Letter to friends thanking them for holiday photos

The task

Last month you had a holiday overseas where you stayed with some friends. They have just sent you some photos of your holiday.

Write a letter to your friends. In your letter:

→thank them for the photos and the holiday
→explain why you didn't write earlier
→invite them to come and stay with 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 8180 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Dear Sarah and Mark,

It was such a lovely surprise to receive the photos from my trip last month! Seeing those snapshots brought back so many wonderful memories of my time staying with you, and I cannot thank you enough for your incredible hospitality. You really went out of your way to make me feel at home.

I am terribly sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I returned to a mountain of work, and then I was unfortunately struck down with a nasty bout of flu that kept me in bed for nearly a week. I am only now finally feeling back to my normal self.

Since you were such brilliant hosts, I would love the chance to return the favour. Please do come and visit me here in Brighton whenever you can manage it. I have plenty of space, and I would be thrilled to show you around my local area and take you to some of my favourite seaside spots.

Let me know if you can make it over later this year.

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 fully addresses all three bullet points with a natural, consistent informal tone and clear, logical paragraph structure. The most common Band 6 mistake is failing to provide specific reasons for the delay or offering only a vague, insincere invitation.

→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

snapshots
Informal term for casual or quickly taken photographs.
hospitality
The friendly and generous reception of guests.
struck down
To be suddenly affected by an illness.
nasty
Unpleasant, severe, or physically uncomfortable.
return the favour
Do something good for someone who helped you.
thrilled
Feeling very pleased and excited about 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 thanks letters

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