Letter Types: Formal, Semi-Formal and Informal
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Lesson overview
Choosing the right register and tone for a GT Task 1 letter from the situation in the prompt, and keeping it consistent from greeting to sign-off.
Go to lesson quiz →Exam guidance · IELTS Band-Descriptor Lens
Pacing
Strict section timing; Writing Task 2 carries twice the weight of Task 1.
How IELTS GT marks this
Task Response, Coherence & Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range & Accuracy.
Watch out for
True / False / Not Given: 'False' contradicts the text, whereas 'Not Given' has no textual proof either way.
Lesson content
Overview
In IELTS General Training, Writing Task 1 is a letter, not a description of a chart. You get a short situation — a problem with a flat, a request to your manager, an invitation to a friend — and three bullet points that tell you what the letter must include. You have about 20 minutes and must write at least 150 words. You do not write any addresses. Before you plan a single sentence, decide who you are writing to. The reader decides the register: how formal your language is, how you greet the reader, how you sign off and which words and grammar sound natural. Examiners assess this under Task Achievement, so a perfectly accurate letter in the wrong tone cannot reach the higher bands. There are three registers in GT letters. Formal letters go to an organisation or a person you do not know. Semi-formal letters go to someone you know in a formal role, such as a landlord, a manager, a teacher or a neighbour you know only slightly. Informal letters go to a friend or family member.
Key concept: the three registers
Formal — reader: a company, a council, a hotel manager whose name you don't know. Greeting: 'Dear Sir or Madam'. Sign-off: 'Yours faithfully', then your full name. Language: no contractions, polite indirect requests ('I would be grateful if you could…'), precise vocabulary ('inform', 'request', 'arrange'). Semi-formal — reader: someone you know, in a formal relationship. Greeting: 'Dear Mr Patel' or 'Dear Ms Okoro'. Sign-off: 'Yours sincerely' or 'Kind regards', then your name. Language: polite and clear, with a friendly sentence or two; a few contractions are acceptable. Informal — reader: a friend or relative. Greeting: 'Dear Sam' or 'Hi Sam'. Sign-off: 'Best wishes', 'Love' or 'See you soon', then your first name. Language: contractions, phrasal verbs ('catch up', 'sort out'), questions to the reader and some exclamation marks — but still correct grammar and clear paragraphs.
Tone: how the same message changes
Register is not only the greeting. It runs through every sentence. Compare three ways of asking for something: Formal: 'I would be grateful if you could send me a copy of the receipt.' Semi-formal: 'Could you possibly send me a copy of the receipt?' Informal: 'Can you send me the receipt when you get a chance?' Formal letters prefer single, precise verbs ('postpone', 'contact', 'receive') where informal letters use phrasal verbs ('put off', 'get in touch', 'get'). Formal letters avoid contractions ('I am', 'it is'); informal letters use them naturally ('I'm', 'it's'). The most common tone problem is not choosing the wrong register — it is switching register half-way through, for example a polite formal complaint that ends 'Cheers, Ana' or a friendly letter that suddenly says 'I wish to inform you'.
Worked example 1: a formal opening
Prompt: 'You bought a coffee machine online, but it stopped working after a week. Write a letter to the company.'
Active Worked Example · Predict Step 1
5 stepsWrite down the formula, rule, or first move you would make before revealing Step 1.
Worked example 2: the same news, informally
Prompt: 'Write a letter to a friend telling them about a problem with something you bought recently.'
Active Worked Example · Predict Step 1
5 stepsWrite down the formula, rule, or first move you would make before revealing Step 1.
Worked example 3: deciding the register
Decide the register for each prompt.
Active Worked Example · Predict Step 1
4 stepsWrite down the formula, rule, or first move you would make before revealing Step 1.
Common traps
• Mismatched pairs: 'Dear Sir or Madam' with 'Yours sincerely', or 'Dear Mr Patel' with 'Yours faithfully'. • Switching register in the middle of the letter, especially in the last line. • Writing an informal letter in slang. 'Gonna', 'wanna' and text abbreviations ('u', 'btw') are never appropriate. • Making a formal letter rude. A complaint can be firm and still polite: 'I expect a full refund' is fine; insults are not. • Starting with an essay sentence ('Nowadays, technology is important') instead of the purpose of the letter.
Summary
• GT Task 1 is a letter of at least 150 words in about 20 minutes, written to a situation with three bullet points. • The reader decides the register: formal (unknown reader or organisation), semi-formal (known, formal role), informal (friend or family). • Match the greeting and sign-off: Dear Sir or Madam → Yours faithfully; Dear Mr/Ms … → Yours sincerely; Dear + first name → Best wishes. • Register runs through every sentence: contractions, phrasal verbs and request forms all signal tone. • Keep one tone from the first line to the last.
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