You've got 60 minutes for Task 1. You need to write 150 words minimum. One wrong greeting, and you signal to the examiner that you don't understand who you're writing to—or why. That costs you band points before you've even started the real work.
Here's what actually happens: most students overthink the greeting. They second-guess themselves ("Is this formal enough?"), change it twice, and lose 5 minutes they didn't have. Or worse, they nail the greeting but then shift register halfway through the letter. Either way, the examiner notices. It affects your score on task appropriateness, coherence, and overall band.
This guide teaches you exactly how to pick the right greeting the first time—no doubt, no wasted time, no lost band points.
The IELTS band descriptors explicitly say examiners assess whether you "write appropriately in response to the stated purpose of the task." That doesn't mean just covering the content. It means matching your tone, register, and audience awareness from the very first word.
Say the task asks you to write to your landlord about a broken pipe. If you start with "Hey mate, how's it going?"—you've just told the examiner you can't adjust your voice to fit the situation. That lands you in Band 6 territory, no matter how good your paragraph structure is.
Flip it the other way. You're writing to an old friend about weekend plans, and you open with "Dear Sir or Madam, I trust this correspondence finds you in good health." Same problem, wrong direction. You've overcorrected just as badly.
The examiner sees this mismatch instantly. Your task response score drops before paragraph two even exists.
Every IELTS Task 1 letter fits into one box: formal or informal. Your greeting must match that box perfectly.
Formal letters go to people you don't know or authority figures: companies, government agencies, universities, landlords, hotels. Think: complaints, applications, enquiries, professional requests.
Informal letters go to people you know: friends, family, someone you've met before. Think: personal updates, invitations, casual catch-ups.
The greeting is your clearest signal that you've identified the correct register. Get it wrong, and everything that follows feels off-balance, even if your sentences are technically perfect.
For formal letters, you have three solid choices. Pick one based on what information you have.
"Dear Sir or Madam," Use this when you don't know the recipient's name. This is the most common formal opening in actual IELTS Task 1 scenarios because you're usually writing to an unnamed contact person at an organization.
Example: "Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to enquire about the availability of accommodation for the summer term."
"Dear Mr/Mrs/Ms [Surname]," Use this when you know the person's name. It's more personal than "Sir or Madam" and shows you've done your homework.
Example: "Dear Ms Johnson, I am writing with regards to my booking confirmation reference number 456789."
"To Whom It May Concern," Technically formal, but increasingly outdated. Examiners often prefer "Dear Sir or Madam." Use it only if the task explicitly mentions an unknown, untitled recipient or if it genuinely feels right for the context. Otherwise, skip it.
Quick tip: IELTS uses British English. Stick with "Dear Sir or Madam" over American alternatives. This is the safest, most widely recognized formal opening.
Informal doesn't mean careless. You're writing to someone you know, so warmth is essential—but structure still matters.
"Dear [First Name]," Your go-to informal greeting. It's warm without being chaotic. Use it for friends, family, or anyone you know by first name.
Example: "Dear Sarah, I hope you're doing well. I'm writing to ask if you'd like to join me for the conference next month."
"Hi [First Name]," Equally valid and slightly more modern. Both "Dear" and "Hi" work in informal contexts. Pick one and stick with it throughout the letter.
Example: "Hi Marcus, Thanks for your last email. I wanted to catch up about the project you mentioned."
Never write "Hello everyone" or "Hey guys." IELTS Task 1 is always addressed to one specific person, not a group. Even if you're writing to your family, pick one person to address directly. This keeps the register appropriate and focused.
Avoid: "Hey mate, just wanted to touch base about your holiday plans." (Too slangy for a formal exam score.)
Let's look at how the task description tells you which register to use.
Example 1: The Complaint
"You bought a laptop online three weeks ago. It arrived damaged. Write a letter to the company requesting a replacement or refund."
This is formal. You don't know who will read it. It's an employee handling complaints for a large company.
Correct: "Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to lodge a formal complaint regarding my laptop purchase."
Wrong: "Hi there, I'm really annoyed because my laptop arrived broken."
Example 2: The Friendly Catch-Up
"Your childhood friend is relocating abroad next month. Write a letter congratulating them and asking about their plans."
This is informal. You know them well. Warmth and personality belong here.
Correct: "Dear Alex, I was so excited to hear about your move to Canada! It's been ages since we've properly caught up."
Wrong: "Dear Mr Chen, I acknowledge receipt of your relocation notification."
Example 3: The Course Enquiry
"You want to enroll in an evening course at a local college. Write a letter requesting information about course content, schedule, and fees."
This is formal. You're contacting an institution. You likely don't know who'll respond.
Correct: "Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to enquire about the evening English course listed on your website."
Wrong: "Dear Sir or Madam, Yo, can you send me info about your English classes?"
Mistake 1: Switching register mid-letter. You open formal ("Dear Sir or Madam") but close casual ("Cheers, Mike"). The examiner sees someone who doesn't understand consistency. This damages your Coherence and Cohesion score directly because register confusion breaks the flow of the entire letter. Pick one register and stay in it.
