Warm but respectful — the register sits exactly between formal and friendly, which is why examiners love setting it.
20 min·≥ 150 words·Classic GT scenario
You recently achieved something important, and you believe a teacher you had years ago played a big part in your success. Write a letter to your former teacher. In your letter: • remind the teacher who you are • describe what you have achieved • explain how the teacher helped you achieve it You do NOT need to write any addresses. Begin your letter as follows: Dear Mrs Sharma,
How to crack it
A 4-step plan for the letter
Fix the register first.
Who is the reader — stranger, acquaintance, or friend? That decides every word from "Dear…" to the sign-off. Register is half of Task Achievement here.
One bullet = one paragraph.
Three bullets, three body paragraphs, in the same order. The examiner literally ticks them off — a missed or thin bullet caps the band.
Open with the purpose.
"I am writing to…" (formal) or "Just wanted to tell you…" (informal). The reader should know why you're writing by the end of line one.
Close in the same voice.
"Yours faithfully" after Dear Sir or Madam; "Yours sincerely" after a name; "Best wishes" to a friend. A mismatched sign-off is a register error in the last line they read.
What loses you the band
The four traps this question sets
Mixed register
"I am writing to inform you" next to "gonna" — pick one voice and hold it.
A skipped bullet
All three bullet points must be covered AND developed. Two done well is still a penalty.
Copying the prompt
Paraphrase the situation in your own words — lifted lines don't count toward 150.
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“Some experts believe children should start learning a foreign language at primary school. …”
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“Some university students want to learn about other subjects in addition to their main subj…”
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No invented detail
Letters need specifics: names, dates, model numbers. "The product" all the way through reads as memorised.