IELTS Writing

IELTS WRITING -

Dr.Hasib

IELTS WRITING TASK -2

In Writing Task 2 you receive a topic and you have to write an essay of 250 words. This task has more weight than Writing 1. It also takes longer – 40 minutes, when Writing 1 takes only 20 minutes. The topic of essay can be one of 3 possible types: i. Argument topic: appears in exam in 75% cases ii. Persuasion topic: appears in exam in 20% cases iii. Narrative: appears in exam in 5% cases

Any essay you write on any topic must have structure – you receive (or lose ) points for it. Structure means at least 4 paragraphs. First paragraph is introductory, the next two or three is the actual essay – its body, and the last one for conclusion. The first thing to do is to understand what kind of topic is before you. Next:  For argument – you need to explain both sides and agree with one of them  For persuasion – you need to present another point of view and say which one you agree with and why  For narrative/discuss a problem – you need to explain it, discuss and offer solution and discuss it too.

No matter what type of essay you are writing, you must provide some facts, evidence and information. When you explain the problem – evaluate it; say when/where/who for it is especially difficult. If you present an idea of solution – discuss it; say what its good and bad sides are. Add examples from your own experience to support what you’re saying.

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Difference between an Argument and Persuasion topic: Argument topic

Persuasion topic

1.Question pattern: Most Argument topic will end with this line: Discuss both sides & what is your opinion?”

1.Question pattern: Most Argument topic will end with this line: To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?” Or Is it a positive or negative development?

For instance: “Some people say that self employment is better than a job in company or an institution. Discuss both sides & what is your opinion?”

For instance: Societies ought to enforce capital punishment or Are there alternative forms of punishment that would be better used. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?”

2. Answering Argument topic: Should be answered in 4 paragraphs: a) Introduction--- 1st para b) Body---- 2nd & 3rd para c) Conclusion---- 4th para

2. Answering Argument topic: Should be answered in 4 paragraphs: a) Introduction--- 1st para b) Body---- 2nd & 3rd para c) Conclusion---- 4th para

A) Writing Introduction: Never mention your opinion (the argument/issue you are supporting) in the introduction/1st paragraph.

A) Writing Introduction: You must mention your opinion (the argument/issue you are supporting) in the introduction/1st paragraph.

B) Writing body:

B) Writing body:

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2nd paragraph must contain the argument you are not supporting

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2nd paragraph must contain the argument you are supporting

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3rd paragraph must contain the argument you are supporting

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3rd paragraph must contain the argument you are not supporting

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Start 2nd paragraph with the sentence: On the one hand…

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Start 3rd paragraph with the sentence: On the other hand…

Start 2nd paragraph with the sentence: To begin with/it is a fact that……

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Start 3rd paragraph with the sentence: However, there are arguments against…..

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C) Writing Conclusion:

C) Writing Conclusion:

Rules of Writing conclusion of Argument topic:

Almost the same

1. Summarize what was said before, do not add new information.

2. Argument topic wants your opinion, & conclusion is the part of your essay where you MUST mention the side you are taking. You must mention why you are taking this side & also mention why you aren't taking opposing side. While doing this you should simply review the main points (being careful not to restate them exactly or repeat all your examples) and briefly describe your feelings about the topic. All the conclusion needs is three or four strong sentences, which do not need to follow any set formula.

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Argument topic: IELTS Essay plan: Essay topic: Some people think that if women were to rule the world, there would be less violence in it. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Introduction paragraph In the introduction you can first state that there are people who think that women have a less violent nature than men and for this reason suggest that women would make the world a less violent place if they were in power. Then you could mention that putting the women in charge won't necessarily have that effect, because there are arguments for and against. First body paragraph
3 points against women in power • Ruling the world takes some cruelty that women might not have • Having more submissive nature than men, women can create even more violence • Women are not decisive enough to enforce order and thus reduce violence Second body paragraph
3 points in favor of women in power • Women have less violent nature • Women have less tolerance for violence • Women are very concerned with making the world a safer place for the sake of the kids Conclusion State your personal opinion (let's assume that you're in favor of women in power), then summarize what was said in the second paragraph.

