Letter to an old friend regarding holiday plans

The task

You are planning a holiday abroad and will be visiting a town where an old friend lives. You haven't spoken to this friend in a few years.

Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:

→give a brief update of your life since you were last in touch
→explain why you will be travelling to his/her town
→say what you plan to do when you visit his/her town

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

Model answer

Band 8 sample letter

Band 8197 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Dear Sarah,

I hope you are doing well. It feels like an eternity since we last caught up, and I have been thinking about you quite often lately.

Life has been rather hectic but rewarding since we last spoke. I finally finished my master’s degree last year and transitioned into a role as a project manager for a logistics firm. On a personal note, I moved to a quieter part of the city, which has been a refreshing change of pace, though I do miss our old weekend coffee dates.

I am reaching out because I am planning a trip through your region next month. I have always wanted to explore the coastal trails in your area, and I realised that your town is the perfect base for my travels. It would be wonderful to reconnect while I am there.

I plan to spend three days hiking the northern cliffs and visiting the local heritage museum. I would love to grab dinner or a drink one evening if your schedule permits. Please let me know what your availability looks like during the second week of next month.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Best wishes,

James

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 high marks by balancing a warm, natural tone with clear coverage of all three bullet points using coherent, well-structured paragraphs. A common mistake for Band 6 candidates is failing to provide a natural-sounding update about their life, instead listing facts in a dry or overly robotic manner.

→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

eternity
a very long period of time
hectic
full of busy and fast-paced activity
refreshing
pleasantly new or different from before
base
a starting point or centre for activities
heritage
features belonging to the culture of a society
permits
allows something to happen or be done

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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