It is common to be asked to write an IELTS apology letter for General Training writing task 1. You might be given a formal or informal apology letter. You must use the correct style and tone to get a high band score. Always decide what type of letter you must write before you start planning. Students taking the academic test, do not write letters for task 1 writing.
Below you will find:
- an informal apology letter: question and model answer
- a formal apology letter: question and model answer
- link to essential tips for IELTS letter writing
Note the difference in tone, content and also language between formal and informal apology letters.
IELTS Informal Apology Letter
This letter was in the IELTS test, October 2017.
Write a letter to a friend. You have borrowed something from your friend and it got damaged.
- Apologize for damaging the product
- Explain what happened
- Say how are you going to fix the issue
IELTS Model Answer Apology Letter – Informal
Dear Emily,
Sorry it’s taken me so long to write to you but at last I put pen to paper to explain why I haven’t returned that DIY book I borrowed from you.
To be honest, I’ve been feeling so guilty that I delayed writing to you. I have to own up that I damaged the book accidentally. I’m so very sorry. I know how important that book is to you as it was passed down from your late father.
What happened is that I had been reading up on the chapter about DIY plumbing when I knocked over my cup of coffee which splashed all over the book. Most of the stain is on the pages that were open at the time.
I’ve sent the book away to be repaired. I didn’t realise that was even possible until I researched it. Anyway, it should be as good as new when I get it back next week and then I’ll send it on to you.
Again, I’m so sorry for the delay in telling you. I hope you can forgive me.
Best wishes
Sarah
IELTS Formal Apology Letter
Write a letter to your boss apologising for the recent meeting you missed at work.
- Apologise for missing the meeting.
- Explain what happened.
- Say what you will do to compensate.
Model Answer for an IELTS Formal Apology Letter
Dear Mr Drummond,
I am writing to apologise for the meeting I missed on October 20th about development plans for the company.
I am sincerely sorry for not being able to attend this meeting. I am aware of the importance of the meeting but, unfortunately, my absence was unavoidable.
The reason for not attending this meeting was that I had a car accident on the way to work that day. Although the accident was not serious, I was taken to hospital for a check up and not allowed to leave until I had been given the all clear from a doctor.
I understand how crucial this meeting was and, therefore, I have asked one of my colleagues, Sandra Brown, to review the meeting with me after work today. We will go over all development plans and also people’s roles and responsibilities. By the end of today, I will be up to speed with all plans.
I hope you will forgive my absence and be assured of my commitment to this company and its future.
Yours sincerely,
Richard Brollend
Useful Link
You can find essential tips for IELTS letters on this page: IELTS GT Letter Writing Tips
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Dear Neha,
Sorry, it’s taken me so long to write to you but at last, I decided to own up my mistake why I haven’t returned your new laptop till yet.
Actually I want to apologise as I accidentally damaged your new laptop, which I had borrowed for my office presentation. I am feeling bitterly disappointed about this, as I know you had bought a new laptop.
To be honest, everything was going well while I was working on my presentation, but after sometime when I was having my cup of coffee, I accidentally spilt coffee over it, and since then laptop is not working. Though I had tried many times to restart the windows all went in vain.
I know it’s my blunder mistake and that is why I had already sent the laptop to repair centre and they had promised me to get it to repair within a week. I didn’t want to cause you inconvenience and for this reason, I had arranged another laptop for you to attend your online classes.
I hope you can forgive me!
Best wishes
Ridhi
Dear Sara,
Sorry for connecting you late, I remember that i borrowed a laptop on last Tuesday and we had a word that i will give it back in our speculated time.
Iam extremely sorry that i could nt’ do that. I know how much important the laptop is for As your carry all your task on the laptop.
what happened is i was on your laptop and my son knocked out from the table as a result the screen is broken, And i gave it to replace the screen. The work is progress.
I hope you understand and i give an assurance that it is repaired as soon as possible.Once again i am very sorry.
yours lovingly,
Usha.
Dear Aish ,
I am writing this latter to apology for as your laptop has been damaged, i borrowed from you last on Sunday but unfortunately got damaged
I know how much you like it and it gifted from your mother on last birthday when i was packing my bag in the class at that time laptop slip from my hand and fall on floor got damaged hole outer body
I show the laptop service center they are assured that can be repair by with some amount of money however next on Friday i’ll get it and i handing over to you
Again i really sorry for inconvenience this event will not effect our friendship let’s meet up on Sunday morning.
Regards
Mayuraish.
Hi Saira,
Hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter to apologize as I might have damaged the Bluetooth speaker that I borrowed from you last week.
Your speaker was in an excellent condition when I started using it. Yesterday, I took it with me for a beach party, where it started raining all of a sudden. I was unable to secure it in time and it got drenched in water. Now when I play it, I constantly hear noise with the music.
I am going to show the speaker to a technician tomorrow. I am hoping that there is an easy fix for it and the speaker will be rectified. Otherwise, I will order a new one for you. I will call you tomorrow and update you.
I know how much you liked this speaker. I really apologize for what has happened.
Talk to you soon,
Nilesh
Dear Jane,
It was great meeting you last week for a play day with the girls. We all had so much fun!!
I am writing to explain you that an accident has happened at home and I ended up breaking the blender I borrowed from you that day. It was silly of me, really. I decided to fix a smoothie for the girls yesterday afternoon and the moment I grabbed the handle I dropped the whole thing on the floor.
The machine is obviously still working but the cup fell on the floor and broke into a million pieces, leaving glass and smoothie all over the kitchen. I am so very sorry for breaking it and I hope you can forgive me.
My husband Ivan has already gone to the shop to get you a brand new one so you do not need to worry about a thing. It´ll be as it never happened. I just thought I should tell you, for the sake of my conscious and our friendship!
I´ll see you again next week, dear!
Warmly,
Iane (10 min – 179 words)
Dear John,
I am writing to apologise for missing our team meeting this morning. I know how important and productive those meetings are and I hope you can forgive me for not being there.
The reason I missed it was because my biggest client had an urgent matter to deal with and needed my help, leaving me no room for refusal. The good news is that I not only helped him fix the problem but managed to secure us another big deal. He was so happy with the solution I proposed that he decided to expand our partnership.
I have already spoken to Mary and Kay about all that has been discussed in today´s meeting and I would like to reassure you that I am already on top of everything that has to be done. It will be as though I was there, I promise you.
I look forward to seeing you tomorrow at the office.
Best Regards,
Iane (11 min – 158 words)
Hi, Liz, thank you very much for your blog – it´s a bless!! If you could be so kind so check the two letters above I´d be grateful. Thank you!
Sorry I do not offer marking on this website. However, other people can feel free to comment.
Dear Kinjal
I am writing this letter to just forgive me as your Favourite mobile tablet has been broken on last night.
It was thanks you to gave me your valuable mobile tablet to complete my science assignment, which will be shown to teacher on 21st Jun but unfortunately it has been broken by me last night when it was kept on the table and my hand would kicked on the corner of it and it felt down and broken it screen.
It is wonder and grateful for me, when i contacted the service center and they ask me the problem, All of a sudden he told me the resolve the problem by replacing the touch screen. I already dispatched the tablet to the Service center and it will get back probably after one week.