SAMPLES OF ARGUMENT TOPICS: SAMPLE 1: Some countries require that school children are taught one foreign language, while other countries do not require any foreign languages to be taught. Discuss the advantages of both approaches and give your opinion…………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………

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Today, language is the most important tool for communication and relation between people all around the word. Different countries have different languages and there are more the 95 languages in the world. In some countries, school children do learn a foreign language during their educational years. The advocates of this view argue that teaching one foreign language is valuable for school going children. Others, however, disagree & believe that teaching foreign language at primary/secondary school could have negative impact on school going children. So it is a matter of debate. On the one hand, people in favor of not to teach any foreign language at children schools argue that, students are overloaded with learning more than one language and they will have problem for learning main subjects. In addition, the official languages of their country get threatened by learning foreign language. For instance, now-a-days we observe that our original language is getting mixed with foreign slangs and it is considered as a big impediment to our literature. On the other hand, some people argue that school children should be taught one foreign language is better. Firstly, people generally believe that existence of an international language in the world plays an essential role in research, relation and communication. For example, when one searches a subject on the net, she or he must be good at English, because most of the websites are in English. Secondly and more importantly, for students who are going to study abroad, it is necessary to know other language especially English. For example most of the universities require IELTS certificate for enrollment. According to the survey of Iran Ministry of Education and Training, 75% of successful students are bilingual. In addition, a student who knows an international language is very comfortable in understanding when he or she participates at an international seminar or conference. Lastly, in the overseas trips, knowing a foreign language is necessary. For instance, one in the foreign country needs to communicate with other people for accommodation, dining, and buying goods etc.. In conclusion, it is debatable whether learning one foreign language at school is required or not, as both critics & advocates seem to have plenty of arguments in support of their views. In my opinion, teaching one foreign language at schools is worthy. In spite of the fact that teaching just one language in school can preserve the traditional culture and original language; considering the fact of international communication, further education in other countries and overseas travels, I prefer learning an additional foreign language at school.

N.B: Try to memorize those bold lines and use in every argument topics

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SAMPLES OF PERSUASION TOPICS: SAMPLE 2: Societies ought to enforce capital punishment or Are there alternative forms of punishment that would be better used. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?”

Capital punishment is the killing of a criminal for a crime that he has committed. Previously most countries employed this method of punishment but nowadays it is much less widely used. People in favor of capital punishment argue that it is mandatory for societies to stop crime, others, however disagree & support alternative punishments. I personally do believe that societies today should use capital punishment. To begin with, it seems to me if a criminal is killed for his or her crime, then Society will feel better about it’s security. In spite of the fact that killing a dangerous killer regrets the people, they assure they will not see such as this offence in future. The last survey that has done by UCN in 2005 illustrates that families felt more social security if an offender is killed regarding social principle rules. Secondly and more importantly, when capital punishment is used for one, other criminals get threaten and they will not do similar offence/crime. People generally believe that a criminal will never do the same crime for which one was given death penalty. Last but not least, by using the rule of the capital punishment for the crimes in the society so far will be reduced. For instance, according to the statistics from Justice Ministry of Iran, because of executing one person in 2007, 5% of crimes were reduced significantly. Consequently, we can see less crime compared to the other times. There are arguments against capital punishment. Many people feel it is Inhumane - we shouldn't sink to the level of criminals. People can be wrongly convicted and executed. If a man is in prison, he can be released if later proved not guilty. If he is dead, there is nothing that can be done. There are alternative punishments available. For bad crimes prison life sentences can be given with criminals imprisoned for the rest of their lives. I can understand this point of view but I cannot agree with it.

