You're staring at a Task 1 prompt with three bullet points. Your stomach drops. Twenty minutes to write a formal or informal letter, cover all three points, and somehow hit Band 7 or better. The clock's ticking. Your pen's moving. But you're not sure if you're actually nailing it or quietly tanking your score without realizing it.
Here's what I've seen happen: most students who bomb Task 1 aren't bad writers. They just don't know what examiners are actually looking for when they mark. You could have flawless grammar and still lose 2 or 3 bands because you glossed over one bullet point or wrote a formal letter in conversational slang.
This guide walks you through exactly how to evaluate your own letters the same way examiners do. By the time you finish reading, you'll know exactly what to check before you even put your pen down. If you want to skip straight to feedback, our IELTS writing checker gives you real-time evaluation on Task 1 letters.
The IELTS examiners mark four things: Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. But Task 1 has its own rules that are different from Task 2.
Task Response is brutal. You have to address all three bullet points completely. Not mostly. Not approximately. All of them. Miss even one, and your Task Response score caps at Band 6 no matter how perfect your grammar is. This is where students hemorrhage points without even knowing it.
The other three criteria still count, but not if you fumble the bullets. A Band 7 writer hits all three bullets and makes it flow naturally. A Band 6 writer covers all three but the transitions feel clunky. A Band 5 writer might only fully develop two bullets.
Quick tip: Before you write anything, underline each of the three bullet points. Write them out on your scratch paper. Then as you write, physically check them off. Don't trust your memory.
The prompt tells you whether to write formal or informal. Most students read that, nod, and then write however they naturally talk. Then they lose an entire band on Lexical Resource because your tone was completely wrong for the context.
Formal letters (to a manager, government office, university) need polite, restrained language. Informal letters (to a friend, family) need relaxed, conversational language. Your vocabulary doesn't change drastically, but the tone absolutely does.
Too formal for an informal letter: "I am writing to request your attendance at the aforementioned gathering."
Natural informal tone: "I'd love it if you could come to the party next weekend."
That second one isn't dumbed down. It's appropriate. Look at your draft for contractions—I'm, don't, you're, that's. If you're writing informal and you have zero contractions, you're probably too stiff. If you're writing formal and contractions are everywhere, you're too casual.
You've got roughly 150 words to hit three separate points. That's about 50 words per bullet. Not much room to waste. Here's the structure that actually works.
Opening (2-3 sentences): State why you're writing and what it's about. Don't introduce the actual content yet.
Body (3-5 sentences per bullet): Each bullet gets its own mini-section or at least a visible chunk of text. Readers should be able to see where one bullet ends and another starts.
Closing (1-2 sentences): Thank them, express your feelings, or mention next steps. Sign off the right way.
Example: "Dear Sarah, I'm writing to tell you about my new job. First, the position is in marketing at a tech company downtown. Second, I'm excited because the team seems really collaborative. Third, I'd love to grab coffee and tell you all about it. Talk soon, Alex."
See how each bullet has its own space? You can actually see where each idea sits. Three separate points, all covered clearly.
This isn't about using fancy words. It's about showing you can use different words correctly. Band 7 writers mix common words with some more sophisticated ones, all used naturally. Band 6 writers either lean too hard on basic vocabulary or try to sound smart and mess up.
Read through your letter and ask yourself: Did I use the same word three times? Can I swap one for a synonym? Did I vary how I start sentences? Am I using a few less common words correctly?
Repetitive and weak: "I want to say that I want to come to the event. I think it will be good. I hope you want me to come."
Better vocabulary and precision: "I'd be delighted to attend the event, and I think it will be an excellent opportunity to catch up."
The better version doesn't use obscure words. It just picks better ones and uses them with confidence. "Delighted" instead of "want." "Excellent" instead of "good." "Opportunity" instead of "thing." That's how you write Band 7.
Quick tip: After you finish drafting, spend 2-3 minutes hunting for words you used twice or more. Replace at least one with something better. A thesaurus helps here.
Perfect grammar gets you a Band 6. Varied grammar with only tiny errors? That's Band 7. You need complex sentences mixed in, not just simple ones.
Band 6 writers string together simple sentences: "I finished university. I got a job. I moved to London." Band 7 writers vary it: "After finishing university last year, I secured a position at a marketing firm, which led me to relocate to London." See how different the structure is? That's what examiners want.
Go through your letter and count your sentences. How many are just simple subject-verb-object? Try converting at least 30% into compound or complex sentences using conjunctions like because, since, although, if, and who.
All simple sentences: "I saw your email. I was happy. I want to reply. I have three things to tell you."
Varied sentence structure: "Upon seeing your email, which made me incredibly happy, I knew I had to reply right away because there are three important things I need to tell you."
The better version isn't trying to be fancy. It just combines ideas naturally. That's exactly what examiners look for.
This seems obvious, but plenty of students get it wrong. Your format affects your score because examiners check whether you actually understand the context of what you're writing.
Formal letters need: a full date (29 April 2026), the recipient's full title and company, a proper salutation (Dear Mr. Smith, Dear Sir or Madam), and a formal closing (Yours sincerely, Yours faithfully). Informal letters need: a casual date or no date at all, a first name, an informal greeting (Dear Sarah, Hi Alex), and a casual sign-off (All the best, Cheers, Love).
One small format mistake won't tank you. But multiple errors send a signal that you don't understand what you're supposed to be writing, and examiners will mark Task Response lower.
For more details on getting your letter format exactly right, our guide on letter greetings and closings breaks down what works for each type.
Quick tip: Before you start writing, jot down the format rules for your letter type on your scratch paper. Check them again at the end.
Task 1 requires a minimum of 150 words. Most students either fall short of that or balloon to 200+. Neither helps. Aim for 160-180 words. That's enough space to cover three bullets properly without adding fluff.
Actually count your words. If you're at 140, you're too short. Expand one bullet by adding a reason or detail. If you're at 210, you're probably repeating yourself. Cut the extra.
Why does this matter? Because examiners see appropriate word count as a sign that you can be clear and concise. Too short looks rushed or underdeveloped. Too long looks like padding. The right length shows you're in control.
After you finish writing, use this checklist before submitting your letter.
This takes 10 minutes max. It catches the mistakes that cost you a band.
Missing a bullet point: This is the biggest one. It tanks your Task Response score. Read the bullets twice before you start, and underline them. Don't rely on memory.
Wrong tone for the letter type: Formal letters need restraint. Informal letters need warmth. Read a few example letters before you write if you're unsure which vibe you need.
Using bullet points in your actual letter: The prompt gives you bullets as a checklist, not as a format instruction. Write in paragraph form. Your letter should look like an actual letter, not a list.
All simple sentences: One or two complex sentences go a long way. They show the examiner you can handle subordinate clauses. Mix your sentence structure.
Repeating words constantly: If you use "good" five times, that hurts you. Spend one minute hunting for repetition and swapping in alternatives.
If you want a detailed breakdown of tone specifically, check out our guide on tone consistency in informal letters, which covers the exact phrases that work and which ones don't.
Use our IELTS writing checker to evaluate your Task 1 letters before you submit. You'll see exactly which bullets you covered, whether your tone is consistent, and what band score you're likely to get. This is way better than guessing after you hand it in.
The tool gives you concrete feedback: "You used 'good' three times. Try 'excellent,' 'beneficial,' and 'worthwhile' instead." That's the kind of specific help that actually moves your score.
Use our free IELTS writing checker to get detailed feedback on your Task 1 letters. See exactly which bullets you covered, whether your tone is right, and what band score you're likely to receive.
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