In the writing module of the general training test, IELTS gives you a letter-writing task in which you need to write a formal, semi-formal, or informal letter. While all these letters follow the same structure, the language you use in each type is different. In this article, we’re going to go through a semi-formal letter step by step and discuss how it should be written.

Basic information and tips for semi-formal letters

Choose appropriate greeting and ending 

• • Begin with “Dear Mr. [last name],” or “Dear [first name],”
  • End with “Yours sincerely,” or “Kind regards”

Dos and don’ts of formal letters

• You can use contractions like he’s, she’s, etc. if you greet the recipient with his or her first name. This shows that you know them well, but you’re not friends (e.g. colleagues you work with every day).
• If you use his or her last name, it shows that the degree of formality is a little higher (e.g. your boss, who you see every day at work)
• You can use idioms and phrasal verbs from time to time, but they shouldn’t be very informal.
  • Inappropriate language for semi-formal letters: She’s sticking to her guns on this issue.
  • Acceptable idiom for a semi-formal letter: I’ll come up with a plan by tomorrow afternoon.

• Never use slang
• Either use contractions all the time or don’t. Try not to mix them.
• Never use text language (e.g. LOL, C U, BTW,…)
• Your tone should be neutral: not too informal and not too formal.

The structure of a letter

You need five paragraphs to write your letters. Some of the paragraphs will only have one line, which is fine in letter writing. Avoid writing irrelevant data and keep the word count between 150 and 200.

I highly recommend that you follow this structure for your letters:

Greeting

Paragraph 1: Short sentence for the purpose of the letter.

Paragraph 2: Discuss the first bullet point

Paragraph 3: Discuss the second bullet point

Paragraph 4: Discuss the third bullet point

Paragraph 5: Final sentence (closing statement)

Sign off

Your full name

Steps in Writing a letter

1. Read and highlight the keywords
2. Decide on the purpose of the letter
3. Choose the right tone 
4. Think of ideas for each bullet point (planning)
5. Write your letter
6. Review the letter and correct your mistakes

This is the task we’re going to work on in this article:

You recently learned that the best teacher you ever had will be retiring soon. Write a letter to your former teacher. In your letter:

• Explain how you heard about his/her retirement

• Describe what made him/her such a great teacher

• Say how your teacher affected your life

Write at least 150 words.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows: Dear Mr. or Ms. [name],

Step 1: Read and highlight the keywords

You recently learned that the best teacher you ever had will be retiring soon. Write a letter to your former teacher. In your letter:

• Explain how you heard about his/her retirement

• Describe what made him/her such a great teacher

• Say how your teacher affected your life

Step 2: Decide on the purpose of the letter

What’s the letter about? Is it a letter of complaint, instruction, advice, application, request, resignation, arrangement, acceptance, or appreciation?

In this particular letter, you should write a letter to a former teacher of yours and thank him or her for all that he or she did for you when you were a student.

Step 3: Choose the right tone

This is the step that many test takers find the most challenging. How do you know if it is going to be a formal letter?

Your letter should be semi-formal if you’re writing to people you know, but not the ones you can call a friend (e.g. teachers, colleagues, boss, neighbor, etc.)

Step 4: Think of ideas for each bullet point

First bullet point: Explain how you heard about his/her retirement

former classmates…. checked with the school principle…. after 30 years

Second bullet point: Describe what made him/her such a great teacher

Patience and detailed instructions…explain several times…. fully understood math problems…. lots of examples.

Third bullet point: Say how your teacher affected your life

Role model… great personality…become a teacher myself… 5 years… respect of parents and students 

Step 5: Write your letter

Now, use the ideas in your plan and start writing your letter. Since this is a semi-formal letter and we know the person, this is what the letter should look like:

Dear Ms. Johnson,

I hope this letter finds you in good health. The reason I am writing this letter is to send you my best wishes for your retirement.

Recently, I learned from one of my former classmates about your retirement. When I contacted the school principle to verify the news, he told me that you have decided to retire after thirty successful years of teaching.

While I understand your decision to retire, it will be a great loss for all the students. Throughout all my high school years, I never met a teacher as patient and resourceful as you. You always answered all our questions in detail no matter how simple they were. You also explained all the seemingly impossible-to-understand mathematical concepts, such as integrals, in such a clear way, that no one felt left behind.

Such a wonderful characteristic helped me and many others to be successful in our careers. In other words, you taught us to be passionate about what we do for a living and strive to learn new things all the time. As a result, I am now a self-made business owner with over fifty employees in my firm. This would not have been possible if I had been uninterested in my job or impatient in life.

Once again, thank you for the enduring impact you have had on my life, and congratulations on your retirement.

Kind regards,

John Smith

Step 6: Review the letter and correct your mistakes

This step is essential to maximizing your score. Fewer mistakes = higher scores.

Final note: You shouldn’t spend more than 20 minutes on this task, so make sure you have covered all the requirements of the tasks and been concise.

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