All in all, from what has been discussed above, I firmly hold that societies ought to enforce capital punishment for crimes such as killing a great number of people but for particular case, using psychological hospitals, prisons and financial booking are the better ways. N.B: Try to memorize those bold lines and use in every persuasion topics

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Some people say that the Internet is making the world smaller by bringing people together. To what extent do you agree that the internet is making it easier for people to communicate with one another? Nowadays internet is becoming very popular mean of communication. Right from school children to old people, anybody can use internet as it is easy and efficient. Today, nobody needs to write letter and post it, as internet has many options for instant communication. On one hand, there are number of advantages of internet communication. Firstly, Internet has number of websites providing electronic mail (email) facility. Email reaches to the recipient at the same time you send it. So it is way faster than traditional postal mail or currier. Secondly, these websites also offer online chatting facility wherein one can get instant response from person at the other end. Thirdly, one can use webcam and have face to face interaction irrespective of where the other person is around the globe. On the other hand, there are number of disadvantages of internet communication. Young generation today, is addicted to the use of internet. It is observed that youngsters are wasting their time in chatting with their friends abroad. Hence they have no time to talk to their parents or siblings. This has not only hindered the family communication but also affected the mental health and studies of youngsters. Today, because of social networking sites on internet youngsters are sharing their personal information with strangers which I think may result in fatal fraud. In addition, all of us are aware of the negative impact of porn sites on young generation. In conclusion, internet is better option of communication, but it should be used in proper way. Internet communication is definitely the best option. But it is up to the users how to use it efficiently.

Appropriate style & tone for both writing task 1,2 The following are the basic features of formal style: • All verbs forms must be written in full: do not write contractions such as can’t, don’t, etc. • Do not use abbreviations such as info for information or ads for advertisements. • Avoid using the active voice and the first person singular; in a formal letter you should write: ‘A copy of the receipt will be forwarded to you as soon as possible’ instead of ‘I will send you a copy of the receipt asap.’ • Avoid using informal intensifiers such as really, so, absolutely; use extremely, highly, entirely, fully instead. • Avoid using phrasal verbs which tend to be used in informal writing and conversation; for example, use seek a job instead of look for a job; most phrasal verbs are idiomatic in nature, that is, their meaning cannot usually be inferred from their individual parts. • Avoid using informal discourse markers and link words such as besides or by the way and use incidentally instead.

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• Do not use set phrases and idioms, for example, ‘I am not going to pay you a penny’ instead of ‘Your fee will not be paid.’ • Avoid ellipsis (leaving out words), for example, leaving out the subject I in ‘Hope to hear from you soon.’ A more academic style will contain all of the features for formal style listed above. In addition, you should do the following: • Employ more tentative rather than assertive language by: • using possibly and probably in front of verbs and noun phrases: ‘This is possibly caused by...’ or ‘This is probably the most important factor.’ • using the modal verbs may and might ‘This may be the most important factor.’ • using appears to and seems to: ‘This appears to be the most important factor.’ • avoiding always and every, and replacing them with often and many much. • Use formal vocabulary, for example, discuss rather than talk about. • Use more formal grammar, for example by: • Using There as a subject: ‘There is a serious risk of...’ • using It as a subject: ‘It is very difficult to...’ • Use an impersonal style by avoiding the use of personal pronouns, for example by: • Using one as a subject: ‘One may ask whether...’ (One is a formal version of You) • Using the passive voice: ‘Many things can be done to...’ to avoid using land we • Avoid using rhetorical questions: ‘Smoking is dangerous. But is banning it such a good idea after all?’ • Avoid the overuse or misuse of certain logical connectors, especially besides, furthermore and moreover. Besides is informal, and both furthermore and moreover mean that the following information is more important than the information before. Use In addition or also instead.

DOs and DON'Ts:       

Make sure that you read all of the information in the questions very carefully and respond appropriately. Make sure that you follow all instructions including the number of words that you need to write. Make sure that you stop Writing Task 1 after 20 minutes to allow enough time to answer Writing Task 2. Remember that Writing Task 2 carries more marks, so you need plenty of time to answer it. Make sure that, for Task 1, you use figures or data from the question paper accurately. Make sure that you plan your ideas before you begin to write. For Writing Task1, stop to locate and select the most important pieces of information. For Writing Task 2, take time to organise your ideas and argument. Be sure to provide supporting evidence for any of your claims or views in Writing Task 2.

