The Formal Letter assumes you have not met the person you are writing to, so the greeting is Dear Sir or Madame, and the sign-off is Yours faithfully, (both are followed by a comma).

The Semi-Formal Letter assumes that you may have met the person you are writing to maybe once or twice, but you do not know them very well, so the greeting states their name with a professional title like Dear Mr. (last name here), or Dear Ms.(last name here), followed by a comma. Likewise, the sign-off is written as Yours sincerely, again, followed by a comma.

The Informal Letter simply states your friend or relative’s name followed by a comma (e.g. Dear Mary,) for the greeting, and then sign off says (Love, ; Your friend, ; See you around, Lots of love, ; or All the best,) followed by a comma.

In all three letters, your name or pseudonym follows. For the Formal and Semi-Formal Letters use a full name, and for the Informal Letter use your first name only.

Typical Endings include:

Formal: Thank you for your consideration. (+ with this matter.)

Semi-Formal: I look forward to your response.

Informal: See you soon.

The ‘ending’ should be related in some way to the action or outcome you have requested.

For example: If the final bullet point of a Formal letter asks for you ‘to say what accommodation you ‘prefer’ and you do so, you might respond with an ending like:

 

–          Thank you for your consideration.

–          I hope this will be acceptable (future)

–          I look forward to hearing from you soon.

–          I look forward to your response.

–          I look forward to receiving your reply.

 

 

The Descriptors

 (public version) https://www.ielts.org/-/media/pdfs/writing-band-descriptors-task-1.ashx?la=en

The descriptor help explain how your letter will be scored,

Task Achievement	9	8	7	6
	• fully satisfies all the requirements of the task   • clearly presents a fully developed response	• covers all requirements of the task sufficiently   • presents, highlights and illustrates key features/ bullet points clearly and appropriately	• covers the requirements of the task   • (GT) presents a clear purpose, with the tone consistent and appropriate   • clearly presents and highlights key features/bullet points but could be more fully extended	• addresses the requirements of the task • (GT) presents a purpose that is generally clear; there may be inconsistencies in tone • presents and adequately highlights key features/ bullet points but details may be irrelevant, inappropriate, or inaccurate

 

To score higher with TASK Achievement, it is most important to monitor your tone! Tone is the attitude or character of your writing, and it is most prominently used with 3^rd bullet point in the final paragraph, or in the movement from the ‘specific details’ of your letter to the ‘outcome’. In most cases, you are asking the letter recipient what you want the person to do. If you use the phrase ‘I want you to’ = this is probably the equivalent to an automatic Band 6 for Task Achievement since your tone is too rough.

The trick with Tone is to never use the word ‘you’ in your 3^rd paragraph discussing what you

want the letter recipient to do. The safest way to pose any action is as a question, like:

Would it be possible to have someone from the bank look into this matter? (Formal)

Would be alright to have a repair person come by to look at the house damage and fix it?

(Semi-formal)

Can we negotiate a price for the lost book, Marci? (Informal)

OR in a statement form, you can use:

I would appreciate it if someone could …

I would appreciate it if a repair person could …

It would be great if we could negotiate…

Notice in the descriptors above how ‘TONE’ is not mentioned above the band score of 7, which means that TONE is to remain consistent throughout the letter. Your job is to lay the facts down in an objective manner throughout your letter and never, never cast an opinion on any person mentioned in the letter. You can state that the weather was ‘terrible’ but never that a person is ‘terrible’. Just state facts as they happened that are consistent with the situation given to you in the prompt.

