Letter to a pen pal about airport arrival

The task

One of your pen pals will shortly be visiting your city. For some reasons, you can not manage to meet him at the airport on time.

Write a letter. In your letter:

→ask him to wait for you at the airport
→tell him how to identify you

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

Model answer

Band 8 sample letter

Band 8177 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Dear Sam,

I am absolutely thrilled that you are finally arriving in London next Tuesday! I have been counting down the days until your visit. Unfortunately, a last-minute work emergency has cropped up, meaning I won't be able to reach the arrivals hall by your landing time of 3:00 PM.

Could you please wait for me in the cafe located just opposite the main exit in Terminal 5? I should be able to join you there by 4:00 PM at the latest. I am incredibly sorry for this inconvenience and hope it doesn't dampen your excitement for the trip.

Since we haven't met in person before, you might be wondering how to spot me. I am quite tall and will be wearing a bright mustard-yellow raincoat, which should make me fairly easy to identify in a crowd. I will also be carrying a dark green rucksack, so keep an eye out for that as well.

I really appreciate your patience and cannot wait to catch up properly once I arrive. See you very soon!

Best wishes,

Alex

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

This response achieves Band 8 by fully addressing both bullet points with natural, cohesive language and maintaining a consistent informal tone throughout. A common mistake for Band 6 candidates is failing to provide specific details for identification, such as clothing or personal items, or using overly formal language that contradicts the relationship.

→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

cropped up
happened unexpectedly or appeared without warning
dampen
to make a feeling or event less strong
arrivals hall
the area at an airport for arriving passengers
inconvenience
a situation that causes trouble or minor difficulty
catch up
to talk to someone you have not seen recently
rucksack
a bag with shoulder straps carried on the back

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 making arrangements letters

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