So once i will get i will sure to meet you with your lovely Tablet and thanks giving to your support on it. Again sorry and please forgive me for my mistake.
Your Sincerely,
Mayur Patel
No need to mark.but Liz,,if u would comment about the falt…we are grateful to you.
Sorry but that isn’t something I can offer.
This was the letter I came with. still I need to practice to write under 20 mins.
Dear Mr. Smith,
I am writing to apologize to you for the important board meeting I missed last Tuesday, 2nd of May. I know how important it is to you that all your team members are present when the meeting is concerning our big client’s projects.
I am sincerely sorry for my absence, however, I was put in an avoidable situation. That day, I decided to commute going to work as my sister need to borrow my car. One my way, while we were approaching King George Blvd. our bus was hit by a delivery truck leaving few people lightly injured. I am thankful I was not injured at all, but the medical volunteers insisted for all of us to get checked at the nearest hospital.
I asked one of my colleagues Anna Birch to go over with me everything that was discussed in the meeting after work today. I will work extra hours tomorrow and the next day to catch up and work with the whole team regarding the pitch we are preparing for our big client next week.
Hoping you forgive my absence.
Yours truly,
Ruvi Garcia
Hi Liz, I wrote an apologize letter but wasn’t sure how many mistakes happened. If you could please take few minutes and advise me for improvements & mistakes would be highly obliged. Thanks in advance!
Hi Sally,
Hope You’re in good health!
I am sorry that i took so long to tell you about this but unfortunately, The printer that i borrowed from you got mishandled & damaged.
It was tuesday morning when i was loading the printer in the trunk of my car, It fell from my hand because of heavy load & sweat in my hands. As you can understand it was bright sunny day. I immediately took it back to the house to check if the hardware part of the printer is still working and unfortunately it wasn’t.
I contacted the HP technical support firm present in my local region for the fixation and they assured me that with a little amount of charge they can replace the whole printer since it was under warranty as it only 2 month old. So i asked for the replacement and deposited the charge and got assured from the firm that the replacement would be sent to the registered address within 2-3 Business days. Hopefully you will receive the replacement product by friday.
Once again, I am sorry about the unfortunate event. Hope you’ll forgive me about it.
Best Wishes
SID
Hey Liz,
Thank you so much for your great help as your topics and all the stuff provided by you is wonderful..
Dear Mr.Sandeep,
First of all I owe you my apology from my side with regard to the meeting which i had missed on 31st March 2020.
Aside that I certainly know that the importance of meeting which focuses on the companys long term planning and strategy.
As my father is suffering my long term cardiological problems , there is a sudden arise on that day for medical treatment which is inevitable.
To set aside my absence I will take the necessary notes and training from my immediate reporting manager Ms.Shwetangi Tohan.
Yours Faithfully.
Hi Anita,
I’ve being finding it difficult to explain why I haven’t returned your laptop charger I borrowed from you since on 20th of April 2020.
I’m writing to apologize that your charger was mistakenly damaged last week Saturday, as I was returning back from my Computer Science class.
This was how the incident that led to your charger been damaged happened. I had a Computer Science late night class, and your laptop charger was with me. Unfortunately, there was a heavy rain fall, I couldn’t get a taxi back to my hostel, since it was raining and very late. And nor of my course mates were mobile. So I had to enter into the rain and walked all the way from Science Faculty to the Female Hostel which is a very long distance. Unluckily for me by the time I got into the hostel that night, your charger was already damaged.
Although, I’ve contacted two special engineers to help me fix the charger back to its original state when you gave it to me. These engineers have promised to do a very good job and I promised to return it on or before this coming Monday after fixing is done.
I’m so sorry for this uncontrollable incident, I promised it will never happen again. I hope you will find a place in your heart to forgive me dear.
Thank you so much,
Benny.
Dear John,
There aren’t enough word to explain my sadness when I writing this letter to you. Because the drone, which is I borrowed you, is broken. I’m so sorry about that.
As you know, I borrowed it for record some videos when me and Jane visiting new places in our summer vocatiın. I started to fly it when we were in huge and amazing valley. It’s hard to believe, but a wild attacked it and the drone broken. Can you imagine that?
After that unusual issue, I ran and get the drone and it’s broken parts on the road. We went to city centre to fix it. Luckily, there was an electronical repair center. Repairman check it and said “It’s all electronic parts are working well, but we haven’t the broken plastic part here. If you want, I can print it by 3D printer.
So, we waited in there for five hours. Finally, he fix it and it’s working as same as before.
Warm wishes,
Dear Mr Abdul,
This letter is to let you know how apologetic I was for not able to meet up with the meeting scheduled for friday.I sincerely apologise for not been present.
I was actually preparing for the meeting when the unexpected happened. My dad collapsed and needed to be taken to the hospital been the only one around that can drive, had to quickly rush him to the hospital. Before we could finish all the test and the medical formalities the time for the meeting has already elapsed.
I have already been given a copy of the minutes of the meeting to update me of the major decisions at the meeting and promised to ensure executions of all decision to the fullest.In addition to this, I promised to work extra hours to increase the productivity of the organisation
I sincerely thank you for understanding my plight.
Thank you
Yours sincerely
Hajarat usman
Hi Liz.
Thank you for so much valuable information.
I wanted to know if we need to include the three points in the question in the same order? Can we add the first point at the last?
You are being marked on your logical order of information. Why would you alter the order? It wouldn’t be logical to alter it. Make sure you spend time getting to know the band score descriptors issued by IELTS. You can find descriptions of them on my site in the Test Info section and also you can google them.
Dear Liz,
When writing a formal letter like an absence from an urgent meeting, can we use the sentence that “I know my presence was highly important and I must have been conspicuous from my absence in the meeting”? Is the phrase “conspicuous from absence” informal or formal? Can you please suggest an alternate phrase if this is not appropriate?
It sounds as though you have memorised language to impress the examiner. Yes, you need to write formally. But you also need to write naturally. Also, the words “”my presence was highly important” means that you were an important person for the meeting – are you sure you want to give that impression to your boss?? It is more important to get the meaning right than to push words into your writing to impress the examiner (that will mostly likely be used incorrectly). Don’t aim to impress, aim for accuracy of meaning.
Dear Sandra,
Hope you are doing well?
Sorry it took me so long to write, but you remember we met a month ago and I borrowed one of your book, the book named The Alchemist which I know is your favorite.
I am afraid to tell you this, I accidentally damaged it. Couple of days ago, late night i was reading it and when i got up to keep it on the study table I accidentally tipped a ink bottle over it.
I am sorry that the copy of the book is beyond repair now, hence the ink was spread all over the book. I tried my best to look for a solution online, but was not able to find suitable enough to over come this mishapping. I also checked online for the new copy of it and i already have order it, the copy with be delivered to your home address in few days.
I am really sorry once again. Hope this will affect our friendship.
Giovanni
Hi Vanelia,
I hope your doing Great!!
You know we met last week and i borrowed a book from you. After meeting with you i went to meet my cousin and he is just 5 year old. I kept your book in my bag, but I didn’t how he took that book from my bag and tear out some pages of that book.
