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 were planning to join your friends on a trip but cannot go any more.
Write a letter to your friend. In your letter
Write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Amir,
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 Amir,
I'm so sorry to say that I can't come on the trip after all. I know how long we've been planning it, and I hate letting you down.
The reason is that I've just found out that I have to take a resit exam on 14 July, which is exactly the day after we're due to leave. I thought I'd passed the chemistry paper, but my result came back last week, and I missed it by two marks. If I fail again, I'll lose my place on the course, so I really have to spend the next few weeks revising.
I'm so disappointed. I was really looking forward to the hiking and the evenings around the fire, and I feel like I'm missing out on the best part of the summer.
Please go without me and have an amazing time! When the exam is over, why don't we plan a shorter trip of our own, maybe a weekend by the sea in August?
Love,
Selim
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| I'd better explain what happened. | start telling a story |
| To cut a long story short, | give a quick summary |
| The thing is, | introduce an explanation |
| That's why | link a reason to a result |
| Sorry for the long email! | apologise for length |
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.