By English Test Coach · Updated
General Training Task 1 · Respectful language and practical proposals
Writing to a manager, neighbour or club coordinator calls for attention to the relationship. Be courteous and specific about the problem, the effect and the arrangement you are proposing. Knowing someone does not automatically make a casual tone suitable.
The official IELTS General Training format requires a letter of at least 150 words, with style suited to the situation. These fictional questions, plans and annotated letters are original teaching examples, not official or examiner-scored answers.
“Semi-formal” is a useful practice label for situations that need a respectful, personal approach. It is not a fixed recipe for mixing formal phrases with slang. A manager considering a change to working hours needs a different letter from a close friend receiving a birthday apology.
Use any greeting supplied by the task. In the manager example, “Dear Ms Patel” and “Yours sincerely” suit a named professional recipient. The neighbour example uses “Dear Neighbour” because no name is supplied in that fictional situation, and ends with “Kind regards”. These are choices for the examples, not universal rules for everyone you know.
Keep the body consistent with the relationship. A polite greeting cannot repair “You must agree to this” later in the letter. Compare the formal lost-property request and informal apology to a friend to see how both purpose and phrasing change.
You need to change your working hours temporarily to attend a training programme. Write a letter to your manager. Explain the programme, describe the change in hours you need, and suggest how your work could be covered.
The task asks for the programme, the change in hours and coverage of your work. Spending the whole letter explaining why the course is valuable leaves the practical request incomplete.
Keep a proposal distinct from an agreement. The sample does not announce that a colleague has accepted extra work. “If you agree, I could discuss the arrangement with Sam” leaves the manager and colleague room to confirm what is possible.
“For the six Tuesdays of the course, would it be possible for me to finish at 3.30 p.m. instead of 5 p.m.? I could start earlier on those days and complete the routine stock checks before leaving. If you are happy with the proposal, I would discuss cover for urgent enquiries with the afternoon team.”
The time, duration, work and condition are explicit. It is a planning extract, not the complete answer. Read the full shift-request letter and paragraph annotations to see how the course explanation and closing fit around it.
A neighbour in your apartment building has recently been making noise late at night. Write a letter to the neighbour. Describe the noise, explain how it affects you, and suggest a way to solve the problem.
The sample identifies the writer’s flat, music and furniture being moved, and the pattern after 11 p.m. over two weeks. “You are always inconsiderate” judges the person and does not tell them which sound or time needs attention.
The writer explains difficulty falling asleep and waking during the night, with an early work start the next morning. That develops the impact without inventing a medical diagnosis or accusing the neighbour of deliberate harm.
The proposal is to lower the music and avoid moving furniture after 10.30 p.m. on weekdays, with advance notice for a gathering. These are fictional proposed arrangements, not a statement of legal quiet hours.
The writer offers to exchange contact details and invites a note or conversation. Acknowledge that the neighbour may not realise how much sound carries. Consideration does not require hiding the problem; it helps make the request easier to discuss.
Read the complete neighbour-noise letter. Its purpose is to resolve an ongoing problem. The manager letter asks for permission to change an arrangement. Both need courtesy, but their requested next steps differ.
You borrowed a portable speaker from a local club and did not return it on the agreed day. You know the club coordinator through regular volunteering. Write a letter to the coordinator. Apologise and explain the delay, describe how you will return the equipment, and say how you will avoid a similar problem.
The coordinator knows the writer through volunteering, but the letter concerns a missed responsibility. A named greeting and a courteous, direct explanation fit that relationship. The purpose is to put the late return right; it is different from asking a friend to overlook a missed celebration.
Draft: “Sorry about the speaker. I was busy and thought it was due later. I will return it soon, so please make sure someone is there.”
One revision: “I am sorry that I missed the agreed return on Monday. I entered Tuesday in my calendar and should have checked our message. I can bring the speaker and its accessories today at 5.30 p.m.; please let me know whether that time works for you. In future, I will confirm the return date when collecting equipment and set an earlier reminder.”
The revision supplies responsibility, timing and a relevant prevention step. Now change the return proposal because the club is closed that evening. Offer an alternative for the coordinator to accept rather than announcing an unattended drop-off.
Use fictional details that make the task concrete and remain consistent. A reason for the delay is not a reason to deny its effect, and repeated apologies cannot replace a return arrangement. Read the complete equipment-return apology and annotations before drafting a different solution.
Write your own equipment-return apology →“I need different hours because my course is important. Someone can do my work. Please approve this.”
Before rewriting, identify what is missing: the dates or duration, the exact hours, the work that needs cover and whether the proposed cover has been agreed. Add only plausible fictional details that fit the task.
“Could I finish at 3.30 p.m. on Tuesdays for the six weeks of the course? I could complete the regular stock checks earlier in the day and prepare a handover for urgent enquiries. If this seems workable, I would be happy to discuss suitable afternoon cover with you before confirming the course.”
The request gives a time and duration, distinguishes routine tasks from urgent work, and makes approval conditional. Develop the course description elsewhere; this paragraph alone does not cover the whole task.
A courteous request does not need several layers of elaborate politeness. “Would it be possible…” or “Could I…” can introduce a clear proposal. Keep the rest of the sentence specific, and avoid switching to commands or very casual slang later.
You borrowed a portable speaker from a local club and did not return it on the agreed day. You know the club coordinator through regular volunteering. Write a letter to the coordinator. Apologise and explain the delay, describe how you will return the equipment, and say how you will avoid a similar problem.
Focus: Acknowledge the late return, explain without evasion, agree a practical remedy and prevent the same mistake.
You need to change your working hours temporarily to attend a training programme. Write a letter to your manager. Explain the programme, describe the change in hours you need, and suggest how your work could be covered.
Focus: Define the hours and duration, explain the value of the training and propose cover subject to agreement.
A neighbour in your apartment building has recently been making noise late at night. Write a letter to the neighbour. Describe the noise, explain how it affects you, and suggest a way to solve the problem.
Focus: Identify the noise and its effect, then suggest a specific change and a way to discuss it.
Practise another relationship in the purpose-and-tone lesson, or review the worked letter assessment example before focusing on word count.
Plan the task points, then write at least 150 words in about 20 minutes. Public AI assessment is paused; the free workspace still offers the planner, timer and word count without an account. The rule-based demo is not an AI score.