General Training Writing Task 1 · formal · making arrangements

Letter to hotel manager regarding business training accommodation: IELTS formal letter sample

An IELTS General Training Writing Task 1 formal letter with a Band 8 sample answer, why it scores well and the phrases worth borrowing for your own letter writing.
  • 183 words
  • Formal letters
  • Making arrangements
  • 20 minutes
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The task

You are planning a 2-day work training outside your city next month.

Write a letter to the manager of the hotel regarding accommodation arrangements for your visit. In your letter:

  • →introduce yourself and your company
  • →ask availability of their rooms
  • →tell him/her about arrangements and needs

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

Model answer

Band 8 sample letter

Band 8183 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Dear Mr. Henderson,

I am the Training Coordinator at Apex Logistics, and I am currently finalising preparations for a two-day staff development workshop scheduled to take place in your city next month.

Could you please confirm if you have availability for fifteen single rooms for the nights of the 14th and 15th of November? As we are expecting a large group, it is essential that we secure accommodation within the same wing of your hotel to facilitate ease of coordination for our team.

Regarding our specific requirements, we will need access to a quiet conference room on both days, equipped with a high-speed projector and reliable Wi-Fi for our presentations. Additionally, we would appreciate it if you could provide a breakfast buffet for the group each morning and ensure that the hotel restaurant can accommodate us for a private dinner on the first evening. Please let me know if these arrangements are feasible and provide a quote for the total cost of the stay and the conference facilities.

I look forward to hearing from you soon regarding these details.

Yours sincerely,

Eleanor Rigby

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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 earns a Band 8 by addressing all three bullet points with specific, relevant details while maintaining a consistently professional and formal tone throughout. A common mistake for Band 6 candidates is failing to link the specific needs, such as the conference room, back to the purpose of the business trip, or using overly casual language.

  • →Write to an organisation or someone you do not know: open with Dear Sir or Madam, close with Yours faithfully.
  • →If you know the person's surname, use Dear Mr or Ms and close with Yours sincerely.
  • →No contractions, no slang; polite indirect requests such as I would be grateful if you could.

6 phrases

Useful phrases from the letter

  • finalising

    completing the last steps of a plan

  • facilitate

    to make an action or process easier

  • essential

    absolutely necessary or extremely important

  • equipped

    supplied with the necessary items for tasks

  • feasible

    possible to do easily or conveniently

  • accommodation

    a room or building to stay in

Frequently asked questions

Is this letter formal or informal?+

Formal. Write to an organisation or someone you do not know: open with Dear Sir or Madam, close with Yours faithfully.

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?+

This response earns a Band 8 by addressing all three bullet points with specific, relevant details while maintaining a consistently professional and formal tone throughout. A common mistake for Band 6 candidates is failing to link the specific needs, such as the conference room, back to the purpose of the business trip, or using overly casual language.

Keep practising

More making arrangements letters

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