Here's the thing: your letter opening gets maybe 10-15 seconds of the examiner's attention. In that time, they're already forming opinions about your formal register, your grammar, and whether you actually understand the task. Mess it up, and you've lost credibility you'll spend the rest of the letter trying to rebuild.
The good news? Most students make the same mistakes, which means the errors are predictable. Once you know what to avoid, you're instantly ahead of the pack. Whether you're working on a complaint letter, job application, or course inquiry, getting your letter opening right is non-negotiable for a Band 7+ score.
IELTS General Training Task 1 grades you on four things: Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. Your opening touches all four immediately.
Examiners expect formal letters to open a specific way. When you deviate from that convention, they don't see creativity. They see a mistake. You lose marks for Task Response (wrong register) and for Lexical Resource (inappropriate phrases). That's a double penalty on your band score.
A Band 7+ opening shows you understand professional English conventions. A Band 5 opening shows you're still figuring it out. The gap? Usually one or two small errors that most students never catch. An IELTS writing checker can help you spot these, but you need to know the rules first.
This part is simple: you either know the recipient's name or you don't. Those are your only two options. There's no middle ground.
Good: Dear Mr. Johnson,
Good: Dear Sir or Madam,
Weak: Dear Sir,
Why is "Dear Sir" alone a problem? Because you don't know if you're writing to a man or a woman, and IELTS tasks never specify gender. Using "Dear Sir" assumes male, which is outdated and incorrect. The standard is "Dear Sir or Madam" when the name is unknown. Yes, it sounds old-fashioned. But this is IELTS, not a text to your friend.
Weak: Hello,
Weak: Hi there,
These are too casual. You're writing to a company, government office, or institution, not your friend. The Band 7+ rubric specifically mentions "appropriate register throughout." Informal greetings fail that test immediately.
Weak: To Whom It May Concern,
This one stings because it feels safe. But "To Whom It May Concern" is American business English, and it's disappearing even there. IELTS is British English, and British convention is "Dear Sir or Madam." If the task gives you a name, use it. If it doesn't, use the standard phrase. That's it.
Tip: Read the task carefully. If it says "Write to Ms. Chen," use her name. If it just says "write to a council," you don't have a name, so use "Dear Sir or Madam." Don't overthink it.
You've chosen your salutation. Now comes the punctuation trap.
Weak: Dear Mr. Johnson
No comma. This costs marks because it looks almost right. In formal British English, the salutation requires a comma at the end. Always. No exceptions in IELTS.
Good: Dear Mr. Johnson,
The comma signals that the greeting is complete. It's part of formal letter structure. Skip it, and you've committed a Grammatical Range and Accuracy error. These add up fast when an examiner reviews your work.
Tip: Every formal letter greeting in IELTS ends with a comma. Train yourself to add it automatically, every single time.
You know the recipient's name. Now what's the right way to write it?
Good: Dear Mr. Johnson,
Good: Dear Ms. Khan,
Good: Dear Mrs. Liu,
Use the title (Mr., Ms., Mrs., Dr.) plus the surname only. Not the first name. Not "Mr. David Johnson." Just "Mr. Johnson." This is how formal British letters work, and IELTS expects it.
Weak: Dear David,
Weak: Dear Johnson,
First name alone is too casual. Surname alone feels cold and incomplete. Title plus surname is the standard.
Weak: Dear Mr. D. Johnson,
Skip the initials. If you only have a partial name or aren't sure of someone's gender, the task would ask you to write to "a manager" or similar. The prompt won't ambiguously give you an incomplete name.
Your salutation is done. Now you write the first line. This is where things fall apart for most candidates.
Weak: I am writing to you because I want to complain about the service I received at your hotel.
It's grammatical, but clunky. "I am writing to you because I want to" is five words doing the job of two.
Good: I am writing to lodge a formal complaint regarding the service I received at your hotel.
Sharper. More formal. "Lodge a complaint" sounds professional. "Regarding" is stronger than "about." You've shown lexical range in 16 words instead of 18.
Weak: I hope this letter finds you well and I am writing to ask for some help with my accommodation issue.
"I hope this letter finds you well" is a cliché. Every student writes it. The examiner has read it 50 times this week. And "ask for some help" is vague. Don't pad your introduction with pleasantries. State your purpose clearly.
Good: I am writing to request clarification regarding the accommodation terms outlined in my contract.
Specific. Purposeful. Professional. The examiner knows immediately what you're asking for.
Tip: Your opening line always starts with "I am writing to" and includes the specific purpose. The verbs you'll use: complain about, request, apologize for, inquire about, apply for, offer, suggest, express concern regarding. Learn these. You'll use them every time.
