?  Well, that brings us to the next important discussion of this task.

The Skeleton of the Letter Dear _________, (salutation) (skip 1 line)       |-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------.      |--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------          (body) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------.      |-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------.      |-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------.                                                                    (skip 1 line)                                                                       __________, (complimentary close)                                                                            (skip 1 line)                                                                 Ashley           (signature line)

 The skeleton above tells us a few points about the letter that you need to write in the IELTS.

1.      Your letter should have the four (4) parts of the letter:  salutation, body, complimentary close and signature line.  There is no need to write the date, heading and other letter parts.

2.      Use “Dear” in your salutation and end it with a comma.

3.      Your letter’s body should have 3 or 4 paragraphs.

4.      Your complimentary close should end with a comma.

5.      End with your name (first name or full name depending on what type of letter you are writing).  

6.      Skip lines as directed.

    Now, let us go more into details.  What about the paragraphs in the body?  What should we write in each paragraph?  The details you have brainstormed, of course, but I know it is not that simple.  Even with the complete details, it could still be a challenge to decide where to place which. Therefore, I have further outlined these points for you.

     What should you write in your letter?

1^st paragraph 

A.     Introduce yourself (Formal letter) OR Greet the addressee (personal letter)

B.     Say why you are writing (Statement of Purpose)

NB: Don’t write a long first paragraph.  Ideally, your first paragraph should only have 2-3 sentences.

2^nd & 3^rd paragraphs

A.     Compose sentences using the details you have noted during the brainstorming activity

B.     In writing details,

           

·     You may allot one or two paragraphs for the BODY (NOT 3 or more). If you only have a few details, write one paragraph only. However, make sure that it is not too short as you need to worry about meeting the word count requirement.

·     You may also add information not asked in the task question (see explanation on Step 1 or Additional Info on Step 3) that you think would make your letter sound realistic.  This is especially helpful in reaching the word count requirement, too. 

Last paragraph

A.     Close your letter.  You may say the purpose of your letter again (say thank, apologize or say how much you’ll appreciate it if they do your request immediately or respond to your letter as soon as possible)

B.     Leave your contact details (mobile, landline, email address, Skype – only choose the best methods of communication the reader can contact you). If you’re writing to a friend, most likely, the friend knows your contact number, so there is no need to write it, but don’t forget to tell him/her to contact you soon.  You may also say that you’ve changed your mobile number, just to add more spice to the story, and then state your new mobile number.