Letter to my sibling sharing life updates

The task

Your sibling has sent you a letter asking for an update on your life.

Write a letter to your sibling. In your letter:

→describe what you did for your last birthday
→ask for photos of your sibling's last holiday
→talk about something you are looking forward to

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

Model answer

Band 8 sample letter

Band 8205 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Dear Sarah,

It was so wonderful to receive your letter yesterday. I have been meaning to get in touch for ages, so it is lovely to hear that you are settling into your new apartment. Things have been quite busy here, but I am finally finding a moment to catch up with you.

For my birthday last month, I decided to do something a bit different and went hiking in the Peak District. I spent the day trekking through the rolling hills with a few close friends, and we finished the evening at a cosy country pub. The weather was unexpectedly perfect, and it was a great way to escape the city noise for a while.

Speaking of travels, I would love to see how your recent holiday to Italy went. You mentioned in your last message that you were planning to visit the Amalfi Coast, so please do send over some photos when you have a spare moment. I am dying to see those coastal views.

I am really looking forward to our family reunion next summer. It feels like such a long time since we were all together, and I cannot wait to properly celebrate everyone's achievements.

Keep in touch,

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 language that maintains a consistent informal tone throughout. A common Band 6 error is using overly formal or repetitive sentence structures that fail to sound like a genuine letter between siblings.

→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

settling into
becoming comfortable in a new place or situation
trekking
going on a long, arduous journey on foot
cosy
giving a feeling of comfort, warmth, and relaxation
dying to
extremely eager or impatient to do something
reunion
a social event for people who have not met
catch up
to talk to someone to exchange recent news

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 giving information letters

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