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            

Leave time to check your answer for careless mistakes at the end. Try to check for spelling mistakes, verb and subject agreement, singular/plural nouns, tense mistakes and problems of fluency. Make sure that all of your ideas are relevant to the question. Try to avoid repeating the same words, phrases and ideas too often. Try to use a range of vocabulary. Try to make sure that you do not repeat the same idea too often, make sure you explore different ideas to provide a well-balanced response. Make sure you write as clearly as possible. Make sure that you produce organized and linked paragraphs and that the style of your language is academic. Don't copy from other people’s work. Don't write less than the required number of words. Don't repeat task instructions in your writing. Don’t use note form or bullet points. Don’t leave out any required information. Don’t waste your time learning essays by heart to use in the exam. You will be penalized for this and you will waste valuable time that could be spent developing good writing skills. Don’t simply copy words and phrases from the question paper; try to use your own words at all times by paraphrasing the question.

IELTS Writing: telling the difference between formal and informal Many of you have asked me about the difference between formal and informal writing in IELTS and this tells me that it’s a common problem. So here is what you need to know about the styles of writing in IELTS. If you are preparing for the Academic IELTS module, both Task 1 and Task 2 in the Writing test are formal. For General Training candidates, Task 2 in Writing is always formal, and Task 1 can be formal or informal. As you know, Task 1 for GT module is a letter, and if the topic asks you to write to someone you know, that is an informal letter – as opposed to writing to someone you don’t know; which is formal. The difference between formal and informal styles is mainly in the vocabulary. Informal words are the ones used in everyday conversations and formal are used in books, contracts, business letters and essays. If the task requires formal writing – avoid using informal vocabulary. If the task requires informal writing, such as a letter to a friend, avoid using formal ‘heavy’ words.

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Apart from the vocabulary in formal writing it is best to avoid words like “I”, “you”, “we”, unless you are expressing an opinion. For example in an essay instead of writing “You would find it difficult to get a job without proper qualifications”, write something like “One would find it difficult to find a job without proper qualifications”, or you could write “Finding a job without proper qualifications would be rather difficult”. For those of you who don’t live in an English speaking country and don’t speak English on daily basis it will be difficult to tell the difference between formal and informal vocabulary, which is why I compiled this short list of words. You could memorize it and use in your writing while practicing – this way the chances you will use the correct word in the exam increase. Formal

Informal

Inform me

Let me know

Cancel

Drop

Contact

Get in touch

Obtain

Get

Apologise

Say sorry

Postpone

Delay

Request

Ask for

Compensate

Make up

Establish

Set up

Discover

Find out

Handle

Deal with

Investigate

Check up on

Tolerate

Put up

Increase

Go up

Children

Kids

Many / Much

A lot of

Many / Much

Heaps of

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IELTS writing: using transitional phrases Transitions Transitional words and phrases are what gives your essays coherence, we need them to join sentences and thoughts together. Look at the lists below. These are transitional phrases that you can memorize and keep in your arsenal for the IELTS writing module. AGREEMENT: also, plus, in addition, further, furthermore, moreover, additionally, to add to that, next, in accordance with, accordingly, in agreement, finally, for instance, for example, in exemplification, exemplifying that, in fact, factually speaking, in terms of, and so forth, looking at the nexus between, in coordination with, along those lines, collectively speaking, generally speaking, indeed, undoubtedly, obviously, to be sure. CONTRAST: however, contrastingly, in contrast, on the contrary, on the other hand, To put it into perspective, from a different angle, nonetheless, nevertheless, but, yet, a catch to this is, sadly enough, as a hindrance, looking at the holdups, oddly enough, instead, in direct opposition, still, and rather. RESULT: as a result, as a consequence, consequently, thus, therefore, hence, thereby, resulting in, ultimately, in the end, finally, in the overall analysis, in hindsight, in retrospect, retrospectively, vicariously, the long term effect, as a short term result, significantly, as a major effect, effectively, heretofore, hereafter, thereafter, in short, generally, over all, concluding

4 ways to get in trouble with your IELTS Writing tasks If you have an IELTS exam this weekend, this post can literally save your score. Many people get in trouble with their IELTS Writing for no reason, just because they don’t realize some things are not acceptable in IELTS letters, essays or reports. Here is a number of ways you can get in trouble with your IELTS writing tasks: 1. Using informal English in the IELTS Writing tasks. Informal English is OK for your Speaking test – it is not OK for your Writing test. Even though not every informal word gets penalized, the more formal your style is, the better your score will be. To demonstrate the difference, informal expression “loads of / tons of” should be replaced with “many” or “much”; “fed up with” should be replaced with “lost his patience”, etc.