I am so sorry for what my brother did with your book and some how i manage to fix up those pages but it would not be like as earlier but still all pages are readable. I hope this will not impact our friendship.
I will return your book tomorrow and we will plan a meeting for next week.
Thanks
Dear Albert,
I hope that my letter finds you well. I’d like to let you know that the camcoder I took from you for my vacation in Dominicana got broken and I think that it is unrepairable.
I sencerely apologise for damaging your camcoder. I know how you liked your camera. It was very lightweight and easy to use device with crystal clear image.
It all happened two days ago, on a last day of our vacation. I was taking a video of my son swimming in the pool when I accidentally dropped the camera into the water. However, I had a chance to capture all our holiday and had transferred all video files to my computer the night before the accident. videos have amazing quality and I’m very grateful to you for giving me this opportunity to use your camcoder.
By the way, I looked through the Amazon. They have on sale not this exact camera but newer generation of it. It has even better image quality and new features. What do you think if I buy you a new camera?
I will be waiting for your decision. and once again please forgive me for this inconvenience.
Best regards
Rustam
It’s great but it would be amazing if you use more contractions e.g Instead of writing ‘I will’, you should write I’ld. Try to be as informal as possible. It has slightly formal tone
Thank you for your feedback!
Well, this letter is written to your boss and i think its need to be formal. It relates to work and your senior. Or it can be semi formal, I thought.
Dear George,
Sorry, it took me so long to write to you. I’m writing this letter to explain you why I haven’t returned your car which I borrowed from you.
I am sorry to inform you that I damaged your car yesterday. I know how much you love that vintage car as it was gifted to you from your late grandfather.
Actually, it was not my mistake. I’ve parked the car in a hotel and when I came back, I found the front bumper and the headlight was damaged. I spoke with the hotel management and as we checked the CCTV footage, a taxi damaged the car while parking. But, I’ve lodged a complaint in the nearby police station regarding the issue with the CCTV footage.
Since it is a vintage car, it was hard for me to find the right dealer to fix the car. But luckily, I got one and they’ve already towed the car to their garage. The car will be fixed by Saturday and I will deliver it to you in a brand new condition on Sunday.
I once again apologize for what happened. I hope this won’t affect our friendship. We’ll meet up on Sunday.
Regards,
Akhil.
Dear Thir,
Hope you are fine and doing great. I felt serious impediment due to the guilt i am feeling right now in informing you that the camera I took from you last nigh is now damaged accidently.
I’m writing this letter to apologies that due to some dramatic turn of events your camera is broken. I knew that your mother gifted you this on your last birthday and how much you like it and I am really sorry for the pain it will cause you when you know about it and how it is broken down.
yesterday, I went to hawks bay with my family and we were having lots of fun while taking out pictures and capturing the memories until a boy from nowhere came and hit me so hard that I lost my control and fell down on a rock and during this unexpected event the camera hit the rock and its body got damaged.
I’ve spoken to 2 authorized Nokia dealers and both of them has given me a assurance that its body can be easily replaced and it will become brand new again which quite a bit relief for me to know.
I am expecting that this repair and replacement process will be completed by next Friday and I will personally visit you on Saturday for handing over it to you for.
I hope this misery will not cause any damage to our friendship, so see you on the next week.
Take care,
Shadab Ali
Dear Sarah,
I’m writing to you to express my sincere apologies for not returning the USB bin drive on time, as I promised you.
To be honest with you, I’m have been feeling terrible and so guilty for not keeping my word. I have to own up to you that I lost all the data that was stored in your bin drive accidentally. I know how these photos are valuables to you and your wife as they were of your first baby when you were in the USA.
What happened is that I was surfing the Web and downloading some images. Unfortunately, one of the downloaded images was infected by a virus that spread all over my laptop. Badly, it was a ransomware virus that encrypts all the files. I directly disconnected my laptop from the Internet, but it was too late. All the photos were encrypted and no longer accessible.
My friend told me about an engineer who is professional in reverse engineering, and he promised me that he could decrypt the files. In fact, the process is not easy, and he needs time to get it solved and to guess the most efficient decryption algorithm. The good news is that the engineer confirmed to me that he had resolved hundreds of cases similar to mine, so let’s cross our fingers.
Again, I’m so sorry for the delay. I hope you understand and forgive me.
Best wishes,
Wesam
Dear Charu
I am writing to apologize for damaging your favorite glass. I am so sorry for taking so long to accept my blunder mistake.
I used that glass for drinking water, but by mistake it slipped from my hand and got a crack on it. the glass was not fully broken it just got a crack line on it which is clearly visible. I knew that you will be very disappointed after looking at it that’s why I hide that from you. I am feeling very guilty about it, that glass was very dear to your heart as it is gifted by your husband. But it happened so sudden I dint mean to hurt you.
I bought the same new glass for you yesterday which I am keeping with this letter. I know it wont bring back those sentiments you had for that glass. I have not thrown that cracked glass, I put some glass repair glue on it and potted your favorite flower in it. Its still there in your balcony.
Once again, I apologize for my irresponsibility. I hope you can forgive me.
warm regards
Pinky
(word-190)
Dear Alia
it was nice day when I see you last week on your house and lend me some dresses that I need to wear in my friend’s wedding party .However I’m so sorry about damaged your blue dress with long tall which I cloth it .When I got to the party and greeted invitors one of them hit me acceidintly that causes to fall orange juice to me and fill your dress’s ,unfortunatily I can not clan it rapidly because the hall was too crowded .
I hope don not aware about it because after party I send it to LC washing shop,and bring me at home very clean and tidy.I will return you in friday evening .
best wishes
Nour
Dear Mr. Guy,
I am writing to apologize for missing the meeting on Tuesday 25th September about the Marketing Strategy for our new product. I am aware of the importance of this meeting to you but my absence was unavoidable.
The reason for not attending the meeting was due to an emergency. I received a call from the hospital my heavily pregnant wife was registered in saying she was in labor and they needed me to be there as she might have to undergo a CS (Ceaserian Surgery). I wasn’t permitted to leave the hospital until she was delivered of the baby, thankfully without a CS.
I understand how important this meeting is to you, therefore I have scheduled a meeting with one of my colleagues Ben Bruce who was present at the meeting, in order to review to meeting with me. We will go over the Marketing Strategy in order to be up to speed with the meeting.
Again I am truly sorry for my absence at the meeting and I do hope that you forgive me and I assure you of my commitment and loyalty to your organisation.
Yours Truly,
Blessing Okafor.
Wow great, I wish I could write this well. I’m to write the Ielts on the next month and I still have problems on writting
It’s important to have blogs like this to help in exam preparation. I appreciate the work done by Liz as it is not easy do this level of home work and put that in a public domain.
Thanks Liz
Thank you, Liz, for the wonderful work you are doing!
Hi Liz
Thank you so much for taking out time to expressly coach us on these IELTS tips. Under structure in your essential tips for writing letters, you listed “title” as the first point. Please what do you mean by title?
I really hope my question gets answered before I write my test which is scheduled for August 1st.
Thank you
“Mr” is a title. “Dr” is a title. “Mrs” is a title.
Thank you so much.
