Letter to a friend planning their upcoming visit

The task

A friend from another country is planning to visit your city.

Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:

→suggest the best area for them to stay
→recommend a specific hotel or accommodation
→describe some activities you can do when they arrive

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 8200 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Dear Sarah,

It is absolutely fantastic to hear that you are finally planning a trip to visit me here in Edinburgh! I am counting down the days until you arrive, and I have been thinking about how to make your stay as memorable as possible.

Regarding where to base yourself, I highly recommend staying in the New Town area. It is incredibly central, walkable, and offers the perfect blend of elegant Georgian architecture and vibrant modern cafes. It is far more convenient than the outskirts, allowing you to reach all the major landmarks on foot.

For accommodation, I suggest looking into The Rutland Hotel. It is situated right at the end of Princes Street with stunning views of the castle. The rooms are boutique, comfortable, and offer a much more personal experience than the larger, impersonal hotel chains nearby.

Once you arrive, we should definitely dedicate a morning to hiking up Arthur’s Seat for the panoramic city views. I have also booked us a table at a traditional pub in the Grassmarket for an evening of live folk music. I cannot wait to catch up properly and show you around my favourite spots.

See you very soon!

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 fully addresses all three bullet points with natural, cohesive suggestions and maintains a consistent, warm tone throughout. A common Band 6 mistake is providing generic advice without specific recommendations or failing to link the activities to the friend's arrival.

→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

base yourself
To choose a location as your main starting point
walkable
An area that is easy to navigate on foot
boutique
Small, stylish, and unique in terms of design
panoramic
A wide view covering a very large area
catch up
To talk to someone you have not seen recently
impersonal
Lacking human warmth or a friendly personal touch

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 advice letters

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