[SEP – DEC 2021] IELTS General Writing Task 1 Actual Tests With Answers – Formal Letters (Part 1)

Formal Letter 1

A museum near your home is looking for people to do part-time voluntary/unpaid work. You would like to do some voluntary/unpaid work at the museum. Write a letter to the museum director to apply for the voluntary/unpaid work.

In your letter,

• explain why you want to do voluntary/unpaid work at the museum
• describe some skills and qualities you have that would be useful
• give details of when you would be available for work

Sample Answer

Dear Sir/Ma’am,

I’m writing in response to your recent posting in your newsletter for an unpaid part-time position at your museum, and I hope you would consider my application.

Since young, old historical items have piqued my attention. I enjoy reading and working with historical materials. In fact, I recently received my bachelor’s degree in History. I’d like to work in a museum to supplement my understanding of the country’s history and compare it with the rest of the world. I’d also like to expand my knowledge and expertise in dealing with crucial historical materials.

Regarding my capabilities, I am good at handling data, and I also know how to manage accounts and finances well. I am available for 4 hours every day, from next week onwards. Furthermore, I live close to the museum, making commuting incredibly convenient for me. I hope you will consider my application and hire me to work in your museum.

Yours Sincerely,
Rosie

 

Formal Letter 2

You are studying a short course in another country. Your accommodation was arranged by the course provider. There is a major problem with the accommodation. Write a letter to the course provider.

In your letter,

say what the problem is

describe the accommodation you thought you were getting

ask the provider to solve the problem

 

Sample Answer

Dear Sir,

I’m Adam Lambert, and I’ve enrolled in your university’s graphic design program. I’m writing to express my dissatisfaction with the room assigned to me for my stay during this course.

When I enrolled for this short-term course, I specifically stated my single-room lodging preferences. Regrettably, I am assigned to a shared room. Apart from that, the room that has been allocated to me is in poor condition. The bathroom shower is not operational, and the latch of the door is hanging, due to which I feel uncomfortable and insecure in my room.

I requested a clear and furnished room for my stay. I even inquired if I need to pay more for accomodation, but I was told it is not required because the room would satisfy my needs. Furthermore, my roommate usually listens to ear splitting music, making it exceedingly difficult for me to concentrate on my studies. I would much appreciate it if you could check into this and assist me.

Yours Faithfully,
Adam Lambert

 

Formal Letter 3

You have recently attended a two-day course, and now the course organizer is asking for your review and comments. Write a letter to the course organizer.

In your letter, you should:

• describe the course
• explain whether or not you liked the course, and why
• provide some suggestions for improvement.

Sample Answer

Dear Sir/Madam,

I’m Robinson, and I just finished your one-week Python crash course, which you designed and organised. This letter is being written to offer feedback on the course.

To begin, I’d like to emphasize on how well-structured the course was. The first three days were spent largely on developing theoretical concepts and learning the fundamentals. The remaining four days were devoted to completing practical tasks that helped me better understand the course.

The trainer’s directions were simple to understand and follow, and I believed the teacher was extremely knowledgeable. However, the course’s batch size was large, and the instructor could not give each student the required individual attention. Apart from that, the room’s infrastructure was inadequate and not meant to support 20 students. Thus 2 students were requested to use the same computer, causing some confusion. It would be great if you could lower the batch size or locate a space that can accommodate a large number of students. I hope my feedback proves to be beneficial to the organization.

Yours Sincerely
Robinson

 

Formal Letter 4

You have lost something on a bus and called customer service to get help. You weren’t happy with their response. Write a letter to the bus company manager.

In your letter, you should:

• describe the item you lost
• explain why you weren’t happy with the customer service
• say what action you would like the company to take.

Sample Answer

Dear Sir,

I’m writing to formally report my lost bag and express my dissatisfaction towards the customer care service I received from your office.

The day before yesterday, I was returning from the workplace to my house through the Southern Bus stop. When I reached home, I discovered that one of my bags had gone missing. After that, I called your customer service department and spoke with one of your executives. However, the response I received was insufficient and the customer service employee showed little interest in resolving my issue.

Moreover, the employee was very rude and was unwilling to listen to my problem in much detail. I requested that I go over the route and see if I had misplaced it anywhere. I was informed that they have raised a ticket for my case and will get back to me within 4 to 6 hours. I waited patiently for a full day, but I’m yet to get an answer. As a result, I would really appreciate it if you could check into this and come up with a solution. The bag is of green colour with multiple silver zips and contains many valuable documents. I eagerly await your prompt response on this matter.

Yours Sincerely,

Jisoo Kim

 

Formal Letter 5

The news company is going to start a new program on TV about a particular place. Write a letter to offer your suggestions on what the program should be like.

In your letter, you should tell:

• how you know about that place
• what suggestions you would like to make
• Why are you offering these suggestions.

Sample Answer

Dear Sir/Ma’am,

I am writing this letter in regards to the new program on your news channel. As a travel blogger, I enjoy discovering new places, and I’d like to offer some information on the charming town of Sissu in Himachal Pradesh.

While going to Leh Ladak a few months back, I stopped at this lovely town called Sissu. The government had recently developed a new tunnel to make commuting simpler. After passing through the tunnel, I arrived in the town of Sissu. It was a lovely, undiscovered village, completely wrapped in a blanket of snow.

The reason I’m recommending this town to you is that such tiny towns are extremely reliant on tourists, and your news station can promote tourism in such a small town with this programme. Furthermore, it would be a fantastic opportunity for your news station to discover such unknown and lovely Himalayan settlements. I hope you will follow my advice and visit this fascinating Himalayan location. I wish you the best of luck with your new programme.

