0IELTS(General) test consists of 4 modules. Speaking, Writing, Listening and Reading. Here, we will discuss only the Writing module. The Writing module's duration is 60 minutes and candidates are required to perform TWO tasks, namely write a letter and an essay. We will try and understand the finer nuances of Task-1 and, hopefully, by the end od this write-up, you will be well equipped to go for the test with confidence and achieve your desired score.
At this juncture, i want to highlight the scoring pattern. Each module of the IELTS test is marked out of 9, for each module. For the writing module, task-1 is assessed out of 3, with 6 bands allotted for task-2. Therefore, it is extremely important to work hard here, because it is possible to get 3 out of 3 and that could be a crucial factor. I have noticed that students, including YouTube and Google, tend to focus greatly on task-2 and that could be the reason why, the average score for the writing module is the lowest among the 4 modules.
Now, lets turn toward task-1. Very simply, you are required to write a letter on any given topic, with the instruction “Write at least 150 words”. My advice is, write at least 25 words more, so the ideal would be any word count which is over 175 and below 200. Any count below 150 attracts a penalty but there is no penalty, yet the more you write, the more there is a chance of some mistakes creeping in, so stick to the formulae of more than 150 and less than 200.
Now, to the task at hand-
There are various types of letters, such as-
a) Letter of request; b) letters giving information; c) letters of advice; d) letters making suggestions/recommendations; e) letters of complaint; f) letters of apology; g) letters of application; h) letters to the editor/authorities (expressing an opinion and/or providing solutions/suggestions; I) transactional letters, etc.
A successful letter should consist of:
a) An appropriate greeting:
b) e.g., Dear Mr Cotterill, Dear Mr and Mrs Chawla, Dear Sir/Madam, Dear Sunil;
c) an introductory paragraph which clearly stated your reason for writing;
d) a main body in which you develop the subject, and deal with the additional objective(s) of the letter, if necessary,
e) a conclusion in which you summarise the subject; and
f) and appropriate ending e.g., Yours faithfully/sincerely+ full name, best wishes+ first name.
The style of the letter varies depending on who it is addressed to. For instance, a letter to someone you do not know requires a formal style, a letter to someone you know but are not familiar with requires a semi-formal style, while a letter to a friend requires an informal style.
