General Task 1Band 9Target: Band 8.5–9.0

Informal Letter Template

Masterful manipulation of informal tone using authentic idioms, flawless phrasal verbs, and a highly engaging, personalized narrative.

Paragraph Structure

Salutation & Opening

Dear Name, I trust this letter finds you well. I’ve been meaning to get in touch for ages, but things have been an absolute whirlwind on my end lately.

Establish a native-like rhythm immediately with phrases like 'meaning to get in touch' and 'an absolute whirlwind'.

Point 1 (Setting the Scene)

The main reason I’m reaching out is to share some rather exciting news regarding Information. As it turns out, Nuanced Detail, which I'm honestly over the moon about.

Combine the purpose of the letter with an idiom ('over the moon', 'thrilled to bits').

Point 2 (Elaborating on the Bullet Points)

It was quite a chaotic process getting everything sorted, to say the least! However, Detail. The whole situation has really made me realize that Reflection.

Show off complex, reflective sentence structures ('The whole situation has really made me realize that...') while remaining informal.

Point 3 & Closing (The Invitation & Wrap-Up)

On another note, I’d be absolutely thrilled if you could come down and see it for yourself. Do let me know if that works for you, or if we should pencil in another time. Lots of love, Your Name

Transition using idiomatic markers ('On another note'). Issue a flexible, polite invitation ('pencil in').

Useful Phrases

I trust this letter finds you well.

I’ve been meaning to get in touch for ages...

things have been an absolute whirlwind on my end lately.

The main reason I’m reaching out is to...

which I'm honestly over the moon about.

It was quite a chaotic process getting everything sorted...

to say the least!

I’d be absolutely thrilled if you could...

if we should pencil in another time.

Sample Answer

Dear Sarah, I trust this letter finds you well. I’ve been meaning to get in touch for ages, but as you can probably guess, things have been an absolute whirlwind on my end lately with the big move! The main reason I’m reaching out is to finally give you my new address. As it turns out, I managed to secure that gorgeous loft downtown that I was telling you about last month. I'm honestly over the moon about it; the exposed brickwork and massive skylights are exactly what I’ve been looking for. It was quite a chaotic process getting everything sorted with the movers, to say the least! However, the dust has finally settled, and the guest room is officially ready for visitors. On another note, I’d be absolutely thrilled if you could come down and spend a weekend here sometime in May. We could check out that new Italian bistro I mentioned. Do let me know if that works for you, or if we should pencil in another time. Lots of love, Emma

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Overusing idioms awkwardly

Trying to cram five idioms into one paragraph ('It's raining cats and dogs so I was under the weather and feeling blue') sounds like a robot trying to sound human.

Fix: Use 2 or 3 natural phrasal verbs or common idioms per letter max. Focus more on natural flow than 'tricks'.

Ignoring the bullet points

At Band 9, students sometimes write such a beautiful story that they forget to answer one of the three required bullet points.

Fix: Double-check the prompt. Even the most beautifully written letter is capped at Band 6 for Task Response if a bullet point is missing.

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