If your tone is inconsistent, it will be impossible to move to a Band 8 or 9. However, if you just state the facts without adding any opinion or ‘attitude’ towards the letter recipient you may go higher than just a Band 7 in Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion

Coherence and Cohesion	9	8	7	6
	• uses cohesion in such a way that it attracts no attention   • skilfully manages to paragraph	• sequences information and ideas logically   • manages all aspects of cohesion well   • uses paragraphing sufficiently and appropriately	• logically organizes information and ideas; there is clear progression throughout   • uses a range of cohesive devices appropriately although there may be some under-/over-use	• arranges information and ideas coherently and there is a clear overall progression   • uses cohesive devices effectively, but cohesion within and/or between sentences may be faulty or mechanical   • may not always use referencing clearly or appropriately

Coherence and Cohesion

 

 

Coherence refers to the paragraphing/organization (logic). Coherence means you have to make sense of the situation that is given with the prompt and bullet points. You must always state your purpose in paragraph 1 and add the directive given with the first bullet point of the prompt.  Cohesive devises, or signal words, or discourse markers, refer to the words that help ‘hang’ your sentences together, usually found at the start of a sentence, like: First, next, sometimes, further, etc. `

Obviously, in General Training Letter writing, the preference is to have you write 3 paragraphs: 1. Purpose, 2. Details, and 3. Outcome. If you separate your bullet points into these paragraphs, you will be starting a Band 7, but it all depends on how well you write as to whether your Band score moves up or down from this point.

Some ways to introduce the purpose include:

–    I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with

–     I am writing to complain about

–          I am writing in order to complain about

–          I am writing regarding

Paragraph 2 can begin ‘Let me explain in more detail.’ From here you have to ‘objectively’ lay down the facts in a somewhat logical order – usually in the order of the events that happened, whether they are imagined or otherwise.

In Paragraph 3 you have to be wary of the Tone, as mentioned earlier. Usually, the first sentence states the outcome you want, and then you have to make sure you round out your letter appropriately – usually extending yourself in some way (being kind, considerate, and respectful of the letter recipient).  You have to think of the letter recipient as a professional and allow them to always make the final decision. If you do this with the proper Tone, you will be considered at a Band higher than 7 for coherence.

Cohesion or signal words refer to words like: furthermore, also, in addition, first, then, finally, lastly, etc. These words allow your writing to ‘hang’ together, as they say. The trick here is to never use the same cohesive word twice – just do not repeat the same word; always a helpful rule throughout the writing parts of the IELTS exam.

Again, the leap between a Band 6 and a Band 7 can be achieved by not being is ‘faulty or mechanical’, which refers to a repetition of a cohesive device or a wrong choice of word, even if you move from ‘first’, to ‘second’, to ‘finally’ – this can be considered mechanical, though acceptable in some letters.

Finally, they mention ‘referencing’ problems in Band 6, which almost always refers to improper referencing of pronouns. Many candidates confuse a ‘referent’, or the person or thing they are referring to, in compound or complex sentences. For example, ‘I walked to the park to see my friends, but she was not there. Friends is a plural noun but in the second clause the example refers to a single ‘she’.  Correction: ‘I walked to the park to see my friends, but they were not there, or ‘I walked to the park to see my friend, but she was not there. An example like this leaves the examiner in a compromising situation where they do not know which way the candidate ‘intended’ the sentence to read, or if it was a spelling mistake.

Lexical Resource

Lexical Resource	9	8	7	6
	• uses a wide range of vocabulary with very natural and sophisticated control of lexical features; rare minor errors occur only as ‘slips’	• uses a wide range of vocabulary fluently and flexibly to convey precise meanings • skilfully uses uncommon lexical items but there may be occasional inaccuracies in word choice and collocation • produces rare errors in spelling and/or word formation	• uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision • uses less common lexical items with some awareness of style and collocation • may produce occasional errors in word choice, spelling, and/or word formation	•uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task • attempts to use less common vocabulary but with some inaccuracy • makes some errors in spelling and/or word formation, but they do not impede communication

Lexical Resource is just another, more formal, term for vocabulary. IELTS examiners will give you

higher band scores if you use more ‘academic’ vocabulary – you only need to use 2 or 3 words,

however. In General Training letters this also includes words related to the prompt or situation given. For example, if the prompt asks you to write to a bank manager, you will use terms like: ‘bank account’, ‘balance’, ‘debit’, ‘credit’, ‘savings’ etc. Likewise, if you are to request information from a school, you will use terms like ‘curriculum’, ‘semester’, ‘courses’, ‘professor’, ‘sabbatical’,

‘term’ etc. By using related vocabulary, your Band score will jump up.