Dear Davina,
I hope you and your parents are doing well, and so am I. It had been a long time since I had contacted you the last time and I finally sat down to write to you this time.
I would like to start with an apology for damaging your thumb drive that I borrowed from you to transfer the files from my office desktop to my personal laptop. I am sure you are aware of the heavy rain in our area that flooded whole of the ground floor of my house. Your thumb drive which was locked in my work table drawer was damaged along with all the electronics that was on my table. The water engulfed the area very fast allowing me no time to secure any of the items in my work station.
Luckily, now after the flood waters had drained I discovered that there is this shop in the city that promised me to recover the thumb drive to its original state. Although, I had lost all the data in the drive, I can recover them from the backup I have in my office desktop.
I should return the thumb drive next time when I see you. I remember that your birthday is coming next week, so I will use this opportunity to meet and return the thumb drive to you.
Sorry for the damage and the delay in returning the thumb drive back to you, and thanks for letting me use it.
Best wishes,
Gopi
————————-
Dear Mr. Larry,
I am writing this letter to apologize for the business meeting that I had missed with the Executives from London.
Although it was gushing and raining heavily yesterday, I was still getting ready to travel to work, however, I didn’t realise until I got out of my house that the whole area was flooded and all the telephone and electricity posts were grounded because of the heavy wind and rain. And I was in a situation where I was unable to use the landline phone or computer to inform you about the situation or to request to postpone the meeting.
I am well aware that this meeting is very important for the new project that we were planning to take over, and I am extremely sorry for this unforeseen circumstance. I should have made some other plans, considering the weather reports that were going on in the radios and newspapers for couple of days.
On a positive note, I was made aware that the meeting was postponed to a later day in the week as some of other executives were also not able to join the meeting due to this adverse weather. So I will consider all the warning and plan wisely to not miss the meeting next time.
I am sorry again for missing the meeting and will be more careful in all the future meetings.
Yours sincerely,
Gopi
Dear Liz, I would really appreciate if you please review my formal letter as well. I am aiming to get an 8 for my writing part. Many thanks in advance.
Dear Mr Gupta,
I am writing this letter regarding the meeting held on 6th of May, on New Employee Onboarding Plan, which I could not attend.
Please accept my sincere apologies for not being able to attend the meeting or inform about my absence in advance. I would like to assure that this topic is very important to me.
The night before the meeting I got a medical emergency and had to be taken to the hospital, which ended up in a small surgery. Apparently, I had gall bladder stones, which I was not aware of, that was causing the excruciating pain. Now that the stones have been removed, with help from my family and hospital care, the recovery has been very fast. I am now back at office starting today.
I have read the minutes of the meeting, based on which I have prepared a draft plan as per the requirements. If you are available to meet for a short duration any time this week, please let me know so I can come and understand the details myself. This way, I can also share the draft plan with you and take your opinion. I am also open to a teleconference if a face-to-face meeting is not convenient to you this week.
I look forward to your response and hope for a meeting soon. Many thanks.
Yours Truly,
John Smith
Dear Liz, I’m trying to get a 8 in writing and was hoping if you would review my letter writing. I have written an informal letter for your review. Many thanks in advance.
Dear Ambily,
Hope you are well. I have been meaning to write to you for quite some time now but couldn’t figure out how to tell you that I damaged the blue shawl you let me borrow.
I am feeling terrible and so guilty for damaging such a beautiful shawl, especially because I am aware that it is one of your favorite shawls, which you so often pair up with your dresses and shoes. I am so sorry for not taking enough care of your belonging.
I had worn it to a office party last week, where I was enjoying a glass of red wine, and out of no where my colleague just came running onto me. The whole glass of red wine spilt on the shawl. This happened so suddenly that there was nothing I could do to avoid the spill.
Well, I have found out a dry cleaning store which claims that they can completely remove the stain and return the shawl as good as new. I just dropped off the shawl at their store this morning and am hoping for the best now.
I look forward to seeing you soon. Sorry again for not telling you sooner about the damage.
Take care, lots of love
Luni
Hi Liz,
Could you please correct my answer and advice me the areas i need to improve . I want to score 7 .
Dear Divya,
I hope this letter finds you well. How is your studies going? Please accept my sincere apologies for damaging your USB drive, which you have given me for study purpose; copying the notes for the university exam.
The pendrive got dipped in water by mistake,while washing my cloths I forgot to remove it from my pants’ pocket. I consulted a hardware mechanic and tried to fix the issue but not able to do so.
Fortunately , I copied and saved all the datas on the drive to my laptop except the photo folder. I understand it will be a grate loss for you as the folder was full of your last vacation snsps. I have already purchased a new pendrive for you and pasted all the study materials and sending along with this courier.
Once again sorry for the loss of your USB . I look forward to here from you . All the very best for your studies.
Best Regards,
Sherin Jose
Dear Mr sharma ,
I am writing to apologise for the meeting I missed on may 6th about the development plans of the company.
I am really feeling guilty for not being there but, my absence was unavoidable as I met with an accident while on the way to work. Although it was not that serious and I was taken to the hospital for first aid but, due to all the hospital formalities I was stucked there.
I am again sorry for the same. I do understand the importance of the meeting. Therefore, I have asked one of my colleague to review with me by today. We will work on understanding the development plans ,duties and responsibilties of people’s.
Again, I am sorry for my absence on such a important day but, I assure you about by role and commitment towards the company will never be compromised.
I will definitely work on and will keep myself updated. Hope you forgive me.
Yours sincerely
Mrs Payal Gupta
Hi Liz,
I have written the write up.Please let me know,whether i need to improve my Letter writing.Is it okay.I am expecting Writing task-8. Please review it and let me know your comments.So that i can work on those lines. I have gone through your videos and links.They are so helpful and Thanks is just small word for the service and help you are doing for the all of us.
Formal letter to Boss for missing a meeting:
Dear Mr Rajasekhar,
I am writing to apologise for missing the recent meeting on May 2nd.I am extremely sorry that i was unable to attend the meeting due to personal emergency.
Let me explain you my situation in more detail.I could not attend the Product Review Meeting on 2nd May,2019 at 10:00am as i got a call from my husband that my Father-in-law was admitted in hospital due to chest pain.I rushed to the hospital and they have already done the tests and showed the reports.As he had multiple complications like Blood Pressure,High Sugar levels and he is under dialysis. Doctor suggested us to have 2-3 stunts to clear the heart blockages.They planned to operate him tomorrow.
To compensate for the missed meeting.I will go through the Online recordings of the meeting and the Minutes of the Meetings,So that i am on track with the Meeting status.I will also like to get important information from my collegue Sirisha about the offline discussion after the meeting.
Please let me know,if i need to contact any one for more information.
Thanks.
Regards,
Himabindu.
Hi,
could you please guide me regarding how to change the paragraph? to be specific i want to know that when we change the paragraph do we simply start the next paragraph from the next line or do we need to leave a line and then start the new paragraph from the next line?
please guide.
thanks in advance.
It is best to leave a line between paragraphs.
hii liz
Your blogs are very helpful for us. Thank you for your efforts. I am planning to write a computer delivered test can you tell me if changing paragraph strategy is same for computer delivered test. Do we need to skip a line to write next paragraph in computer delivered test also??
