IELTS Informal Letter: Letter to a classmate regarding an unreturned textbook

The task

You borrowed an important textbook from a classmate last term. You now realize your classmate has returned home overseas and you still have the book.

Write a letter to him/her. In your letter:

→apologize for the mistake
→find out how important the book is to him/her
→say what you will do

Write at least 150 words. You do not need to write any addresses. Begin your letter: Dear ...,

Model answer

Band 8 sample letter

Band 8195 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Dear Marcus,

I hope you have settled back in well after your flight home. I am writing to you today with a very red face because I have just discovered your copy of 'Advanced Macroeconomics' tucked away on my bookshelf.

I am incredibly sorry for this oversight. I honestly thought I had handed it back to you during our final study session at the library before you left. It was completely careless of me to pack it in my bag, and I feel terrible that you had to travel home without such an essential resource.

Could you please let me know if you need this book urgently for your current studies? I imagine it must be quite difficult to source another copy where you are, and I want to understand how much of an inconvenience I have caused you.

Since you are now overseas, I have already looked into international shipping rates. I am more than happy to post it back to your home address via a tracked courier service this week. Please send me your current postal details whenever you have a moment, and I will get it sent off immediately.

Best wishes,

Sam

Write your own and get a band

Answer this prompt in a timed General Training writing test and get a band for task achievement, coherence, vocabulary and grammar, with the sentences to fix.

Write a letter, get a band free →

Examiner's view

Why this scores well

This letter achieves Band 8 by addressing all three bullet points with a natural, consistent tone and clear, logical progression. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to propose a specific solution for the return of the book or using overly formal language that sounds unnatural for a classmate.

→Write to a friend or relative by first name and close with Best wishes, Love or See you soon.
→Contractions, phrasal verbs and a warm opening line are expected; a stiff formal tone loses marks here.
→Still cover every bullet in its own paragraph; friendly does not mean unstructured.

6 phrases

Useful phrases from the letter

red face
an expression indicating that one feels very embarrassed
oversight
a failure to notice or do something important
essential resource
a very important item needed for a task
inconvenience
a situation that causes trouble or extra effort
tracked courier
a delivery service that provides progress updates
postal details
the specific address information needed for shipping

Frequently asked questions

Is this letter formal or informal?+

Informal. Write to a friend or relative by first name and close with Best wishes, Love or See you soon.

How many words should an IELTS General Training letter be?+

At least 150 words, and 160 to 200 is the comfortable range. Spend about 20 minutes on it and leave 40 for Task 2, which carries twice the marks.

What does the examiner look for?+

Keep practising

More apology letters

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