• Remember: It is not so important to have ‘true’ academic words as it is to be organized and use related words with the letters. The essay will demand that you use more academic vocabulary. You will see related words in the letters that follow. You must also be accurate with your word choices, as accuracy or precise meanings are important as well.

Your phasing also has to have a sense of style and collocation. Style refers to your syntax (grammar), word choice, and tone, whereas collocation refers to your knowledge of words and phrases that are commonly used in the English language. Collocations are usually centered around a single verb or noun and all the different ways people use them in combination with other nouns or verbs respectively. For example, ‘time’ – waste time, free time, stall for time; or ‘get’ – get ahead, get moving, get on a roll, get to sleep; or ‘do’ – do the laundry, do business, do exercise, do work, etc. To use collocations helps give the examiner an ‘idea’ of how familiar you are with the English language. Collocations are used more in with Informal Letters because they tend to be used with language that is more casual and personable, not in Formal and Semi-Formal letters. Formal language, as used in Formal and Informal Letters, will not use colloquialisms, casual language, or gerunds (present participles or words that end with – ing, like jogging, running, working, etc.). Rather, a higher register is used, so infinitives (to jog, to run, to work) are preferred with an academic style writing style.

Here are some typical differences between informal and formal writing: Remember: do not use contractions in Formal and Semi-Formal letters. Informal: The improvements canʼt be brought forward at this time. Formal: Improvements cannot be brought forward at this time. Informal: The construction project wonʼt continue next year. Formal: The construction project will not continue next year. Phrasal verbs Informal: The problem was blown out of proportion. Formal: The problem was conflated. Informal: The worker got over his problem. Formal: The worker recovered from her problem. Informal: The numbers on the page were mixed up. Formal: The numbers on the page were confusing. Colloquialism or Slang Informal: The mob was out of control in the downtown area. Formal: The crowd was out of control in the downtown area. Informal: Teachers still count on parents to help educate their children. Formal: Teachers expect parents to help educate their children. Grammatical Range and Accuracy Grammatical Range and Accuracy 9 8 7 6   • uses a wide range of structures with full flexibility and accuracy; rare minor errors occur only as ‘slips’ • uses a wide range of structures   • the majority of sentences are error-free   • makes only very occasional errors or inappropriate • uses a variety of complex structures • produces frequent error-free sentences • has good control of grammar and punctuation but may make a few errors • uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms   • makes some errors in grammar and punctuation but they rarely reduce communication   Grammatical Range and Accuracy is easily the most frustrating descriptor for people taking the IELTS exam. The most common Band score for writing is 6.5, just below the score needed for many exam takers. There are two ways to achieve a Band of 6.5 on IELTS Writing. You can achieve a 7,7,7 and a 6, or 7, 7, 6, 6. – there is no 6.75 Band score. The most common Band 6 score is for grammar because complex structures get you a Band 6, while compound sentences get you a Band 7 – provided your spelling and punctuation well done. The IELTS governors (for argument’s sake – the British Council, and IDP) believe that a compound sentence should be rated higher than simple sentences and the 3 complex sentence types; that of the adjective, noun, and adverb clauses. In Band 7, where it says ‘complex structures’, this refers to compound sentences, passive forms of language, and any other forms of sentences that involve subordinating and coordinating clauses. Overall, examiners want to see test taskers use all four English language sentence types: simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex. However, for General Training Letters, which should be between 150 and 170 words, an examinee should try to have at least 1 compound sentence (if not 2) and 3 or 4 complex sentences. Please try the Sentence Structure on the OWL Purdue Writing lab for practice as it provides both explanations and exercises: https://owl.purdue.edu/ , or you can try Anglo Links on youtube.com for general grammar, or Grammar Byte Power-points at chompchomp.com. I have offered these three helpful websites to my students for over 10 years for all facets of grammar.