Mistake 2: Abbreviating names in formal letters. Writing "Dear Ms. J." or "Dear Dr. S." looks incomplete and unprofessional. Always write the full surname: "Dear Dr. Smith" or "Dear Ms. Johnson." The only exception: if you genuinely have no name, use "Dear Sir or Madam."
Mistake 3: Wrong punctuation after the greeting. You might write "Dear Mr Singh:" or "Dear Sarah." with a period instead of a comma. British English (IELTS standard) uses a comma after the greeting. Always: "Dear [Name]," on its own line, comma at the end, then skip a line before your first sentence.
Format check: Greeting on its own line with a comma. Skip a line. Start your opening sentence. This is the standard letter format IELTS examiners expect.
Mistake 4: Counting the greeting toward your 150 words. You don't count "Dear Sir or Madam," in your word total. Neither does your closing signature. Your 150 words come from the body of the letter itself. Start counting from your first substantive sentence. Don't waste opening words on vague pleasantries; get to your point immediately.
Mistake 5: Ignoring the task instruction's tone cues. Some prompts say "You do not need to include sender's address" or emphasize a casual tone. Read these hints carefully. They tell you how formal the context is. If they're pointing you toward a casual scenario, your greeting should reflect that—but not slip into slang.
Your opening and closing are a pair. They need to belong in the same letter. This consistency directly affects your Coherence and Cohesion score.
If you open formal with "Dear Sir or Madam," close formally with "Yours faithfully," or "Yours sincerely." These are traditional British closings that match a formal opening.
Formal pair: "Dear Sir or Madam," ... "Yours faithfully, [Your Name]"
If you open informal with "Dear Sarah," close with "Best regards," "Kind regards," or "All the best." These are polished enough for IELTS but still feel personal.
Informal pair: "Dear Sarah," ... "Best regards, [Your Name]"
Don't mismatch. "Dear Sir or Madam" + "See you soon" breaks register and signals to the examiner that you don't fully understand Task 1 expectations. Once you've set the tone with your greeting, your closing must complete the same picture.
If you need more detail on closings, our guide on formal sign-off evaluation covers how to match your closing to your greeting.
You don't need to memorize every greeting variation. What matters is pattern recognition: you see a task, you instantly know if it's formal or informal, and you write the correct greeting without hesitation.
Here's a 50-minute practice routine that works:
Take 10 IELTS Task 1 prompts. For each one, spend just 5 minutes on this: read the task, identify formal or informal, then write only the greeting and closing pair. Don't write the full letter. Check that your greeting and closing match in tone.
This trains your brain to categorize the task before you start writing. It's automatic practice, not just repetition. After 50 minutes across 10 prompts, you'll spot register instantly.
Practice tip: When you write full practice letters, highlight the greeting in one color and the closing in another. Visually check they match before you submit. This trains your eye to spot register mismatches before an examiner does.
Once you're confident with greetings, move to our guide on distinguishing professional vs. casual tone to sharpen your register awareness across the entire letter.
Sometimes the prompt doesn't explicitly say "write to your friend" or "write to a company." You have to infer it.
Scenario 1: "Write a letter about a problem you experienced during a recent stay at a hotel."
No name given. No explicit relationship stated. This is a complaint to a business. Formal opening is required: "Dear Sir or Madam." You're writing to an unknown staff member.
Scenario 2: "Write a letter to someone you know, inviting them to a special event you're organizing."
Explicitly says "someone you know." Informal opening is required: "Dear [First Name]," or "Hi [First Name],"
Scenario 3: "Write a letter responding to a job advertisement."
No relationship stated. This is a formal application to someone you don't know: "Dear Sir or Madam," or if a name is provided in the ad, "Dear Mr/Ms [Surname],"
Read the task carefully. The language choices tell you which register to use. If they mention a name and relationship, go informal. If it's a business, service provider, or organization with no name given, go formal.
Before you write the body of your letter, stop and ask yourself three questions:
1. Do I know this person's name? (If yes, go formal with a name or informal with a first name. If no, go formal with "Dear Sir or Madam.")
2. Do I know this person personally? (If yes, go informal. If it's a business or institution, go formal.)
3. Does my closing match my opening in tone? (If you opened formal, will you close formal? If informal, will you close informal?)
Answer these three questions and your greeting choice becomes obvious. No more doubt. No more second-guessing. No more lost time or lost band points.
For a deeper look at how tone carries through your entire letter, check out our comprehensive guide on formal and informal register.
Once your greeting and overall structure feel solid, use our free IELTS writing checker to get instant feedback on whether your entire letter maintains consistent register, hits your word count, and delivers the task response the examiner is looking for. Our band score calculator will also show you exactly where you stand against official IELTS criteria.
Your greeting sets the tone for everything that follows. Make sure the rest of your Task 1 response matches that register perfectly. Get instant feedback on task appropriateness, coherence, lexical range, and grammar across your entire letter using our IELTS writing evaluator.
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