Three minutes into Task 1. You write your greeting line. That single line—before your letter even starts—tells the examiner whether you understand formal English or you don't.
Here's what most students miss: their greeting mistakes tank the Coherence & Cohesion score. The greeting isn't just something to skip over. It's your first signal that you can write for the right audience.
Let me show you what works, what doesn't, and why it matters more than you think. If you want instant feedback on whether your greeting matches your letter's tone, our free IELTS writing checker analyzes this in seconds.
The IELTS band descriptors for Task 1 reward you explicitly for using the right register and tone. Your greeting sets the register for everything that comes after. Get it wrong on line one, and the examiner marks you down in Coherence & Cohesion before you've even started the letter body.
You've got about 20 minutes for Task 1. Spend 30 seconds getting your greeting right. That's the smartest time investment you'll make.
Band 7 responses use "appropriate register consistently throughout." Band 5 or 6 responses show "inconsistent" register—and it often starts with a greeting that doesn't fit the letter type. A formal greeting followed by casual language (or the reverse) signals to the examiner that you don't have control over your tone.
Memorize these. Write them down. Tattoo them if you have to.
Follow these and you won't lose marks on your opening line.
You're writing to a company you've never contacted before. No specific person's name. This is where "Dear Sir or Madam" lives.
Good: Dear Sir or Madam,
It's your safety net. When you're unsure about a formal letter, use this. It's correct. It's professional. The examiner sees you know the convention.
Some students write "Dear Sir/Madam" with a slash instead. That's acceptable, though "or" is more traditional. Pick one and use it consistently in your practice.
Weak: Hi there, / Hello Sir/Madam, / To Whom It May Concern,
"Hi there" is too casual. "Hello Sir/Madam" mixes casual with formal in a way that confuses. "To Whom It May Concern" is outdated and rare in British English, which IELTS uses.
Tip: If the prompt gives you a person's name, use it. "Write to your manager, Mr. Johnson." That's your cue to use Mr. Johnson. This is always better than the generic formula because it shows you read the prompt carefully.
This scores higher. The IELTS prompt sometimes gives you a specific person to write to.
Example: "You recently attended a training course. Write to the course director, Dr. Helen Martinez, to request feedback on your performance."
Good: Dear Dr. Martinez,
Use the title if you have it. If the prompt just says "Write to James" with no title, pick one approach: either "Dear James" (if it's definitely semi-formal) or "Dear Mr. James" (if it's formal). When you're unsure, use the surname with a title.
Weak: Dear Helen, / Hi Dr. Martinez, / Dear Dr. Martinez please,
Using just the first name in a formal letter reads as too casual. "Hi Dr. Martinez" mixes registers. And "Dear Dr. Martinez please" is grammatically wrong—"please" doesn't belong in a salutation.
Not every Task 1 letter is formal. You might write to a friend, a relative, or someone you know professionally but in a friendly way.
Example: "Your friend is considering moving to your city. Write a letter advising them about life here."
Good: Dear Sophie, / Hi Sophie, / Hey Sophie,
Informal letters give you flexibility. "Dear Sophie" is warm but respectful. "Hi Sophie" is casual and friendly. "Hey Sophie" is the most relaxed. All three work if the prompt describes a close relationship.
The key is matching your tone to your greeting. If you open with "Dear Sophie," keep the rest of the letter warm but structured. If you use "Hey," your body paragraphs should feel relaxed and conversational too. One greeting pulls the whole letter in that direction.
When you're revising for tone consistency in formal letter writing, your greeting is the anchor point. Does everything that follows match this opening?
Weak: Sophie, / Dear Friend, / Hi there Sophie please,
Dropping the greeting entirely ("Sophie,") reads as abrupt and isn't a proper letter greeting. "Dear Friend" feels outdated. And once again: "please" doesn't go there.
After your greeting, use a comma. Always.
Good: Dear Mr. Johnson,
Some American or older guides use a colon ("Dear Mr. Johnson:"), but IELTS follows British English. The comma is standard. You won't fail for using a colon, but the comma is what examiners expect.
Weak: Dear Mr. Johnson / Dear Mr. Johnson. / Dear Mr. Johnson;
No punctuation, a period, or a semicolon all fail. The comma is non-negotiable.
Mistake 1: Mixing casual and formal. "Hello Sir," or "Hi there Mr. Johnson" sends a confused signal. Band 6 responses show "generally appropriate register," but this doesn't hit that standard. You've picked a style but applied it wrong.
Mistake 2: Wrong or missing punctuation. "Dear Sir or Madam" without a comma is incomplete. It shows you don't know the convention. This falls under Grammatical Range & Accuracy because punctuation is part of grammar.
Mistake 3: Inventing a greeting that doesn't exist. Some students write "Dear Valued Sir," "Dear Respected Manager," or "Dear Hiring Team." These aren't standard English greetings. If you don't have a specific name, use "Dear Sir or Madam." Don't improvise.
Mistake 4: Using "Dear Sir/Madam" when you have a name. If the prompt tells you to write to Sarah Thompson and you write "Dear Sir or Madam," you've signaled that you didn't read the prompt carefully. Task Response includes specificity about the situation. Using the name when given one is part of that.
If you want to go deeper on this, check out our guide on detecting tone shifts in your formal letter opening. A greeting that doesn't match the rest of your letter is one of the first red flags examiners notice.
Tip: Before you write a single word, spend 10 seconds identifying the recipient. Formal? Do you have a name? Is it semi-formal or informal? Then write your greeting. This upfront clarity prevents every mistake listed above.
Use this before you move to the letter body. It takes 15 seconds and catches most greeting errors.
Check all five boxes and you're solid.
Don't just memorize the rules. You need to apply them under timed conditions. Here's how to train this.
Find 5-10 IELTS Task 1 letter prompts. For each one, write only the greeting line. Before you write, answer three things: Who am I writing to? What type of letter is it? What's my relationship to the recipient? Then write the greeting. Check it against the rules above.
Do this for a week. By day four or five, you'll write correct greetings without thinking. That's when you know it's automatic.
Next step: write full practice letters and ask yourself this one question: does my greeting match the tone of everything else? If you opened with "Dear Mr. Singh," does the body stay formal? If you opened with "Hey Jamie," does the rest of the letter feel warm and casual? This consistency is what separates band 6 from band 7.
For a deeper dive on maintaining tone throughout, our letter tone consistency guide walks through how to keep register steady from your greeting all the way to your closing.
A strong greeting is correct, matches the letter type, and sets the right tone for what follows. You identify the recipient, select the appropriate salutation, add a comma, and move forward. This takes 20 seconds and prevents band score loss in Coherence & Cohesion. Everything after your greeting should maintain the same register and formality level you established on line one.
Don't just read this and move on. Pick one letter prompt from your practice book. Before you write anything, identify the recipient and the letter type. Then write your greeting. Check it against the three rules above.
If you want detailed feedback on your opening—including whether your greeting tone matches your body paragraphs—our IELTS writing checker gives instant line-by-line analysis. Upload a practice letter and see exactly where your tone shifts happen and how to fix them.
Get detailed feedback on your greeting, tone consistency, and band score in seconds. Our IELTS letter checker analyzes your full Task 1 letter and flags any tone mismatches between your greeting and body paragraphs.
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