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 are no longer going abroad this summer as you had planned.
Write a letter to a friend. In your letter
Write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Rosa,
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 Rosa,
I'm afraid I have some disappointing news, and I wanted to tell you myself. I won't be going abroad this summer after all.
As you know, I was planning to spend two months teaching English in Spain, but last week the school contacted me to say that they had lost their funding, and the programme has been cancelled. I had already turned down a summer job here, so I now have no plans and no income.
To be honest, I'm pretty gutted. I had been looking forward to it for months, and it was supposed to be my first big adventure on my own.
Anyway, I've been thinking about what to do instead. I'm going to look for a part-time job to save up, and perhaps I could still take a short trip in the autumn. Or maybe you and I could spend a weekend camping at the lake, like we did two years ago? It wouldn't be Spain, but it would be fun.
Let me know what you think. I'd love to see you.
Love,
Nina
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Guess what? | introduce surprising news |
| I thought I'd let you know | share news casually |
| By the way, | add a new point |
| Apparently, | pass on something you heard |
| Keep me posted! | ask for updates |
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