Use the greeting, sign-off and paragraph plan below for this informal letter, write it on a 20-minute timer, then compare it with a band-8 model letter.
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
You had friends stay over without asking and your flatmate was upset.
Write a letter to your flatmate. In your letter
Write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Ben,
GoPrep wrote this practice question in the style of the exam. It is not an official IELTS question.
A letter to a friend ends warmly, for example Best wishes or Love, followed by your first name.
Spend the first few minutes planning, then write.
0 words of 150 minimum
Your answer stays on this page only. Copy it before you leave.
Write your own answer first, then compare: how it answers the exact question, what each paragraph does, and which phrases you could borrow.
Dear Ben,
I wanted to write to say sorry about last weekend, because I know I upset you, and I don't feel good about it.
I should have asked you before inviting my friends to stay over. Two of them came from out of town for a concert and missed the last train, so I let them sleep on the sofa without thinking. It's your home too, and you had every right to be asked, especially with your exam on Monday.
I realise that the noise and the mess in the kitchen when you got back made things worse, and I'm sorry you had to deal with that.
From now on, I promise to ask you first, and I'll always give you at least a day's notice if I want friends to stay. I'll also make sure they leave the place tidy.
Can we talk it over this evening? I'll cook dinner as a thank-you, and we can agree a few house rules together so that nothing like this happens again.
Best wishes,
Alex
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| I'm so sorry about | simple, warm apology |
| I feel awful about | say you feel very guilty |
| It was all my fault. | take the blame |
| I didn't mean to | say it was not intentional |
| Please don't be cross with me. | ask a friend not to be angry |
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