Thank you..
When you leave one line empty between each paragraph, it is easier for the examiner to see the paragraphs clearly. This is the same for both paper and computer writing tests.
thank you 😊
Dear Tyrian,
I am writing this letter to apologize for not attending this important meeting about the growth of the company.
I am really sorry for not being a part of the recent meeting. I know it was beneficial to our organization and how much support you needed from my side.
What happened, when I was getting ready for work my wife got serious pain in her stomach. As you know that I am living far away from my home town and it is really hard to get instant support from anyone. I am not well aware of this city so the reason took me a long time to search for different tests centers and forgot to inform you.
I am making a promise with you that I will work on this assignment by giving an extra hour per day. I already talk to the site manager to discuss it in short.
Yours Faithfully,
John Snow
Got fan 😂
I think your boss should be addressed as Mr. Tyrion and it should be “Yours Sincerely “ according to Liz instructions. You use Yours Faithfully when no name’s addressed .. I think u did pretty good on d body but I’m no professional anyway
Hi Liz,
Thanks a million for your tips. However, I have a question to ask. Although I understand the difference between an Informal and semi-formal letter, I do not exactly understand the difference in writing either of them. Do I use contractions for both? It appears from your tips that booth has similar way of starting the first sentence – “I just want to let you know”, is this correct? Finally, are the signing off styles and languages the same? Thanks a bunch in anticipation of your response.
Formal letters have set opening lines (which are adapted based on the purpose) and set ways to sign off. This is not the case with semi-formal or informal. The open line which be completely different depending on who you are writing to and why. This is also the same for the way to sign off. There is no fixed way for those types of letters. You can use contractions in semi-formal and informal letters.
Hi Liz, thanks for the wonderful lessons.
with reference to the formal letter, I noticed how you used ” I am writing to apologize…” in the opening statement and ” I am sincerely sorry…” for paragraph A which is Apologizing for missing the meeting.
The question is, was it on purpose you used ”apologize” and ”sorry” to avoid repetitive words or is it okay to use same words like ” I am writing to apologize…” and ” I sincerely apologize…”
You were correct – it was a way to avoid repetition.
Hi Liz, I am sharing my answer below, please let me know where i stand, and what kind of scoring i can accept with such writing in my IELTS test.
Dear Melanie,
I am writing to you to apologize for my absence in today’s new business meeting at Tulip Housing.
I understand, this is an unacceptable behavior from my end, as it caused our firm’s first impression on our prospective client. I feel extremely apologetic for the sudden change change in my plan, as it ended up putting you in a spot.
It may sound unprofessional, but i was pulled into a family medical emergency in the very last minute. My uncle suffered a severe headache early in the morning today, and his son not being in town, left me in charge. Given the nature of the situation, i was in no position to pull myself out of it and not be there for my family in times of need.
I am already in conversations with Mr John, the project manager, to arrange for a second meeting in the coming week, he has been really supportive, and is trying to get us slot on Tuesday with his top management to present our ideas and plans to them.
Thanks and Regards
Jane Doe
Dear Sarah,
Hope you are doing well! Sorry it taken me so long to write to you but finally I put pen to paper to explain as why I did not returned back the Portable Speakers that I have borrowed from you.
I am afraid and feeling so guilty to let you know that the Portable Speakers that I have borrowed from you are not working properly because they got slipped from my hand and fallen on the ground. I tried my beast to fix them by all were going in vain.
So, without wasting any time, I took them to the nearest electronics repairer shop and he ensured me that he will fix them and soon they will working fine, as before. Moreover, in case if any damaged part need to be replaced then I will full pay for it, as ultimately I am responsible for this cause.
At last, I hereby again feel apologized for the inconvenience that has been caused because of me and I am looking forward to seeing you soon.
Best Wishes
Kamal
Dear Mr. Thomas,
I am writing this letter with regard to the meeting that I have missed this morning at your company. I am really sorry because I was not enabled to be in such a significant meeting.
The reason why I did not attended, due to an accident along my way to the company, which made overcrowded traffic. The result of that I had to spend more than an hour waiting for the road to be open, thus I was be late.
I think the best thing to get the important points of this meeting is to let me know which time is convenient to you to get along together and discuss these points.
Once again I am so sorry, and as I mentioned above it was not my fault, and that was out of my control, and I am sure that you understand my situation.
Thank you in advance for your understanding,and I look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible.
Sincerely
Mrs.Fatma
Dear Liz,
A tutor said writing addresses , dates and headings on task 1 general writing will give one extra score. Please how true is it?
Thank you
Sandra
That is 100% not true. The instructions tell you to start with “Dear Sir” or something similar. Follow the instructions directly.
Hi Liz,
i have one question, if in writing test, before the last line (do not write below this line) has one spase to write, should i write on those line or i must continue new sheet?
is it a problem, if i write on it?
Best Regards,
Triyanti
You continue on a new sheet. You should NEVER ignore instructions. If you use a second sheet, please label the sheets: Page 1:2 / Page 2:2. That way the examiner knows there are two pages.
Woaaa i got it, thank you Liz you’re the best teacher 😍😍
Xoxo
You’re welcome 🙂
Dear Sandra,
How have you been? I just got back today from the hiking trip. I am so sorry to tell you that the Bose Bluetooth speakers that you lent me for my inspiration are destroyed.
To tell you the truth I had been very diligent, always kept them in the hard case after every use. However, last Thursday night there was a storm that hit the blue mountains, all our tents were partially destroyed and many of us lost our personal belongings.
Next day when skies got clear, we started packing in order to descend from the peak and I had a chance to observe the speakers that got a dent and were no longer working.
I completely understand how precious these speakers were to you and that your father got them from New York. In order to make up for this, I owe you the exact same pair. I checked that the model is now available on Amazon and I have placed an order for them already, they are likely to be delivered by next week.
Once again I want to apologize for what happened and I will see you as soon as these brand new speakers arrive.
Take care,
Emma.
In the informal letter, why is there no comma after ‘Best Wishes’?
-Tejas
Those commas are optional.
Thank you so much Liz for putting all these together for the benefit of everyone. Please, I want to know if it is/not necessary to write a heading for a formal letter. From all I have been reading about writing task for ielts, I have not come across any formal letter with a heading, but the formal letters I am so familiar with always come with a heading. which is the right one please?
As you see in the model above, no heading is needed. Make sure you read all my letter writing tips: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-letter-writing-essential-tips/
Hi liz , thanku so much for your tips . I have been following u since long! I wanted to ask there’s a lot of confusion that short forms like hvnt or I hv cannot be used or vl be negatively marked but I can see them in your sample answer. Can veer use them
I have not used anything like that in the model letter above. What are you referring it? You are referring to DIY which is a standard accepted short form similar to DNA. That is NOT the same as hv = have or havnt = haven’t. Do not confuse texting language, which is not acceptable in IELTS, with accepted English short forms.
o be honest, I’ve been feeling so guilty that I delayed writing to you. I have to own up that I damaged the book accidentally. I’m
I was talking about use of I’hv And I’m
“I’hv” is not an accepted contraction in the English language – it is slang used in texting on phones. So, you can’t use it for writing in English. “I’m” is an accepted contraction of “I am” which is used in informal English writing. As you see, the letter above is informal – it is to your friend. That means you should use acceptable English language contractions. If you are unclear between accepted contractions and texting slang, you will have a serious problem. It means you will need to review your basic English grammar to learn about contractions. See this page for more letter writing tips: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-letter-writing-essential-tips/
Ok thankx a lot
Hello,thank you so much for providing this useful website.I have a question regarding the signing off and name.For example,after writing down Yours faithfully or Warm wishes,do I have to skip a line then write my name or i don’t have to,and what about the comma,is it ok with or without it?
