When is the last time you wrote and mailed a letter?
General Task 1 is tricky because we don’t write letters much anymore.
For the Task Achievement score, tone is extremely important.
The vocabulary and grammar structures you use will be different depending on who you are writing to.
Today you will learn how to use informal tone in these essays.
Tone for General Task 1 essays
The 3 options of tone are informal, semiformal and formal.
In this 3-part series we’ll cover each of these.
You’ll learn which to use depending on who the letter is being written to.
We’ll share high-scoring vocabulary and an example of a band 9 essay.
When should you write an informal essay?
We write informally when talking to someone we know well.
- friend
- family member
- coworker or neighbor we know very well
We set this informal tone with both vocabulary and ideas.
Idioms, slang and casual vocabulary should be used.
You should write about the types of things you’d talk about with a close friend.
Where to get vocabulary and ideas for informal essays
Listen to podcasts
- True crime
- Pop culture
- Travel
Watch television shows and movies
- Sitcoms
- Comedies
Cohesion Coherence score
For IELTS Task 1 and Task 2, you must use linking words.
This is vital for your Cohesion/Coherence score.
This is especially difficult because we don’t usually do this in emails or letters.
Whether you are writing a formal or informal letter, you must still link ideas.
However, the linking phrases you use will be more informal for letters to friends.
Informal linking phrases
Try introducing and linking ideas using informal fillers like we do in speaking.
- This may surprise you, but…
- Believe it or not, …
- Not only that, but…
What about the grammar score?
For IELTS, it doesn’t matter what kind of essay you are writing, you must use a variety of sentence structures.
Simple, compound and complex sentences satisfy this requirement.
Read high-level writing to learn a variety of impressive structures.
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Example Task 1 question
We will share a band 9 sample essay for the following question:
Task 1 question:
You are going to visit your friend in another city next month. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:
- tell your friend when you will arrive
- explain what you would like to do together
- ask if there is anything you should bring
Write at least 150 words.
Band 9 task 1 sample essay
The following is a band 9 sample essay for this question.
Take note of the informal vocabulary phrases in bold.
Margie,
How’s it going? I’m super excited about visiting you next month, so I wanted to share my plans. My flight gets in on the 14th at 3:30 p.m., and I’m guessing I’ll be at your place by 5:00.
If you’re up for it, there are a couple of things I’d love to do while I’m there. First, you’ve got to take me to that new rooftop café you mentioned because it sounded amazing! I’ve also been dying to check out some live music, so let me know if there are any concerts you’d want to hit up. Other than that, I’m down to go with the flow.
By the way, let me know if there’s anything I should bring. I’ve already thrown in that book you wanted to borrow, but if you think of anything else, just say the word.
Can’t wait to see you!
Mandy
Takeaway
The tone you use in your General Task 1 letter is extremely important.
It must be appropriate and consistent to score 7+ on the Task Achievement score.
Today’s tips will help you strike an informal tone when necessary.
Don’t miss the rest of this series for semiformal and formal letters.
For all the strategies you need on IELTS, sign up for our online IELTS course!
Which part of the IELTS exam do you find the most difficult?
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