Yours Faithfully,
HardikJain

 

Formal Letter 6

You read an article in a newspaper about a city/town. Some of the information in that article is wrong. Write a letter to the newspaper editions.

In your letter, you should:

• describe how you know the city/town
• tell what the problems are
• suggest what you want the editor to do.

Sample Answer

Dear Sir,

I’m writing this letter to draw your attention to the information published about Kanchipuram, the day before yesterday.

My grandparents lived in Kanchipuram, and so our roots are tied to that city. I pay frequent visits to the area. Our ancestral home is very close to the “Varadaraja Perumal Temple”. I visit the temple whenever I go there and have a darshan of the Lord.

In your article, you had published that Lord Mount Batten gifted a necklace to the temple, which is entirely wrong. The original history states that it was Robert Clive (the then British General during the colonial period) who presented the necklace. He witnessed the Garuda seva [ Darshan of the Lord Garuda] and gave an expensive necklace that came to be known as Clive Maharkandi. It is used for decorating the Lord on special occasions every year. I’ve also enclosed some references relating to the same.

I request you to correct the information and also add a footnote stating that the information contained in the article was wrong. It would help if you took great care when publishing historical facts. As the circulation of your newspaper is enormous, it is highly recommended that you write correct information.

I am looking forward to your quick action on this matter.

Yours Sincerely,
Sheela

 

Formal Letter 7

You ordered equipment online. However, when you received it, it was damaged. Send a letter to the manager of the company.

In your letter, you should tell:

• giving the details about the equipment
• explain the damage
• suggest what you want the manager to do.

Sample Answer

Dear Sir/Madam,

I’m writing this letter to inform you about a faulty delivery made by your company.

Last week, I ordered a Chimney for the kitchen from your online store. I unpacked and assembled the Chimney, and when I put it to work, it created a loud, jarring noise. Upon enquiring with a local electrician, he reported that the Chimney’s noise controller was not working properly. I am disappointed with the product as I had ordered an A-grade chimney from a reputed online store, which cost a huge fortune.

I immediately called the customer service and registered my complaint. They gave me a complaint id for future reference. I regret to inform you that it has been over a week and no action has been taken on the issue. I repeatedly called the customer service quoting my complaint id. Every time, I was told that they would look into the matter.

At one point, I got frustrated and decided to write to you. I have a five-year warranty for the Chimney. So, I would like you to replace the Chimney or at least the noise controller. If not, I request a refund.

I am looking forward to your immediate action in this regard.

 

Formal Letter 8

There is a problem related to the changing room of your gym in your community. You reported it several times, but it was not solved. Write a letter to the manager.

In your letter, you should:

• describe the problem
• what they said while reporting the problem
• what you want the manager to do.

Sample Answer

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing this letter to complain about the pathetic condition of the door of the gym’s changing room in our community. The negligence of the local authorities towards this issue has been disheartening.

The door is made of a cheap commodity of wood. Due to roof leakage, there is a fungal attack on the bottom part of the door. It has rotten to the extent that nearly 1/4th quantity of wood at the bottom is missing. After repeated requests to the local authorities to replace the door, they sent a carpenter who did some preservative techniques and told us that all was well. But the decay began again after some time. When he was called again, he said that the door has to be replaced. It has been a month since this report was given, and the local authorities have been entirely negligent about this.

So, I have no choice but to write to you. I request you to replace the door at the earliest.

Looking forward to your immediate action on this problem.

Yours Sincerely,
Kim

 

Formal Letter 9

You learned a piece of news from your friend regarding a part-time job at a new international company near your house. Write a letter to that company.

In your letter, you should:

• explain why you need that job
• give the details what you can do for the company
• suggest the time that you can work.

Sample Answer

Dear Sir/Madam,

I stay at 41 Mill Road, London. I’m a student of Engineering at Roehampton College, London. I qualified for the scholarship, but I’m not able to manage my expenses. So I gave it a thought to work part-time for a company.

At just the right time, when I was thinking about this, Jack, a friend of mine who works as an Adv. Consultant in your company informed me that there is a vacancy for a part-time job in the chip design sector. I’m a student of Engineering, and hence we have quite a lot of papers in microprocessors. So, I think I can fit into the circuit design division of your company.

As I’m a day scholar, I prefer night shifts. My convenient time would be from 7:00 PM at night to 2:00 AM. Your company is on Abbey Road, which is near my place. So I can report promptly.

I am looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

Oliver

 

Formal Letter 10

Write a letter to the department of education to provide financial assistance for a short training course that you want to do in some foreign country.

In your letter, you should tell:

• what course you want to take
• why you want to take the course
• how financial assistance can help you.

Sample Answer

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am Shyam residing in JP Nagar, Bangalore. Currently, I work as a senior software engineer at ABC company. I have an experience of nearly six years in the industry. But I want to upskill myself by doing a course on Artificial Intelligence and machine learning from Germany. So I am writing this letter to get financial aid during my stay in Germany.

The duration of the course is one year. I chose this course because AI and ML is a booming field. There are many job opportunities overseas. A degree from a reputed university on AI and ML would be very beneficial to my career in the long run.

As I hail from a middle-income group, I need support from the education department to help me pursue my dream course. I have enclosed all the necessary documents to qualify for financial assistance. It can help me cover up my tuition fee and living expenses while I stay there.

Yours sincerely,

Shyam