Much thanks!
There are no fixed rules. You do not have to leave an empty line – I often do. You do not need a comma because commas have become more and more redundant in modern writing.
Hi Liz,
Thank you so much for the good work. please, I would like to know if the letter below is to be written as a semiformal or informal letter.
” A friend has written to you asking for advice about a problem at work. You have had a similar problem in the past. Write a reply to your friend. In your letter:
* Tell your friend you understand the problem.
* Explain what happened to you in the past.
* Suggest possible solutions to the problem.
This is semi-formal. It is from a personal friend about a serious topic.
So would it be suitable if we start letter with “Dear Mr. Singh” as we usually use to begin the semiformal letter?
As always in IELTS letters, it depends who you are writing to. Would you use that title if you were writing to a personal friend?
No. The greeting and signing off remains same as that of informal
The greeting is same as informal
Dear Liz.
Do we make any space between the paragraphs in Writing task GT?
Thank you very much for your assistance.
Regards.
Olena.
It is recommended to do so.
Hey Liz,
Could you please clarify below queries as my test is scheduled in August:
Should I use pencil for Listening and reading in answer sheet as I would be able to correct in case of any error
Do Ielts still deduct marks in case answer expected to be in caps and written in small or vice-versa.
Your response is highly appreciated
See this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-help-faq/
Hi, Liz I have followed you since last year, you are doing a great job!! Tonnes of thank you . what I just looked while reading the sample letters the letter of informal to write up for a friend has minor mistake of “SO VERY SORRY” I think its not appropriate way to aplogize.
Please do reply
It is 100% fine. It is a very normal expression in English.
Can we say ‘AM SO VERY SORRY’
Yes, it is informal English.
Liz is “SO VERY Right” (See what I did there)
Look at the non-English speakers doubting the English speaker.
Jesus! What is the world coming to 🙂
I have a question regarding writing task 2. while preparing ideas for essay if i find factual information. for example for essay topic for Art. I found facts like “Business in UK arts and culture industry generated an aggregated turnover of 12.4 billion in 2011” similar facts about the employment in art and culture industry. so can we used these facts or would it make our essay look like memorized?
-Prashant
The examiner has no interest in facts. You aim is to explain using your own words, not memorise numbers.
Hey Liz
Thank you so much for being there. You are truly a saviour. Today it was my first day for ielts training. I wrote a letter. The teacher told me not to use abbreviation as well as short form like i.e. for that is, it’s etc. Could you please suggest whether it’s true? And maximum how many paragraphs should be there.
Thank you
You can find your answers on this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-letter-writing-essential-tips/
Write an apology reply after receiving a complaint from neighbours for noise came from my house
Write a letter to your lecturer or professor for a reference letter to apply for a new job.
Are these 2 formal or semi formal ?
Shall I write Dear neighbours or dear everyone?
The first is formal. The second is formal. You do not have a close personal relationship with your lecturer – you don’t tell them secrets or enjoy quiet dinners together – a lecturer is not a friend.
Liz, you’ve said “first is formal. The second is formal”. I reckon you meant the first is “informal”.
They are both formal. The letter to your neighbours is plural – this means you are written to them all as a group. You might have a close personal relationship with your closest neighbour, but it is highly doubtful you are very close and personal with them all. So, they are both formal.
Hi Liz,
Am I allowed to ask for extra papers for writing exam ?
See this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-help-faq/
Hello mam,
I have a doubt regarding 1 GT task 1 topic could you please clarify that
The ques. Is
You recently took a part-time job working for a local company. After a few weeks, you realised there were some problems with the job.
Write a letter to the manager of the company.In your letter
*Explain why you took the job
*Describe the problems that you experienced
*Suggest what could be done about them.
So in this ques. Whether the examiner wants to ask that you have the left the job now write a letter OR it’s about that right now you are working over there and then you have to write a letter.
I really need this response soon it’s urgent please
I’m looking forward for your response
There is no information that you left the job. It says you took the job and have found problems.
Ok ok got it mam
Thanku so much for clearing my query that too so quickly 😃
I’m really a great admirer of yours .
Thank you so much for these tips. They are really very helpful for me. I have a letter i am confused with I cannot understand what to write in exam my exam is tomorrow morning if you can please help me in this. Thank you
Topic is: GT WRITING LETTER- YOU WORK AS A PART TIME AND YOU ARE Attending a course And yo manager offered you full time and asked you to leave the course. Write a letter about Your decision on job offer?
What can i say in this and what type of letter it is
The the other thing is i am from India and my exam is in canada so what if examinar asks me about my hometown should i say india? I am on work permit here in canda.
You have not written the full instructions. You have also included mistakes which make it hard for me to understand. However, I will say that any letter to your boss or your manager will always be formal.
In speaking, you tell the truth. The question “where are you from” is before the test starts, before the recording device is switched on. It is part of the ID check. You say the same information that is on your ID card or your application. Be open, direct and honest in your speaking test. After the recording device is switched on, speak as much as you can until the examiner interrupts to ask a new question.
Dear Mr Abiodun,
I am writing to apologise for the meeting i missed on 15th April about developing plan of our great company. I know how important it is for every staff to attend the meeting as the company is presently adopting new branding and market strategies.
I was on my way to the office on that day when i got a call from my wife that my only child mistakenly drank poison and was rushed to the hospital. I was confused, but i managed to get to the said hospital as soon as possible. Thank God, he was attended to before things got out of hand.
To reduce the impact of my absence, i have already placed calls to both branding and marketing mangers to bring me up to speed as regards the meeting agenda and i have started working on the parts assigned to me so as to meet up with the deadlines.
I hope you will pardon my absence and be assured of my commitment to this company and it’s future.
Yours faithfully,
Orola Joseph.
Your closing is suppose to be; yours sincerely…
Hi Liz,
Firstly ,I would like to thank you for all your great service through this blog for the students. It’s a great help !
I was going through the comments section on this page. I’m not clear on the answer given for speaking advise. Kindly clarify me
For an Instance, I get a cue card to speak on the topic ” A successful Business Person” and I speak on the Successful holiday trip i went , is it not wrong? will my score not go down.
My understanding is that we need to speak on the topic given but not go off from the topic or speak about entirely a different topic. Is my understanding correct?
Kindly advise, as i have only few more days left for my speaking test.
IELTS examiners will not accept memorised answers. This means if you get the topic of a business person, but instead speak about a holiday – it is obvious to the examiner that you are changing the topic in order to give a talk with a prepared answer. This will not work. So, stick close to the topic – talk about a business person who isn’t successful, or a successful company but you don’t know who owns it – these are all similar to and very closely related to the given topic. A holiday is not similar to a business person.
