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.
A new colleague has recently joined your team and you would like to welcome him.
Write a letter to your colleague, Mr Alvarez. In your letter
Write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Mr Alvarez,
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 Mr Alvarez,
I hope you are enjoying your first weeks with us. On behalf of the team, I would like to welcome you properly, and I wonder whether you could join us for dinner at my home.
I am planning a relaxed evening on Friday 14 March, beginning at 7.30 pm. I live at 22 Willow Road, ten minutes from the office by taxi. It would be a good chance for you to meet some colleagues outside work.
My wife and I will be there, together with Anna and Peter from the design team and Karim from accounts, so you will already know some of the faces.
I would like to cook something that everybody enjoys, so I would be grateful if you could tell me if there is any food that you do not eat or are allergic to. I will be happy to prepare a vegetarian meal if you prefer.
I hope you can come.
Best wishes,
Daniel Costa
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| I'd like to invite you to | polite invitation |
| We'd be delighted if you could come. | warm but polite invitation |
| Do let me know if you can make it. | ask for a reply |
| Please feel free to bring | say someone may bring a guest |
| I hope to see you there. | friendly closing |
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.