IELTS General Writing Task 1: Letter Sample Questions & Answers

In General Training Writing Task 1, you are presented with a situation and must write a letter of at least 150 words in response. The letter may need to be written in a personal, semi-formal, or formal tone depending on the context. The task will outline three key points you must address in your letter.

You may be required to request or provide information, describe a situation, or explain a problem. These scenarios are based on everyday life, such as:

• contacting student accommodation staff to report housing issues

• writing to your employer about difficulties with time management

• expressing your views to a local newspaper about the expansion of an airport

• informing a rental agency about problems with your home’s heating system

The tone and style of your writing should match your relationship with the recipient—for example, a friendly tone when writing to someone you know well, or a more formal tone when writing to a manager or official.

You should aim to finish this task in 20 minutes. Writing fewer than 150 words will result in a penalty. You are allowed to write more, but remember that Task 2 carries twice the weight of Task 1, so time management is important.

Ensure your letter remains relevant to the topic. Marks will be deducted if your response strays off-topic or if you present your answer in bullet points. Your letter must be written as a continuous piece of text. Copying from any external source will lead to a serious penalty.

There is no need to include addresses at the top of your letter. All answers must be written directly on the answer sheet.

Skills assessed in General Writing task 1

This task assesses your ability to craft a clear, well-structured letter that employs an appropriate tone and style. Depending on the type of situation, you may be assessed on how effectively you can:

• request or share general factual information

• communicate needs, preferences, concerns, or feelings

• express opinions, complaints, or viewpoints

Required word count

You must write a minimum of 150 words.

IELTS General Writing task 1 sample question and answer

Here is a sample question of IELTS General Writing task 1 sample question with an answer for your reference:

Sample question for IELTS General Writing task 1

You live in a room in college that you share with another student. However, there are many problems with this arrangement, and you find it very difficult to work.

Write a letter to the accommodation officer at the college. In your letter

• describe the situation

• explain your problems and why it is difficult to work

• say what kind of accommodation you would prefer

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam

IELTS General Writing task 1 sample answer

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with my roommate. As you know we share one room, I cannot study in the room at all any more if I still stay there.

She always has friends visiting and having parties in the room. They make lots of noise and switch on the radio very loudly, for me, this environment is very difficult to study in, and I need a quiet room. Even borrowing my things without asking, is very impolite.

I request you give me a new room next term because I have asked her to have parties in other places many times they still have parties in the room. I really cannot stay in the same room with her.

I would be grateful if you could change me to a single room.

Yours faithfully,

Catherine

IELTS General Writing task 1 practice questions

To score well, access our IDP IELTS General Training Writing practice test pdf.

Computer-based questions with answers

IELTS General Training Writing Task 1 practice test: View Task | Download answer key

IELTS on Paper questions with answers

IELTS General Training Writing Task 1 practice test: View Task | Download answer key