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2. Using contractions. Contractions are “it’s” instead of “it is”, “I’ve” instead of “I have”, “we’re” instead of “we are” (these are only a few examples). Contractions are a bad, bad thing to use in your essay, they don’t save you much time and can cost you marks. Do me a favor and forget about contractions in your IELTS writing. Write “should not” instead of “shouldn’t”, “could not” instead of “couldn’t”, “would not” instead of “wouldn’t”. You get the idea. 3. Using slang. You can use slang any time talking to your friends, but this is the only place where it belongs, in a conversation between friends. Keep it out of your IELTS essays, letters or reports. You can’t write “dunno” instead of “don’t know”, “wanna” instead of “want to” or “gonna” instead of “going to”. 4. SMS-like spelling. We all are typing SMS messages, chatting on Skype and the like, and there is a bunch of shorter ways to write longer words. We type “u” instead of “you”, “c” instead of “see”, “IMHO” instead of “in my humble opinion”. None of these can appear in your IELTS work, unless you are specifically trying to mess up and get a lower score than you deserve. You need to write the full word and spell it correctly, period. I hope this post has caught you in time to prevent any of the above mistakes. Good luck with your exam!

IELTS Writing task# 1:

Rules of letter writing:

1 The Opening Greeting of the Letter Your letter will probably need to be a reasonably informal letter to a friend or a semiformal letter. The opening of your letter should reflect which one you are writing. A friendly letter will open with Dear followed by a name which should then be followed by a comma, eg:

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Dear John, A semi-formal letter will also open with Dear and then be followed by a name, (if you decide that in the situation you would know the name) or by Sir (if it's a man), Madam (if it's a woman) or Sir/Madam if you don't know, eg: Dear Mr. Phillips, Dear Mrs. Phillips, Dear Sir, Dear Madam, Dear Sir/Madam, The question also might specify how you are to begin so follow what it says.

2 The Opening Paragraph of the Letter In a semi-formal letter, I feel it is important to state the reason for the letter straight away. You could use the following to help you: I am writing to ask/ tell//inform you that... I am writing to ask/inquire... I am writing with regard to... I am writing with reference to... I am writing in connection with... I am writing in response to... In reply to your letter, I am writing to... (if the question indicates that you have had a letter) If the letter is a less formal one to a friend then you should open the letter in a friendlier way. EG: Dear John, Hi there! It's been so long since I've heard from you. I hope you are doing well and I hope all you family are doing fine. I'm pretty good in spite of working hard. Anyway, the reason I'm writing is...

3 The Substance of the Letter I've already gone into detail about answering the question fully and using your imagination to produce a realistic letter fulfilling all functions so I won't repeat that. Through great experience with IELTS, I can say that questions tend to ask you to do certain things. Here I will give you some ideas about some language to use in the substance of the letter which will help you to answer the task well. Asking for Help I would like you to... I would be grateful if you could...

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I need to ask your advice about... I'd like to ask for information about... What I'm looking for is... Complaining I'm writing to express my dissatisfaction/annoyance/ about... I'm writing to express my anger at... I am not happy about... ... is not what I expected/was expecting. I want to know what you are going to do about this situation. NB When complaining, don't get too angry. I've had students who really became too heated in their complaints. In a polite semi-formal letter, this should not happen. Also, do not over-exaggerate. If it's a reasonably small and understandable problem, do say that you're not satisfied but show that you understand and stay calm in your expressions. Thanking I'm very grateful for... I'd like to thank you very much for... I very much appreciated... Apologizing I'm very sorry that/about... Please forgive me for... I'd like to apologize about... Please accept my apologies