Thank you so much for your efforts in bringing to us the useful materials/videos.
Need your clarification on the below question from Listening section.
Transcript:
Don’t be late while returning in the evening, as the last bus leaves at five thirty.
Answer in one word and/or a number.
Question:
The last bus leaves at __________________.
Which of the following answers are correct.
a) 05.30
b) 05:30
c) 5 Thirty
d) 5.30 PM
e) 5.30 pm
f) 5 thirty
I answered in as “b”. Thought of writing it as in “c” or “f” as it fits in the condition of one word and/or a number.
The possible correct answers are: a, b, d and e
a cannot be the right answer because we dont use any symbols in military timing. it shud be 0530
This is for IELTS. I am telling you what IELTS will accept as an answer.
Dear Andrea,
It’s been long since we met last.Since 2016, I didn’t hear from you. Hope you are doing well.
To be honest, I’ve been feeling guilty that I delayed writing to you. I have to own up that I damaged your I Pod accidentally. I’m so very sorry. I know how important that I Pod is to you as it was presented to you by your mother on your birthday.
What happened is that I had been listening to music when the I Pod feel into the sink. When I researched I realized that it is possible to repair the I Pod.
I’ve sent it away to be repaired. Anyway, it should be working properly when I get it back next week and then sent it on to you.
Again, I’m so sorry for the delay in letting you know. Hope you can forgive me
Best Wishes,
Anu
Dear Liz,
Thanks for the great job and effort putting together to guide us.
Kindly review my informal letter below and tell me your mind and the band score l’ll will get for this.
Dear John,
Hope you’re fine? Sorry it’s now two weeks over l’m supposed to have returned the keyboard l borrowed from you to use for our yearly musical concert.
To be honest, I’ve been feeling guilty and worried on how to explain to you that your 7 octave multipurpose beautiful keyboard has been damage in our hand right at the peak of the concert.
The damage happened due to a sudden high voltage of current power supply and interrupted the audiences’ fun at that great music show.
I’d delayed in writing to you all because l couldn’t get a good hand on time to put it back to it’s original state. But two days ago l was directed to a professional home specializes ONLY on keyboard repair and promised to put it back to normal and in good condition
Hope you’ll accept my apology and forgive me for the delay.
l look forward to seeing you soon, Again, sorry for not telling you sooner about the damage.
Take care
Emma
Dear Liz
I appeared today for my IELTS speaking test (24/3/18). Your guidance worked well and I felt very much confident in handling the questions. Part 1 was about my work, how many times I take food, with whom I want to take food, changes in food over the period of time
Part-2 was the personality in a foreign country I like, who, why. Supplementary questions included my views about need of learning language and culture in foreign country, why it is need, why people go abroad, what is the best way to know about people living in other parts of the world.
Tomorrow, my test is scheduled for Reading, Writing and Listening. Again looking at the tips and appreciate your acumen of putting up all the things in order. Masha Allah
Glad your speaking test went well 🙂 Good luck tomorrow! See my last minute tips for LR&W: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-exam-tips-on-the-day/
Hello, Liz. Why are all my comments awaiting moderation.
a) because there are now over 10 thousand comments waiting b) because I am on holiday c) because I do not offer a question/answer service – I have never offered that service.
hey liz
I am taking my ietls eam day after tomorrow. I have got new passport issued (I uploaded scanned copy of new one while registering). I just wanted to know if I have to carry photocopy of only new passport or the old passport photocopy is also important?
Do I need to carry both passports(old as well as new in original) to ielts test center ?
You need to ask your test center about this.
HI
this letter is less that 150 words so is it ok
It contains well over 150 words. It contains 184 words.
Dear Liz.
I have a horrible hand writing. How would that affect my writing test?
If the examiner has a problem reading your writing, then it will be a problem. Practise writing with bigger gaps between words to make your writing clearer. You can also allow yourself 2 mins after you finish writing to ensure that words are clearer.
I want to sincerely appreciate your effort for people like us, doing all of these without you asking for anything in return. However, my question in on the tone to use to write letters. should the tone be according to formal, informal and semi-formal that you mentioned above?
The tone changes depending on who you are writing to and the purpose of the letter. This means is depends on the letter being formal, informal (or on rare occasions semi-formal, which means a letter to close personal friend based on a serious topic such as work).
Hi X
It is been so long since we last met. Since October, 2017 I did not hear from you. Hope will meet you soon in next summer.
I would like to apologise to inform you that the flash drive i have borrowed from you is got damaged. It is not anymore workable when it get affected by severe virus attack.
When i was using it to transfer data from it to my laptop suddenly i have received virus notification on the screen and i was trying to scan with anti virus which was not success anymore. I have tried even in a repairing shop and they informed me it will not be repairable as it’s chips get distorted by the virus affect.
I would love to buy a new one with same storage capacity in terms of volume. I may will not get same brand. In that case if you have any preference about brand let me know. Hopefully i will arrange myself to buy one as your recommendation and will send you by couple of days.
Hope hearing back from you soon.
Yours Sincerely,
Y
sorry to say but it sounds thats user doesn’t have any regret for damage …. i think a person should be more polite…. with his words!
Do you need to skip a line between signing off and name, for example
Yours truly,
Monica
or
Yours truly,
Monica
It makes no difference before IELTS.
Thank you for clarifying.
This is a general question with respect to the writing test. Can we use running or cursive handwriting for the writing test?
Up to you. If the examiner can read it, it’s fine.
Hello Liz,
Is it necessary to have equal number of lines in each paragraph? someone said it should be done that way…
Not for a letter.
Hello Liz,
Request you to please guide me, if the below sentence is grammatically correct;
‘Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to speaking with you about this opportunity.’
Awaiting your response.
Best Regards,
Shubhra
Don’t memorise sentences.
Hello liz, i noticed you used ‘this’ instead of ‘the’ in formal letter. Pls explain. Thank you
“this” is used for referencing. It is part of English grammar. Please look in a grammar book. I do not provide English language lessons.
Hi Liz, I have been going through almost all your educational videos, therefore my query for this Task 1 video is that I’m aware of 4-5 paragraphs in Task 2 but as per your examples, there are many paragraphs in Task 1 as well, can you enlighten me on this as I’ve been advised to only have three paragraphs, Intro- covering all the asked parameters in the second one – Ending.
Need your expertise on the above-stated matter.
Regards,
Kanwar.
I have not made any videos for GT letters writing task 1. See this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-letter-writing-essential-tips/
Hi Liz,
in letters related to complain to airlines, where we have to mention our name, flight no. and contact no.
The instructions will tell you what to include. Usually they will ask for your details (as you have mentioned above).
hi liz I notice that you used S and not Z when you spell some words..will you be penalized if you used American spelling of words in the writing task?
“s” is UK spelling and “z” is US spelling. You can choose which one you like. But choose only one – don’t mix them.
Hi Teacher Liz,
I have practiced few letters from your page “Letter Writing Essential Tips” and I want to share my answers with everyone.
Where can I post my letter samples for students help?
Thankyou
You can post them on any page relevant to letter writing.