Register is the balance students struggle with. You need formal, but not Shakespearean.
Weak: I am humbly beseeching your most esteemed counsel regarding a matter of grave significance.
This isn't formal. It's overwrought. Modern formal English is direct and clear, not flowery. This would cost you marks for unnatural language.
Good: I am writing to request your assistance with an urgent matter concerning my application.
Professional. Clear. Contemporary. No drama.
Weak: I'm really frustrated about what happened at your store and I need you to fix it ASAP!
Too casual. Contractions like "I'm" and phrases like "ASAP" don't belong in formal letters. Neither do exclamation marks (usually). This reads like a text to a friend.
Good: I am writing to formally lodge a complaint regarding a recent experience at your store.
Formal without being stuffy. That's the Band 7+ sweet spot.
Let's work through actual scenarios so you see how this plays out.
Task Type 1: Complaint Letter
The prompt says: "You had a bad experience at a restaurant. Write a letter to the manager."
Good opening:
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to lodge a formal complaint regarding the service and food quality I experienced at your restaurant on 15th March.
You don't know the manager's name, so "Dear Sir or Madam" is correct. Your opening line clearly states the purpose and includes a specific detail (the date).
Task Type 2: Job Application
The prompt says: "Apply for a Marketing Coordinator job. The hiring manager is Ms. Sarah Bennett."
Good opening:
Dear Ms. Bennett,
I am writing to express my interest in the Marketing Coordinator position advertised on your company website.
You have the name, so you use it. Your opening specifies the exact role. Clean. Professional.
Task Type 3: Course Inquiry
The prompt says: "Write to a course provider asking for more information about an English course."
Good opening:
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to inquire about the intensive English course scheduled for next summer.
No name given, so use the standard salutation. The opening is specific about which course interests you.
Once you've nailed your opening, make sure your closing matches it. We cover this in detail in our guide on IELTS letter closing phrases, but here's the rule: if you use a person's name, close with "Yours sincerely." If you use "Dear Sir or Madam," close with "Yours faithfully."
Here's what students miss: your opening salutation determines how you close the letter.
Name in the salutation = "Yours sincerely" in the closing.
No name = "Yours faithfully" in the closing.
Weak: Dear Mr. Khan, [letter body] Yours faithfully,
This is a mismatch. You lose marks for not following letter conventions. The Band 7+ rubric says "appropriate register throughout." Mixing closing conventions breaks that requirement.
Good: Dear Mr. Khan, [letter body] Yours sincerely,
Good: Dear Sir or Madam, [letter body] Yours faithfully,
Memorize this pairing now. It's a rule, not optional. Forget it on test day, and your entire letter loses cohesion marks.
Tip: Never use "Best regards," "Kind regards," or "Sincerely" in IELTS formal letters. Stick to "Yours sincerely" or "Yours faithfully." These are the phrases examiners expect.
Here are the patterns that show up in weak letters.
Mixing formal and informal register in the opening:
Weak: Dear Sir or Madam, I want to ask you about getting a refund for my course because I'm not happy with it.
"I'm" is a contraction. Contractions belong in casual writing. This is formal. Switch to "I am." Also, "I want to ask" is weak. Use "I am writing to request."
Good: Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to request a refund for the course I enrolled in, as it did not meet my expectations.
Being too vague about your purpose:
Weak: I am writing because I have a problem.
What problem? The examiner shouldn't have to guess. Be specific.
Good: I am writing to report a significant billing error on my account.
Starting with unnecessary pleasantries:
Weak: I hope this letter finds you in good health. I am writing to inquire about membership fees.
Skip the pleasantries. State your purpose immediately. You've got 150-200 words. Don't waste them.
Good: I am writing to inquire about membership fees for the sports center.
To see how letter openings work within the larger structure of your response, check out our free IELTS writing checker, which evaluates your entire letter against Band 7 criteria. You can also explore our full IELTS letter format guide for structural elements that add up to a higher score.
Your letter opening isn't the place to be creative. It's the place to be correct.
Learn the rules. Practice them. Make them automatic. When you sit the exam, you won't think about whether to use a comma after "Dear Mr. Johnson." Your hand will just do it.
The candidates who score Band 7+ aren't smarter. They're just disciplined about the fundamentals. Your letter opening is fundamental.
Check your openings against the examples here. Fix the weak phrases. Match your closing to your salutation. Get the punctuation right. Do these things, and you've already solved half the battle before you write a single sentence of the body. If you want more detailed feedback on your writing, try our IELTS writing correction tool to see how examiners evaluate your letters.
Practice your letter openings and get instant feedback on your formal register, grammar, and tone with our IELTS writing checker.
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