4 Ending your Letter First of all, in English we often end letters before the sign off with certain phrases. These can be included in most letters and will make your letter seem realistic and polished. For a formal letter, you could use: If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thanking you in advance for your help, I look forward to hearing from you soon. For a more informal letter you could use: If you need to know anything else, just get in touch with me as soon as you can. Thanks a lot for your help and I hope to hear from you soon. Be careful though! IELTS examiners quite rightly look for writing that has been memorised and just repeated so, if you use expressions like the ones above, make sure that they fit in with the rest of your letter. Finally you'll need to sign off your letter. For a formal letter use: Yours faithfully, OR Yours sincerely,

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Remember the commas (it makes a good impression on the examiner if you use good punctuation) and spell "sincerely" correctly (a lot of people don't!). For an informal letter, love is not always appropriate though English speakers use it a lot. Better would be to use: Regards, Yours, Best wishes,

Other Hints for the IELTS General Training Task 1 Writing DON'T copy any part of the question in your answer. This is not your own work and therefore will be disregarded by the examiner and deducted from the word count. You can use individual words but be careful of using "chunks" of the question text. Don't repeat yourself or the same ideas. This gives a bad impression and the examiner realises that it isn't adding to the content of your letter. If you are weak at English grammar, try to use short sentences. This allows you to control the grammar and the meaning of your writing much more easily and contributes to a better cohesion and coherence mark. It's much easier to make things clear in a foreign language if you keep your sentences short! Think about the tenses of your verbs. If you're writing about something that happened in the past, your verbs will need to be in the past tenses. If you're arranging something in the future, you will need to use the future tenses. If it's a habitual action, you'll need the present simple tense and so on. If you have time, a quick check of your verbs at the end of the exam can help you find errors. As I just said, if you have finished the exam with time to spare, DON'T just sit there!! Check what you have done. If you have time after the check, check again. And so on.... Don't be irrelevant. Although you can use your imagination to expand on your answer, if any part of your letter is totally unrelated to the question and put in to just put up the word count, then the examiner will not take it into account and deduct it from the word count. If you want to improve, there's no secret. Practice. Practice. Practice. You won't get better sitting and doing nothing. Even good English users need practice for the IELTS exam. It could make all the difference between your getting the band that you need, and getting half a band less than you need and having to wait 3 months to do the exam again. Finally, there are no correct answers or methods. Here I've given you some ideas to guide you and hopefully to help you but the questions can be answered well in different ways. Good luck!

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………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. IELTS Vocabulary: Writing a letter s1~B. D ear Sir / M adam.~ s2~ A. T hank you for your letter.~s 3~C. I would li ke to c ompl ain about the ser vic e I rec ei ved at your hotel rec entl y.~s 4~C. As you r equested, I encl ose my c urricul um vitae.~s 5~A. I woul d be grateful if you would s end me mor e infor mation.~s 6~C. l look forward to hearing fr om you s oon.~s 7~A. T hank you for your attention i n this matter.~s 8~C. r efer to your or der of 12 J anuar y.~s 9~B. If you would li ke any more infor mation, pl eas e do not hesitate to contact me.~s10~B. Yours si nc erel y.~s 11~A. Yours faithfull y. s1~B. D ear Sir / M adam~s 2~A. T hank you for your letter .~s3~C. I would li ke to complai n about the s er vic e I rec ei ved at your hotel rec entl y.~s 4~C. As you req uested, I enclos e my c urriculum vitae.~s5~ A. I woul d be grateful if you woul d s end me more infor mation.~s 6~C. l l ook forwar d to heari ng from you s oon.~s7~ A. T hank you for your attenti on i n this matter.~ s8~C. refer to your order of 12 Januar y.~s9~ B. If you woul d li ke any mor e infor mation, pl ease do not hesitate to c ontac t me.~s 10~ B. Yours sinc erel y.~s11~A. Yours faithfull y. s12~ a. Fals e. For mal letters s hould be as brief and to the point as possi ble~s 13~a. F alse.~s14~a. F alse.~s15~a. F alse. It is not necessar y to include your name~s 16~ a. Tr ue (In s ome countries , writing abbr eviated dates c oul d be c onfusi ng. In Britain, 1/4/00 is the 1 April. In the USA i t is the 4 J anuar y).~s 17~ a. Tr ue.~s18~ a. F als e. ( A letter whic h is not br oken i nto par agraphs can be diffic ult and confusing to read. You s houl d have at least thr ee par agraphs: Paragraph 1: explai ning why you are writi ng. Par agraph 2+: details. Fi nal paragraph: acti on to be taken - e.g., 'I look for ward to hearing fr om you soon') s12~ a. .......................................................................~s 13~ a. .......................................................................~s14~ a. .......................................................................~s15~a. .......................................................................~ s16~a. .......................................................................~s 17~a. .......................................................................~s18~ a. .......................................................................

