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.
Your neighbour has children at a local school and you are choosing one for your son.
Write a letter to your neighbour, Mrs Dalton. In your letter
Write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Mrs Dalton,
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 Mrs Dalton,
I hope you are well. I am writing to ask for your help with a decision that we are finding very difficult.
My son, Leo, will be eleven next September and will be moving to secondary school. We have only recently come to this area, so we know very little about the schools nearby. We are deciding between St Mary's and Oakfield School, and as your children go to Oakfield, I thought that you would be the ideal person to ask.
First of all, what do you think of the school in general? I would like to know whether the teachers are friendly and helpful, whether the classes are very large, and whether your children are happy there. Leo is quite shy and loves music and football, so I would also be interested in the clubs and activities that are available.
Secondly, have you had any problems with the school? For example, is there a lot of homework, or any difficulty with bullying or transport? Please be honest, as this will help us a great deal.
Thank you very much.
Kind regards,
Ahmed Farouk
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| I wondered if you could give me some advice about | polite way to ask for help |
| What would you suggest I do? | ask directly but politely |
| I'd really value your opinion on | say you trust someone's view |
| In my experience, | introduce advice from experience |
| I hope this helps. | common closing for advice |
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