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IELTS General Training Writing Band 9 Tips

You know there are two sections in IELTS Writing, Task 1 and Task 2. The Task 2 is the same for both IELTS Academic and General Training. You will need to write at least 250 words for a Task 2 essay, and it will carry two third marks of the whole Writing part. Also, you know that you must complete both Task 1 and Task 2 in 60 minutes. As the Task 2 carries two thirds of the total Writing marks, you should use two thirds of the time for this, which is 40 minutes. We also suggest you complete the Task 2 section at first, and then jump on to Task 1. That means, use the remaining 20 minutes on the Task 1 response.

However, unlike Task 2, the Task 1 of General Training is different from that of IELTS Academic. In IELTS Academic, you will write a report on diagrams, whereas in General Training you will need to write a letter. The letter can be formal or informal. Click here for the detailed discussion on IELTS General Training writing. Here on this page, we will share some important tips that will help you avail smart score in the letter section.

At first be familiar with the ideas that usually appear in the question. For example,

  • sharing some experience with your friend,

  • giving someone important suggestions or advice

  • apologizing for the offence you caused

  • talking to your manager / boss explaining some issues

  • applying for a position and justifying why you are perfect for this

  • resigning from a position

  • requesting for some important information

  • complaining on some goods or services etc.

Practice some informal expressions, because you will need them when you write a letter to your friend or a close family member. The informal language can be like this,

  • sorry, it's taken me so long to write back, 

  • How's is it going? / How is life?

  • Just wanted to drop you a line.

  • By the way, did you hear about....?

  • Anyway, I was wondering...

  • Well, got to go now / I've got to leave off now.

  • Drop me a line if you have time / Keep in touch.

  • Look after yourself / Take care of yourself.

  • All the best / Best wishes.

  • Lots of love / All my love

  • Take care etc.

However, if you are not writing the letter to your friend or a close family member, you should not use informal language, it might damage your score. Furthermore, other than in the informal letter, never use contraction forms like can't, won't, he'll, I'll etc.

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In addition, when you are given the question, make sure you are reading the bullet points thoroughly. Write separate paragraphs for each bullet point and use the same tenses in the paragraphs following the corresponding bullet points.

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We hope these few simple tips will help you come up with a smart score in IELTS General Training Writing Task 1 (Letter Writing.)

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