IELTS General Training Writing Task 1: Letter to a Friend

​In the IELTS General Training Writing Task 1, you’ll sometimes be asked to write a letter to a friend. These prompts often involve everyday situations—inviting someone to an event, giving advice, or sharing news.

While the task still follows a clear structure with an opening, body, and closing, the tone is very different from a formal letter. Instead of business-like language, you’ll use a warm, friendly style that reflects your personal relationship. This means writing as if you’re really speaking to your friend: using first names, conversational expressions, contractions (like I’m or you’ll), and natural phrasing. The challenge is to balance this informal tone with enough detail, organization, and correct grammar to meet IELTS requirements.

Here's a sample prompt for this type of letter:

Your friend had been offered a place on a course at the university where you studied. He/She would like your advice about finding a place to live. 

Write an email to your friend. In your email
• describe where you lived when you were a student at the university
• recommend the best way for him/her to look for accommodation
• warn him/her of mistakes students make when choosing accommodation

Write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your email as follows:
Dear ………………………,

Here's a sample response: 

​Dear Ellie,

I’m so happy to hear that you’ve been offered a place at my old university—congratulations! Finding the right place to live can really make a big difference to your experience, so here’s what I think might help.

When I was a student, I stayed in a shared apartment just a short walk from campus. The location was great because I could easily get to lectures and the library, and there were plenty of shops and cafés nearby. However, sharing with two other students did mean less privacy, and it felt a bit cramped sometimes.

For your search, I’d recommend starting with Facebook listings, as most local landlords post their rental ads there. You can find a wide range of options and contact them directly, which saves a lot of time.

However, here’s a couple of things to watch out for: first, make sure you fully understand the lease agreement and apartment rules before signing—ask about bills, utilities, or overly strict rules. Second, always visit the property in person so you can check its actual condition and the surrounding area before committing. Photos can be misleading, and it’s important to get a feel for the neighborhood.

I hope you’ll find a great place soon. Keep me posted on how your search goes!

Take care,
[Full Name]

(217 words--see NOTES at the end regarding the length of this letter)

Let's look at how each element in the letter works and why it fits the prompt.

1. Greeting / Salutation
[Dear Ellie,]

• Why it’s appropriate:
  • This is a personal letter to a friend, so using their first name is both natural and correct.
  • IELTS expects the salutation to match the tone and relationship. Using Dear Ellie sets an informal/friendly tone right from the start, which is appropriate for the task.

2. Opening / Purpose Statement
[I’m so happy to hear that you’ve been offered a place at my old university—congratulations! Finding the right place to live can really make a big difference to your experience, so here’s what I think might help.]

• Why it’s appropriate:
  • Begins positively and warmly, reflecting genuine excitement for the friend.
  • The purpose of the letter is immediately clear — offering advice about accommodation. The phrase "so here’s what I think might help" signals that the advice is coming.

3. Paragraph 1 – Description of where you lived
[When I was a student, I stayed in a shared apartment just a short walk from campus. The location was great because I could easily get to lectures and the library, and there were plenty of shops and cafés nearby. However, sharing with two other students did mean less privacy, and it felt a bit cramped sometimes.]

• Why it’s appropriate:
  • Fully addresses the first bullet point of the prompt: "describe where you lived when you were a student at the university."
  • Gives specific details: type of housing (shared apartment), distance to campus, and amenities nearby.
  • Balances advantages (convenient location, access to shops and cafés) and disadvantages (less privacy, cramped space), which shows awareness and nuance — a skill IELTS rewards.
  • The tone is still conversational but informative

4. Paragraph 2 – Recommendation on finding accommodation
[For your search, I’d recommend starting with Facebook listings, as most local landlords post their rental ads there. You can find a wide range of options and contact them directly, which saves a lot of time.]

• Why it’s appropriate:
  • Directly answers the second bullet point: "recommend the best way for him/her to look for accommodation."
  • "I’d recommend" is natural for giving friendly advice.
  • Explains why this method is useful (most landlords post there, saves time), which adds substance.

5. Paragraph 3 – Warnings about mistakes
[However, here’s a couple of things to watch out for: first, make sure you fully understand the lease agreement and apartment rules before signing—ask about bills, utilities, or overly strict rules. Second, always visit the property in person so you can check its actual condition and the surrounding area before committing. Photos can be misleading, and it’s important to get a feel for the neighborhood.]

• Why it’s appropriate:
  • Addresses the third bullet point: "warn him/her of mistakes students make when choosing accommodation."
  • "Here’s a couple of things to watch out for" is informal and idiomatic — great for a letter to a friend.
  • Provides two specific, realistic warnings:
    1. Understanding lease agreements and rules.
    2. Viewing the property before committing.
  • Uses examples and explanations ("Photos can be misleading…") to make the warnings practical and believable.

6. Closing Statement
[I hope you’ll find a great place soon. Keep me posted on how your search goes!]

• Why it’s appropriate:
  • Maintains a warm, friendly tone.
  • Expresses goodwill and interest in the friend’s progress.

7. Sign-off
[Take care,
(Full Name) ]

• Why it’s appropriate:
  • It’s warm, friendly, and personal — exactly the kind of closing you’d use with someone you know well.
  • Signing with your full name is standard in IELTS Task 1, even for informal letters, because it shows awareness of letter conventions.

Why this works well overall for IELTS:

• Tone: The tone is consistently friendly and conversational, matching the relationship described in the prompt.
• Task Achievement: The letter fully covers all three bullet points with clear examples and explanations.
• Cohesion: Information is logically ordered. Linking words and phrases are used naturally (However, For your search, first, second).
• Lexical Range: It has a mix of everyday words (shops, cramped, listings) and slightly higher-level choices (lease agreement, overly strict rules, misleading, surrounding area, a feel for the neighborhood).
• Grammar: Sentence types vary — simple, compound, and complex — which is key for a high band score. Grammar and punctuation are consistently accurate. Minor informal choices are intentional to suit the tone of the letter.

NOTES: 
The sample letter is 217 words, which is longer than the minimum required for IELTS General Training Task 1 (150 words). This extra length comes mainly from the first paragraph, where not only is the shared apartment mentioned but also its advantages and disadvantages —the short walk to campus, easy access to lectures, and nearby shops and cafés, but there was the lack of privacy.

While this detail could technically be omitted to make the letter more concise, it actually enhances the helpfulness and realism of the response. Including both positives and negatives shows that you’re giving balanced, thoughtful advice, which aligns with the friendly, supportive purpose of a letter to a friend. It also  demonstrates a wider range of vocabulary and sentence structures, which can help boost your score.

So although it’s slightly longer than average, in this case the extra words work well by adding richness and authenticity without drifting off-topic.