A. Below, you will see eleven common situations that people encounter when they are writing a formal letter. Choose the sentence or phrase (A, B or C) that would be most appropriate in each situation. 1. You are writing a letter to the headteacher of a school or college, but you don't know their name. How do you begin your letter? A. Dear headteacher. B. Dear Sir / Madam. C. Dear Sir. 2. You have received a letter from the manager of a company which buys computer components from your company, and you are now replying. What do you say? A. Thank you for your letter. B. Thanks a lot for your letter. C. It was great to hear from you. 3. You recently stayed in a hotel and were very unhappy with the service you received. You are now writing to the manager. What do you say? A. I had a horrible time at your hotel recently. B. I would like to say that I am unhappy about your hotel. C. I would like to complain about the service I received at your hotel recently. 4. You have sent a letter of application to a college, together with your curriculum vitae which the college requested. What do you say in the letter to explain that your curriculum vitae is attached? A. You asked for my curriculum vitae, so here it is. B. As you can see, I've enclosed my curriculum vitae. C. As you requested, I enclose my curriculum vitae. 5. You have applied for a job, but you would like the company to send you more information. What do you say? A. I would be grateful if you would send me more information. B. I want you to send me more information. C. Send me some more information, if you don't mind. 6. In a letter you have written to a company, you tell them that you expect them to reply. What do you say? A. Write back to me soon, please. B. Please drop me a line soon. C. l look forward to hearing from you soon. 7. In a letter you have written, you want the recipient to do something and are thanking them in advance of their action. What do you say? A. Thank you for your attention in this matter. B. Thanks for doing something about it. C. I am gratified that you will take appropriate action. 8. The company you work for has received an order from another company and you are writing to

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them to acknowledge the order and let them know when you can deliver. What do you say? A. About the order you sent on 12 January for... B. I would like to remind you of the order you sent on 12 January for... C. refer to your order of 12 January. 9. In a letter, you explain that the recipient can contact you if they want more information. What do you say? A. Give me a call if you want some more information. B. If you would like any more information, please do not hesitate to contact me. C. If you would like any more information, why not get in touch? 10. You began a letter with the recipient's name (e.g., Dear Mr. Perrin). How do you end the letter? A. Yours faithfully. B. Yours sincerely. C. Best wishes. 11. You did not begin the letter with the recipient's name (see number 1 above). How do you end the letter? A. Yours faithfully. B. Yours sincerely. C. Best wishes.

B. Look at these sentences and decide if they are true or false. 1. Formal letters are always longer than informal letters. a. False. Formal letters should be as brief and to the point as possible 2. In a formal letter it is acceptable to use colloquial English, slang and idioms. a. False. 3. In a formal letter it is acceptable to use contractions (e.g., I've instead of I have). a. False. 4. In a formal letter you should include your name and address at the top of the page. a. False. It is not necessary to include your name 5. In a formal letter, you should always write the date in full (e.g., 1 April 2000 and not 1/4/00). a. True (In some countries, writing abbreviated dates could be confusing. In Britain, 1/4/00 is the 1 April. In the USA it is the 4 January). 6. In a formal letter, you should always put your full name (e.g., James Harcourt and not J. Harcourt) after your signature at the bottom of the letter.. a. True. 7. Formal letters do not need to be broken into paragraphs. It is acceptable to write them as one continuous paragraph. a. False. (A letter which is not broken into paragraphs can be difficult and confusing to read. You should have at least three paragraphs: Paragraph 1: explaining why you are writing. Paragraph 2+: details. Final paragraph: action to be taken - e.g., 'I look forward to hearing from you soon')

