General Training – Writing Task 1

The General Training Writing test has two separate writing tasks in 60 minutes. For each part, you will receive a question paper and an answer sheet. You can make notes on the question paper, only the text on the answer sheet will be marked by the examiner. You can write your answers in pen or pencil and correct when necessary. You cannot use a dictionary or any electronic devices.

IELTS Academic and General Training students do different tests for part 1, but complete the same test for part 2. There are many resources to help you prepare for part 2 here.

You must answer both tasks and it is recommended that you spend 20 minutes on task 1 and 40 minutes on task 2. Part 2 is twice as important as your score for part 1. Writing task 1 has a minimum word count of 150 words and you must write a letter. Writing task 2 has a minimum word count of 250, you must write a discursive essay, you will be given an opinion, problem or issue that you need to discuss. 

Requirements from universities and immigration agencies vary. Most students will need at least a band score 6 for undergraduate study. For postgraduate study or immigration, a band score 7 is generally required. 


Marking Criteria

One of the first things you should do is read the marking criteria to see what the examiners expect. This is really important, as you need to know what they are looking for in the band 7+ boxes. 

The information in the test question will tell you what to write about. To achieve a high Task Achievement score, you must write about all of the points in the letter and make sure everything is relevant. To improve your score for Coherence and Cohesion, use the information in the question to plan and organise your ideas clearly. To achieve a high score in the Lexical Resource, you should use synonyms and avoid copying words from the question. In Grammatical Range and Accuracy, make sure you check through your work for any grammatical and spelling errors.

Task Achievement

  • Does your letter answer all parts of the question?
  • Are your ideas relevant?

Coherence and Cohesion 

  • Are your ideas well organised, clear and well connected?

Lexical Resource

  • Have you repeated any words?
  • Have you copied any words from the question?

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

  • Have you made any grammatical/spelling/punctuation errors?
  • Have you used a variety of sentence structures?
  • Have you used the right tenses?

TIP >> Leave at least 2/3 minutes to check your work before you finish this task. 

TIP >> In IELTS writing task 1 for the General Training, students only need to write the greeting ‘Dear…’, the body text, the complimentary close (for example – yours sincerely) and their name. Addresses should NOT be included. 

TIP >> You do not get more points for writing more than 150 words. You should only spend 20 minutes on this task as writing task 2 is harder and worth twice as much in terms of the score. 


Letter Writing

In the General Training Task 1, you will be asked to write a letter. The letter must be written in the correct style, for example;

  • Informal – writing to a friend or family member (someone you know well)
  • Semi Formal – if you were writing for a work colleague (someone you know)
  • Formal – if you are writing to a business or local newspaper (a person you do not know)

Each type of letter will use different language, meaning it will both begin and end in a different way. When given a question, you will identify which type of letter you need to write by identifying the language in the question. 

The letter questions will feature different content, which tells you if the letter is going to be informal, semi-formal or formal. Here is a list >>

  • Information request – any style
  • Making arrangements – formal
  • Applications – formal
  • Invitations – personal/semi-formal
  • Complaints – formal
  • Personal – informal

The following are examples of three different types of letters >>


Informal Letter Question >>

  • Write at least 150 words
  • You do not need to write any addresses
  • Begin your letter with ‘Dear…..”

TIP >> The informal letter question will normally have the word ‘friend’ in it. Asking you to write a letter to a friend is a key piece of information, telling you that the letter should be written in an informal style. 


Semi Formal Letter Question >>

  • Write at least 150 words
  • You do not need to write any addresses
  • Begin your letter with ‘Dear…..”

TIP >> A semi-formal letter is often to someone that you know like a work colleague.


Formal Letter Question:

  • Write at least 150 words
  • You do not need to write any addresses
  • Begin your letter with ‘Dear…..”

TIP >> A formal letter would be written to someone that you don’t know. That is why when you start writing when you don’t know their name, you would write ‘Dear Sir/Madam….’

General Training – Writing Task 1 Practise Questions

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
Last year you attended a presentation skill course at the Sydney College of Australia. Your new employer has asked you to provide copies of your reports and assignments as quickly as possible.
Write a letter to the director of the school. In your letter, Explain who you are and why you are writing to request these documents ask whether you need to pay any fee for that.
You should write at least 150 words.

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
A colleague lent you a book that helped you to prepare for a presentation at work. Write an email to your colleague thanking him/her. In the email,
thank your colleague for lending you the book explain how the book helped you tell him/her how the presentation went.
Write at least 150 words.

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
A family member is coming to stay with you. He/she will be arriving by train in the morning, but you won’t be home until the evening.
Write a letter to your relative. In your letter:
explain the arrangements you have made for him/her to get keys
tell your relative how to get from the train station to your house
say when you will be home and suggest what you could do together that evening
Write at least 150 words.

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
A friend has agreed to look after your house and pet while you are on holiday. Write a letter to your friend.
In your letter:
give contact details for when you are away
give instructions on how to care for your pet
describe other household duties
You should write at least 150 words.

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
A friend has asked you to babysit on Saturday and wants to know how much you charge per hour for this. Unfortunately, you already have a commitment this weekend and cannot help. However, you are free the following weekend.
Write a letter to your friend explaining that you are not able to help this time, but could help later. Also, explain what your fee for the service is.
Write at least 150 words.

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
A friend of yours has recently written to you asking for advice about a problem at work. You have had a similar problem at your workplace in the past.
Write a letter to your friend. In your letter,
tell your friend how you feel about the problem
explain how you faced a similar situation in the past
suggest possible solutions to the problem
Write at least 150 words.

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
A friend of yours is going on holiday soon and has asked you to recommend a destination.
Write a letter to your friend and recommend a good place for a holiday that you have visited before. Say where you went, where you stayed, what you did there and what the food was like.
You should write at least 150 words.

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
A friend of yours is thinking about applying for the same course that you did at university. He/She has asked for your advice about studying this subject.
Write a letter to your friend. In your letter, give details of the course you took at the university explain why you recommend the university give some advice about how to apply.
Write at least 150 words.

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
A friend of yours is thinking of going on a camping holiday for the first time this summer. He/She has asked for your advice.
Write a letter to your friend. In your letter, explain why you think your friend would enjoy a camping holiday describe some possible disadvantages
say whether you would like to go camping with your friend this summer
Write at least 150 words.

List of 100+ General Training – Writing Task 1 Practise Questions with Answers


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