Here's the thing: examiners start reading your formal letter the moment they see your salutation. That first line tells them whether you understand register, formality, and basic letter conventions. Get it wrong, and you're already fighting an uphill battle for Coherence & Cohesion and Task Achievement marks.
Most students think a salutation is just a formality. It's not. The way you greet your reader directly impacts the examiner's first impression of your writing competence. In IELTS Writing Task 1, a sloppy or incorrect opening can cost you 0.5 to 1 full band point. That matters when you're aiming for Band 7 or 8.
Let me walk you through exactly what works, what doesn't, and how to avoid the mistakes that pull down your score. Need instant feedback? Our free IELTS writing checker analyzes your entire letter, including salutation, punctuation, and register consistency.
The IELTS band descriptors for writing assess Task Response, Coherence & Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range & Accuracy. Your salutation touches all four. A correct opening shows you understand formal conventions (Task Response). It demonstrates control over register (Coherence & Cohesion). It uses appropriate vocabulary for context (Lexical Resource). And it sets a grammatically sound foundation (Grammatical Range & Accuracy).
Band 8 students don't stumble on salutations. They nail them automatically.
Band 5 and 6 students? They're often inconsistent. They might write "Dear Sir" one moment and "Hi there" the next, or they forget to punctuate properly. These small gaps accumulate.
Real impact: A correctly formatted salutation with proper punctuation and register takes five seconds to write. A Band 7/8 examiner notices. A Band 5 salutation creates doubt before paragraph one even begins.
"Dear Sir or Madam" is the correct salutation when you don't know the recipient's name. Use it every time the prompt doesn't provide a specific person to address. This is your safest choice and the most commonly correct answer in Task 1 scenarios.
The IELTS prompt will almost never give you the recipient's name. You'll see something like "You have just come back from a holiday in an English-speaking country. Write to the tourism board..." No name. No gender. That's exactly where "Dear Sir or Madam" shines. The IELTS marking scheme doesn't penalize you for using this phrase in formal letters. It's a safe, correct choice every time you lack specific information about the recipient.
Good: Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to express my concern about the recent changes to the local library closing times.
Weak: Hi! I wanted to tell you about something that happened last week at the library.
The second example isn't a letter. It's a text message. The register is completely off.
When you write "Dear Sir or Madam," you must add a comma at the end. Not a period. Not a colon. A comma. This detail separates Band 6 from Band 7.
British English letter conventions, which IELTS follows, place a comma after the salutation. American business style sometimes uses a colon, but IELTS is rooted in British norms, and the comma is the correct choice here. This tiny detail matters because examiners assess Grammatical Range & Accuracy. A missing or incorrect punctuation mark is a grammatical error, even if it's "just" a comma.
Correct: Dear Sir or Madam,
Wrong: Dear Sir or Madam: or Dear Sir or Madam.
Occasionally, a Task 1 prompt will give you a name. "Write to Mr. Johnson, the manager of the hotel..." Now what?
Use "Dear Mr. Johnson," if you know the surname only and the recipient is male. Use "Dear Ms. [surname]," if the recipient is female (Ms. is universally safer than Mrs. or Miss). Use the full name only if the prompt explicitly tells you to, which is rare.
Never use first names in formal IELTS letters. That's an immediate register drop.
Good: Dear Mr. Harrison, I am writing to inquire about the availability of the conference room.
Weak: Dear John, I hope you're doing well and wanted to chat about the room booking.
The second one is too informal and uses a first name. That's Band 5 work.
Let's look at what real IELTS submissions get wrong.
Mistake 1: Mixing formality levels. You write "Dear Sir or Madam," and then your next sentence is "Yo, I'm mad about the service!" This jarring shift damages Coherence & Cohesion. Your register is all over the place.
Mistake 2: Omitting the comma. "Dear Sir or Madam" without punctuation is a grammatical lapse. Examiners notice. It's sloppy.
Mistake 3: Using outdated or overly casual openings. "To whom it may concern" (dated). "Hello" or "Hi" (way too casual). "Dear All" (you're not writing an email to a team).
Mistake 4: Capitalizing inconsistently. "dear sir or madam," with a lowercase 'd' is incorrect. The first word of a salutation is always capitalized.
Weak: to whom it may concern: I am writing because I have a problem. (Wrong on all counts: lowercase, wrong punctuation, outdated register.)
Good: Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to lodge a formal complaint regarding the service I received. (Correct capitalization, proper comma, appropriate register.)
Your opening doesn't exist in isolation. It sets the tone for everything that comes next.
After "Dear Sir or Madam,", your next line should jump straight into your body text. Explain your purpose clearly. Many students waste time with filler: "I hope this letter finds you well." That adds nothing to Task Achievement.
Get straight to it. "I am writing to request a refund for the faulty laptop I purchased last month." That's Task Response. You're showing the examiner you understand what the letter is supposed to do. If you need help with your entire opening, our guide on letter opening lines breaks down how to transition from your salutation into a strong first paragraph.
Tip: Count your words. IELTS Writing Task 1 requires a minimum of 150 words. Don't waste 20 of them on pleasantries. Use them to explain your purpose, develop your points, and close professionally.
Here's what students often miss: the closing sign-off must match your salutation.
If you open with "Dear Sir or Madam,", you must close with "Yours faithfully," not "Yours sincerely," "Best regards," or "Thanks,". This is a formal convention. "Yours faithfully" pairs with an unknown recipient. "Yours sincerely" pairs with a known recipient by name.
Your closing is a second chance to demonstrate control. Get it wrong, and you've broken a fundamental letter convention that examiners absolutely know. When evaluating tone consistency across the entire letter, examiners check whether your sign-off matches your opening. A mismatch signals confusion about register.
Correct closing: Yours faithfully, [Your Full Name]
Weak closing: Thanks for reading, John. (Too casual, breaks the formal convention entirely.)
Before you submit your Task 1 letter, ask yourself these five questions.
If you answer "yes" to all five, your salutation is Band 7/8 standard. To check the rest of your letter, use our IELTS essay checker for detailed band score feedback.
Your salutation is just the beginning. Get instant feedback on your entire Task 1 letter, from opening to closing, with band score estimates and specific IELTS writing corrections.
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