Dear Liz, Thanks for such wonderful tips and practice matters provided. I have a very basic question about starting the next paragraph in writing tasks. Should we start new paragraph from the immediate next line or leave space of one line ?
See this page: https://ieltsliz.com/should-i-indent-my-paragraphs-in-ielts-writing/
Thank you so much. Need help on one more thing. Is it Ok to write “&”. I am more used to it than “and”.
No, you can’t. You need to write the linking word “and”.
Great, thanks for clarifying even the smallest doubt. Respect your commitment.
Dear Liz,
Could you please explain the difference between semi-formal and formal letters? I’m not sure about the difference between those two
Formal letters are about formal subjects and to someone you do not have a personal relationship with. Do you understand the term “personal relationship”? This means you chat to them about your dreams, your problems and share your family life with them – such as a good friend. Although you know a boss, you do not have a personal relationship with them.
A semi-formal letter is to someone you have a personal relationship with, such as a good friend, about a serious topic, like a job. It is not about a party or a personal topic.
Thank you!
Dear Liz,
Today was my speaking test, despite knowing the difference between natural tourism sites and built tourism sites, I gave my answer regarding the built tourism sites and how they got effected with visitors.
P.S. The question was something like, ‘Does natural sites get effected with a number of visitors every year?’
Is it a major mistake ?? :,(((
The examiner marks your speaking test on the fluency, grammar, vocab and pron – not on your ideas.
Hello Liz,
what if instead of I, we use Undersigned in the formal letter?, does that make any sense or its better to go ahead with I itself
Follow my sample formal letter above so see what language is appropriate.
Liz thanks in advance . I have a doubt regarding the sign of line,I read somewhere that yours sincerely only used for informal…is that correct plz reply Liz…..
An informal letter is to a good friend – I would NEVER sign “your sincerely” to my close friend or family member. See this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-letter-writing-essential-tips/
Hi Liz,
Can we use a word ‘ To recapitulate’ in stead of ‘to conclude’in assays writing task 2?
Kindly confirm.
Why? It won’t help your score.
Also aren’t there suppose to be headline on a formal letter?
There are no headlines or titles for any IELTS writing.
Does that mean it won’t be necessary for me to put address for ielts purpose when writing my task 1?
Plus thanks for thanks for answering my previous question. You are so good to have around as a companion. Soon I will be one of your bloggers that will make you proud.
There is no address written on IELTS letter. You only write an address inside the body if the instructions ask you to.
Thanks Liz. Such a simple example of formal / informal letter you have given beautifully, even laymen can understand.
My question is to you is, at the time of test if we write this type of letter in simple form whether it’s formal or informal. What band we can expect from the examiner?
I do not understand “simple form”. Your layout and paragraphs should be simple and easy to understand in order to get a high score. Ideas should be easy to understand and relevant to the task for a high score. Sentences should be complex (in IELTS criteria for complex, this means not simple) and vocabulary showing a range with less common items. So, the letters above fulfil the marking criteria of higher band scores for IELTS.
Thanks Liz for clarification
Thanks Liz. Your lessons are very helpful
Is there a specific number of words I suppose to write in either forms of letters above?
As with all writing task 1, you must write over 150 words. How can you not know the rules of IELTS? Surely, you have practised real IELTS tests at home.
Thanks for sharing Liz! Really helpful!
Very Good lesson. Thank you for your helf .
Hello Liz. Thanks for the great job you are doing. I did my speaking test but I was down with cough which I informed the examiner before the test. Subsequently I discovered that the cough really affected the flow of my speaking and it made my pronunciation thick. Hope this will not affect my score ?
Hopefully the examiner will understand.
I have a slight difficulty with analysing semi formal and formal letters.
Informal letters are to people who you know closely as a personal friend – so you write in that style. Formal letters are to people who might know (not closely – possibly through work only) or don’t know and the content is formal.
So,I can write the semi formal letters equivalent to informal one or slightly similar to that
Please visit my tips page for letter writing. There is a link given on the page above.
Kindly review your post here, guess there is a mistake. Formal letters shouldn’t be to those u know very closely as stated in the first few lines. Informal I suppose you intend to write.
Thanks
Hi Liz, this question had appeared inmy exam on oct 14 (about borrowing something from a friend which got broken and next steps). At first i apologized to my friend. I had written about a “party glasses” which got broken on dance floor as someone pushed me and it fell under someone’s feet. As they were imported one, i could help my friend getting the same one as my elder brother was supposed to return from abroad or i could pay in cash. He has both the choices. I had written that story. Let me know if it is good to get score. My result is awaited on this Friday Nov 3.
Your score is based on Task Achievement, Grammar, Vocabulary and Coherence & Cohesion.
Dear Liz,
I am writing to ask you how I can regiter to your lecture
I do not offer lectures. I have tips and practice exercises on this site which you can use for free at this month. Go to the main pages accessed through the red bar at the top of the website.
Hi Liz,
How to identify whether to write a formal letter or informal letter? Is it mentioned in the question specifically?
You write formally to someone you have a formal relationship with. You write informally to someone you have an informal relationship with. It isn’t difficult. It is common sense and “no, IELTS do not tell you which one to write”.
Dear Liz,
Thank you so much, you are great, these letters and so easily to learn and so simple to remember and to study, I am following up all your emails and free lessons and it’s really useful, thank you again for your time and effort that you spent.
Amani
how to differentiate whether we need to write formal apology letter or informal?
Look at the person you are writing to.
Thanks a million Lize for useful letter writting samples and modele answers.
Good morning Liz, I hope you are well.
I just read the formal apology letter. I do not understand the last bullet point about compensating the company if you are late for a meeting. Is it not mentioned in the example letter. Please clarify this for me.
Kindest regards,
Tien
You need to be very careful with vocabulary. To compensate a company means money. But this is not compensating a company. It is about compensating missing a meeting – the meaning is “how will you catch up” / “how will you make up for missing the meeting”. Don’t confuse the different meanings of compensate which depend on the context.
Ok Thank you. ☺
Thanks Liz…
your lessons are very helpful..
just one question ..in the informal letter above , i did not understand “should be a good as new” ..is it – as good as
thanks again
Excellent !! Well spotted 🙂
Thanks a lot
Woooooow….many many thanks
It was my request…you are great
God bless you
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You’re welcome 🙂
Hi Liz,
I’m a little confused reading the informal letter, as there are many contractions in it. Is it ok to use contractions in a letter for the exam?
I was told by a teacher not to use any contractions while writing, bit use them while speaking.
Thanks
Be careful following rules. Contractions are informal and can only be used for informal writing. You will see that contractions are used for the informal letter above but they are not used for the formal letter above. If you fail to use contractions in an informal letter, you will lose marks.
Pleeeeease liz answer because me because I am very worried 😢 in my speaking test the card was about businesses person and I talked about famous heart surgeon ? Is it wrong ? 😢😢😢
You are marked on the level of your English language which you speak – not on your ideas or choices.
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Thank you Liz for sharing this.. you always come up with extraordinary lessons and tips.
Thanks so much dear for your work and time and you are always giving us the free materials,techniques and traits that are highly appeticaited .
Really,I always go through with your all statagies which you uploaded and its very conducive and helpful. God bless you. Asma khan