IELTS General Writing Task 1: Business Letter
IELTS Business Letter is a formal or semi-formal type of letter that is usually written when you need to write a letter to a company or an organisation.
Here is an example how the task may look like:
WRITING TASK 1 (General)
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
You work in an international company. You need to take some time off work. Write a letter to your employer. In your letter
- explain why you need this time off
- give details of when you want this time off
- say who can do your work when you are away
Write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear ... ,
Note! You will find the IELTS Business Letter Sample with grammar corrections and estimated band score down below.
IELTS Business Letter Structure & Vocabulary
We have listed the structure of a typical IELTS formal letter and a selection of useful language and phrases for you to use. It is important here to use a formal, neutral style, no contractions, exclamation marks, no colloquial language, no direct questions.

BUSINESS LETTER
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1Dear Sir/Madam, (or name if given)
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2Explain who you are and why you are writing
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3Explanation in more detail
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4Suggestions
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5Formal ending, name, signature
- Dear Sir/Madam, (or name if given)
- Explain who you are and why you are writing
- I am writing in regard to books I borrowed from the library on July 15, 2021, and never returned.
- I am writing to apologise.
- I would like to apply for one of the scholarships I saw advertised in …
- I am writing to inform you that I will be leaving the company.
- Explanation in more detail: describe your situation and make it clear
- At present I am training to be a ... and I finish my course at the end of June.
- The reason I apply for the scholarship is that ...
- Suggestions: what you expect, apologise if needed; be polite and positive
- I understand that other students may need those books and deeply apologise for the inconvenience. I will return the books as soon as possible.
- I would appreciate being given the opportunity to ... and would be very grateful if you would consider my application.
- Formal ending, name, signature
- I look forward to hearing from you!
- Yours sincerely, ... (you know the name of person you are writing to)
- Yours faithfully, ... (you don't know the name!)