Use the greeting, sign-off and paragraph plan below for this semi-formal 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 have been offered a job in another country and your colleague has worked abroad before.
Write a letter to your colleague, Ms Petrova. In your letter
Write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Ms Petrova,
GoPrep wrote this practice question in the style of the exam. It is not an official IELTS question.
A letter to someone you know but not closely can end Kind regards or Best wishes as well as Yours sincerely, followed by your 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 Ms Petrova,
I hope you are well. I am writing because I could really use your advice, and I remember that you spent three years working in Singapore.
Last week I was offered a job as a project manager in our company's office in Frankfurt. The contract is for two years, the salary is about 20 per cent higher than I earn now, and the company would pay for my flights and first three months of accommodation.
However, I have a few worries. I do not speak German, and I am nervous about managing people in a second language. I would also be leaving my family and friends, and I am concerned about how expensive it is to live in Germany. I do not want to make a mistake that I would regret later.
Since you have been through this yourself, what would you advise? In particular, what surprised you most when you arrived, and is there anything that you wish you had known beforehand?
Thank you so much for your help.
Kind regards,
Nikolai Petrov
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| I wondered if you could give me some advice about | polite way to ask for help |
| I'd really value your opinion on | say you trust someone's view |
| You might want to consider | gentle suggestion |
| In my experience, | introduce advice from experience |
| I hope this helps. | common closing for advice |
Answer random Part 1, 2 and 3 questions on an exam timer.
Average your four skill bands, rounded the way IELTS rounds them.
Compare an IELTS band with TOEFL, Duolingo and PTE scores and CEFR levels.
Look up the IELTS score a university asks for, with the source.