Use the greeting, sign-off and paragraph plan below for this 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 company ordered office furniture, but you now need to change the quantity.
Write a letter to the supplier. In your letter
Write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Sir or Madam,
GoPrep wrote this practice question in the style of the exam. It is not an official IELTS question.
A letter that begins Dear Sir or Madam ends Yours faithfully, followed by your full 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 Sir or Madam,
I am writing with reference to our order number 5521, placed on 4 March, for forty office chairs and twenty desks, which was confirmed in your email of 6 March.
Since then, our plans have changed. Our company has decided to postpone the opening of the second floor of our new building, so we no longer need so much furniture at this stage. I would therefore like to reduce the quantity of chairs from forty to twenty-five and the number of desks from twenty to twelve. All other details of the order, including the model and colour, should remain the same.
I would be grateful if you could confirm that this change is possible and send me a revised invoice showing the new total.
Finally, could you tell me when the revised order could be delivered? We would need the furniture by 15 April at the latest, because that is when the first staff will move in.
I apologise for any inconvenience.
Yours faithfully,
Jonathan Pierce
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| I am writing to inform you that | formal opening to give news |
| I would like to bring to your attention | tell someone about something important |
| Please be advised that | formal way of warning or informing |
| For further details, please do not hesitate to contact me. | invite more questions |
| I hope this clarifies the situation. | polite closing after explaining |
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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.