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.
You attended a conference where a speaker gave a very useful talk.
Write a letter to Professor Ito, the speaker. In your letter
Write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Professor Ito,
GoPrep wrote this practice question in the style of the exam. It is not an official IELTS question.
A letter to a named person ends Yours sincerely, 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 Professor Ito,
I am writing to thank you for your excellent talk on renewable energy storage at the Green Futures Conference last week. I found it the most informative session of the entire event.
What I particularly appreciated was the way you explained complicated technical ideas in such a clear and practical way. The case studies from Scandinavia were fascinating, and I took many notes.
Your talk will be very useful for me. My company is planning to install a battery system at one of our factories next year, and I am responsible for preparing the proposal. The comparison between the different technologies that you described will help me to decide which option to recommend,.
I would be very grateful if you could tell me where I can find more information. Do you have a published paper, or a copy of your slides that I could read? Any recommendations for further reading would also be welcome.
Yours sincerely,
Ricardo Alves
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| I am writing to thank you for | formal opening for a thank-you letter |
| I would like to express my sincere gratitude for | say thank you in a strong, formal way |
| Your support made a real difference. | say that someone's help mattered |
| I would be happy to return the favour. | offer to help in the future |
| Once again, thank you for | repeat thanks in the 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.