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SAMPLE OF WRITING TASK 1: 1. Writing task 1 (a letter): Complaint letter: Write a letter to a restaurant manager complaining about the food and the service during your recent visit, When you dined in with your family on a special occasion. In your letter: - Describe the problems that you had, - Say what were the consequences of these problems, - Specify an action you would like the manager to take

Dear Sir/Madam, I am one of your customers bearing the customer number: 546. I am writing this letter to complain about the food and the service during my anniversary that was held in your restaurant on November, 16th. As you know, last week, I reserved the restaurant for my 8th anniversary and I invited about 50 persons. Unfortunately, not only the quality of the food was poor but also the service of the staff was unsatisfactory. The numbers of waiter and waitress were not sufficient for serving food and we had to wait a long time to get the service. In addition, some dishes (food) were stale & 3 persons of my relatives got sick from that stale & unhygienic food, immediately after returning home. These circumstances had caused enough troubles for me. Bearing the above circumstances in mind, I would be grateful if you refund 50% of my payment. In addition, I would like to opine that being a restaurant manager; you should be more cautious about the service and quality of food your restaurant is providing to customers. I am looking forward to receiving appropriate response from you. Faithfully yours, …………………. ============================================= 2. Writing Task 1 (a letter): personal letter+ ask for apology You were looking after your friend’s house while he was out of the country. Accidentally, you broke something in the house. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter - Apolozise & describe what happened ,

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- describe the damage, - explain how you are planning to compensate your friend.

Dear Roger, I hope you have a safe journey and all things are going well for you. I am writing this letter to express my apology for the incident that occurred by me accidentally. The last day before your coming back, when was working with your computer, I installed the Office 2003 in your PC. After installation the program, when I was ejecting DVD from the DVD-ROM, I accidentally broke the DVD that contained a software collection. I know you use that frequently for your job. So, I have bought a new software collection same as yours. I would be grateful if you could give me your address so that I can send the DVD to you via any express courier services. Otherwise, you can buy a new DVD and inform me the price. I am able to send you the cost of DVD either by credit card or by cheque. Once again please accept my apology for the inconvenience. I would be grateful if you kindly consider my proposal for compensation. Looking forward to hearing from you soon. Best wishes, …………………. ===================================== 3. Writing Task 1 (a letter): job application letter: You read a job advertisement for the Children’s Care association. They need volunteers (to work without pay). Write a letter to the organization and say - Why you think you fit that job, - What interests you in this job,

- How soon you are available to join Dear Sir/Madam, I am a manager of the P.S.P Nursery Center. I am writing this letter to inform you that I am apt for the position “Child care coordinator” that you advertised on your website. As a nursery manager, I have more than 10 years experience in working with children. Not only I have got four international certificates related to Children’s Care, but also I am qualified as a supervisor in tree Children Health Institution. Since I am financially solvent, I do not need any salary for my service. In addition, I had a fascination to work with a charity organization.

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I would be grateful if you could set up an appointment for an interview. By the way, I am ready to attend my job in the first week of December. For your convenience, I would like to add my contact address: Name: Mr. X**** Address: Dhaka, Bangladesh… Contact number: +880169183136 Please find attached my detailed resume, educational certificates, employer reference letters etc. Once again, please kindly consider my application. I am looking forward to receiving your response. Faithfully yours, …………….. **** You can write Mr. X as your name. Your real/fake address, contact number can be used when you ought to include your contact address/information in the body of a letter. Other task 1 Examples where contact address should be mentioned: If a letter wants you to write about your lost suitcase/something to a hotel manager ……

……………………………………………………………………………………………… Source:  IELTS CUBE (the way to study),  Kaplan IELTS,  Barrons  Website: IELTS blog Regards: Dr.Hasib

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