IELTS General Writing: Informal Letters
This task checks whether you can write a warm, natural letter to someone you know, covering all the bullet points and using an appropriately informal, friendly tone rather than formal English.
What this question looks like
In General Training Writing Task 1, you sometimes receive a scenario involving a friend, relative or close acquaintance, for example asking a favour, sharing news, or apologising for something. You must write at least 150 words in about 20 minutes, covering three given bullet points, and the letter must sound like it's genuinely written to someone you're close to, not a stranger or an institution. You do not need an address, but you do need a suitable informal opening and closing.
Step-by-step approach
- 1Identify the relationship: is this a close friend, a relative, or someone you know reasonably well? This decides how casual you can be.
- 2Turn each bullet point into one short paragraph, in the logical order given (they usually build on each other, so don't reorder them).
- 3Open with a friendly, natural line before the main content, such as asking how they are or reacting to their news, then move into the purpose of your letter.
- 4Choose informal language on purpose: contractions (I'm, didn't, it's), everyday vocabulary, exclamation marks, and phrasal verbs instead of stiff formal equivalents.
- 5Close with a warm, casual sign-off that matches the relationship (Take care, Speak soon, Lots of love) and a first-name-only signature.
- 6Check word count and re-read for tone slips, formal phrases like 'I would be grateful if' have no place in an informal letter.
Worked example
You recently borrowed a tent from a friend for a camping trip, but it got damaged. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: apologise and explain what happened, describe the damage, say what you plan to do about it.
Dear Sam, I hope you're doing well! I'm really sorry to say I have some bad news about your tent. As you know, Priya and I took it up to Lake Everton last weekend. On the second night, a huge storm came through and the wind was honestly terrifying. One of the poles snapped and a branch came down on the flysheet, which tore quite badly along one seam. We did everything we could to protect it, but the weather just got the better of us. I feel awful about it, especially since you'd only just bought it. The good news is I've already looked into fixing it. There's an outdoor gear shop near me that repairs tents, and they reckon they can replace the pole and patch the tear so it'll be as good as new. I've dropped it off already and it should be ready by the end of next week. Obviously I'll cover the full cost, and if for some reason it can't be repaired properly, I'll just buy you a new one, no question. Thanks so much for lending it to us, and again, I'm really sorry it ended up like this. Let me know if you need it back sooner and I'll chase the shop up. Speak soon, Jordan
The letter uses a friendly opener, covers all three bullets in order (apology/explanation, damage description, plan of action), keeps a warm and slightly guilty tone throughout, uses contractions and casual phrases like 'reckon' and 'as good as new', and closes with an informal sign-off and first name only, exactly matching how someone would write to a close friend.
Try it yourself
Write a full informal letter of at least 150 words, covering all three bullet points in a natural, friendly tone. Aim to spend about 20 minutes on this.
A close friend has just moved to a new city for a new job. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: congratulate them on the move, ask how they are settling in, invite them to visit you soon.
Common mistakes
- !Using formal phrases like 'I am writing to inform you' or 'Yours faithfully', which clash badly with an informal relationship and cost marks on tone.
- !Addressing only two of the three bullet points, or covering them so briefly that the letter feels thin, this directly limits your Task Achievement score.
- !Writing generic content with no specific, invented details, examiners can tell when a letter feels like a template rather than a real message to a real person.
- !Forgetting the bullet points must be covered in a natural, connected way rather than as three disjointed mini-paragraphs with no linking or reaction between them.
- !Signing off with a full name or 'Yours sincerely' instead of a first name and a casual closing phrase.
Quick quiz
1. Which closing phrase and signature is most appropriate for an informal letter to a close friend?
2. In an informal letter task with three bullet points, what is the best way to structure your response?
3. Why would the phrase 'I would be most grateful if you could assist me' be a problem in this task type?
4. What is the minimum word count and rough time allowance for this task?
Practise this in a real IELTS test
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Take a free Writing testIELTS General Writing: Informal Letters — FAQ
How informal can I really be in an IELTS informal letter?
Quite informal: use contractions, everyday vocabulary, exclamation marks and even casual expressions like 'reckon' or 'no worries'. The examiner wants to see that you can naturally adjust your register, so overly careful or formal English here is actually a weakness, not a strength.
Do I need to include a return address or date at the top?
No, addresses are not required in any IELTS letter task, formal or informal. You can start directly with 'Dear [Name],' and move straight into your opening line, which saves time and word count for the actual content.
What happens if I only partly cover one of the three bullet points?
This will lower your Task Achievement score even if your language is excellent, since full coverage of all bullet points is a core requirement. Aim to give each point a genuine paragraph with a specific detail or two, not just a passing single sentence.