IELTS Informal Letter: Letter to a friend apologizing for a misunderstanding

The task

You recently had a serious misunderstanding with a friend.

Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:

→apologize for your part in the misunderstanding
→explain your perspective on what happened
→suggest how you can resolve the issue and move forward

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

Model answer

Band 8 sample letter

Band 8179 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Dear Sarah,

I am writing because I have been feeling terrible about our argument last Tuesday, and I wanted to reach out to clear the air. I am truly sorry for my part in that misunderstanding; I reacted far too defensively and did not give you the chance to explain yourself properly.

From my perspective, I felt blindsided when you mentioned my lack of communication regarding the weekend plans. Because I had been under immense pressure at work, I misinterpreted your concern as a personal criticism of my reliability rather than just a simple request for information. I was already stressed, and I projected that frustration onto you, which was completely unfair.

I really value our friendship and hate that things are awkward between us. Perhaps we could meet for a coffee this weekend? I would love to talk things through calmly and properly listen to your side of the story. I promise to be a better listener this time so we can put this behind us.

Let me know if you are free on Saturday.

Best wishes,

Mark

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.

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Examiner's view

Why this scores well

A Band 8 response fully addresses all three bullet points with a natural, consistent informal tone and sophisticated vocabulary. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to provide a personal perspective, instead offering a generic apology without explaining the underlying cause of the conflict.

→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

clear the air
To remove bad feelings or tension between people
blindsided
To be caught off guard or completely surprised
projected
To attribute one's own feelings onto someone else
awkward
Causing difficulty or a feeling of social discomfort
put this behind us
To move forward and forget about past problems
immense
Extremely great in size, amount, or degree

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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