Letter to a friend declining babysitting request

The task

A friend has asked you to babysit on Saturday and wants to know how much you charge per hour for this. Unfortunately, you already committed this weekend and cannot help. However, you are free the following weekend.

Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:

→explain that you are not able to help this time, but could help later
→explain also what your fee for the service is

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

Model answer

Band 8 sample letter

Band 8182 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Dear Sarah,

Thanks so much for reaching out! It was lovely to hear from you, though I am really sorry to say that I cannot babysit for you this coming Saturday. I have already promised to help my sister move into her new flat that entire weekend, so my schedule is completely tied up.

However, I would still love to help you out if you are still in need of someone. I am completely free the following weekend, so if you haven't made other arrangements by then, please let me know and I would be more than happy to step in.

Regarding your question about my hourly rate, I usually charge £12 per hour for babysitting. That covers everything from keeping the little ones entertained with games to preparing dinner and getting them ready for bed. I am quite flexible with that rate, though, so please don't let it be a deciding factor if you are looking for someone else.

I hope you manage to find someone for this Saturday, and do keep me posted about the following weekend!

Best wishes,

Jamie

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 achieves all criteria by naturally integrating the required information into a cohesive, friendly narrative with a consistent informal tone. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to address the fee requirement clearly or using overly formal, stiff language that does not sound like a genuine letter to a friend.

→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

tied up
busy or occupied with other commitments
arrangements
plans or preparations made for an event
step in
to take over a task or responsibility
hourly rate
the amount of money charged per hour
deciding factor
the primary reason for making a choice
keep me posted
to continue to provide updates on something

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 other letters

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