Your letter lives or dies in the first two words. The examiner reads "Dear Sir or Madam," and thinks "this person knows formal English." They read "Hi there," and immediately check the band descriptor for register. That's the difference between Band 6 and Band 7 on Task Response—it's not just what you say, it's how you say hello.
Most students panic about the body of their letter. They stress over word count and complex sentences. But they trip up on the salutation. And here's the frustrating part: you lose marks not because your argument is weak, but because you wrote "Hey" instead of "Dear Sir or Madam." This IELTS letter salutation checker guide walks you through exactly how to open your letter so the examiner sees competence from line one.
The IELTS band descriptors for Writing Task 1 score you on "appropriate register." That means formal or semi-formal tone—and it starts before you've written your first sentence. Your salutation is where the examiner first judges whether you understand the rules.
Think about it. The examiner reads hundreds of letters. When you open with the correct salutation, you're already ahead of 40% of test-takers who mess this up. When you get it wrong, you're flagged instantly as someone who either doesn't know the conventions or didn't care enough to check.
That costs you points in Coherence and Cohesion because mismatched formality weakens your overall structure. It also affects Lexical Resource. Salutations are a specific register choice—picking the wrong one shows limited control of vocabulary in context.
Your salutation changes based on one thing: do you know the recipient's name?
The IELTS General Training Task 1 question will tell you. Read it carefully. Here's a real example from the exam:
"You have recently been to a restaurant with your family. You were very impressed by the service and the food. Write a letter to the restaurant manager, thanking them for your meal and service. You do not need to include postal addresses."
Notice what's missing? The manager's name. So your salutation must be "Dear Sir or Madam." Not "Dear Manager." Not "Hello." That's it.
If the question says "Write to Mr. James Wilson," you write "Dear Mr. Wilson." The name is your compass.
This is where 70% of students stumble.
Correct: Dear Sir or Madam,
Wrong: Dear Sir/Madam, (slash instead of "or")
Wrong: Hi there, (too casual)
Wrong: To Whom It May Concern, (outdated and not IELTS standard)
The examiner expects "Dear Sir or Madam," with a capital D, a comma at the end, and the word "or" spelled out in full. This is standard British English, and IELTS tests British conventions.
Why does the slash matter? Because formal writing doesn't use shorthand. A slash is lazy. The examiner sees it and downmarks your Grammatical Range and Accuracy because you've made an informal punctuation choice in a formal context.
You've got the recipient's name. Now you follow one rule: use the title and last name only. No first name. No both names together.
Correct: Dear Mr. Wilson,
Correct: Dear Ms. Chen,
Correct: Dear Dr. Ahmed,
Wrong: Dear James Wilson, (too informal; should use title)
Wrong: Dear James, (only first name; too casual for IELTS formal letters)
The titles that work in IELTS are Mr., Ms., Mrs., Dr., and Professor. If you don't know the gender, use "Ms." It's modern, neutral, and always correct. Don't guess between Mr. and Ms. based on a name you're unsure about.
Always include a period after the title (Mr., Ms., Dr.) and a comma after the last name. "Dear Mr. Wilson," not "Dear Mr Wilson" and definitely not "Dear Mr. Wilson;". The punctuation here isn't optional.
Not every Task 1 letter is ice-cold formal. Some ask you to write to a friend, a relative, or an acquaintance. The salutation shifts, but it doesn't become casual.
An IELTS question might say: "Write a letter to an English-speaking friend, inviting them to visit your country and suggesting activities." Now your opening can relax a little.
Correct: Dear Sarah,
Acceptable: Hi Sarah, (works in semi-formal context)
Wrong: Yo Sarah, (too casual for IELTS)
Wrong: Hey Sarah!! (punctuation overload; too informal)
Notice the shift: "Dear Sarah," and "Hi Sarah," both work, but they send different signals. "Dear Sarah," keeps it formal enough for IELTS. "Hi Sarah," leans semi-formal and works when the task asks for it. Anything more casual ("Yo," "Hey," multiple exclamation marks) loses marks because you're not controlling register.
Here's the safest move: use "Dear" even in semi-formal letters. You can't go wrong with "Dear [First Name]," when writing to someone you know but are addressing respectfully.
Let me walk through the actual errors the examiner sees and why they bite into your score.
Wrong: "Dear All, I am writing to complain about the conference..."
IELTS Task 1 always asks you to write to a specific person or position. "Dear All" signals that you didn't read the question carefully. Your Task Response score drops immediately.
This one trips up more students than you'd think. If you use "Dear Sir or Madam," you close with "Yours faithfully,". If you use "Dear Mr./Ms. [Name]," you close with "Yours sincerely,". The closing formula is just as important as the opening—they work as a pair.
Wrong: "Dear Mr. Wilson, ... Yours faithfully, [Your Name]" (mismatch: "faithfully" for a named recipient)
Examiners notice this. It shows you didn't understand the convention as a complete system.
Wrong: "dear sir or madam," (all lowercase)
Wrong: "DEAR SIR OR MADAM," (all caps)
Only the first word and proper nouns get capitalized. "Dear Sir or Madam," is the only way. This is basic accuracy—getting it wrong signals carelessness.
Wrong: "Dear Sir or Madam;" (semicolon instead of comma)
Wrong: "Dear Sir or Madam:" (colon instead of comma)
It's always a comma. Semicolons and colons signal you don't understand the convention. Grammatical Accuracy takes a hit.
Before you submit, run through this checklist.
This takes 30 seconds. It's the fastest, highest-return check you can do on your Task 1 letter.
Quick tip: The salutation is so standardized that if you follow these five rules, you won't lose marks here. Get it right once, memorize it, and put your energy into content where you can actually show what you can do.
Example 1: Formal complaint letter
Question: "You recently purchased a mobile phone from an electronics store, but it has a fault. Write a letter to the store manager, explaining the problem and requesting a refund."
No manager name given. Write: "Dear Sir or Madam,"
Example 2: Semi-formal invitation
Question: "Write a letter to your English-speaking friend, Tom, inviting him to visit your city and suggesting activities you'll do together."
Name is Tom. Write: "Dear Tom," (safer than "Hi Tom," and still semi-formal). When you're unsure of the exact tone, "Dear" keeps you safe.
Example 3: Formal inquiry
Question: "Write to the university admissions office, asking about scholarship opportunities for international students."
No specific name. Write: "Dear Sir or Madam," (or if the question mentions a department head like "Dr. Sarah Hughes, Head of International Admissions," use "Dear Dr. Hughes,").
Once you nail your salutation, your opening line is where you hook the examiner with your actual message. Get both right and you've set a strong foundation for the rest of the letter. Use a free IELTS writing checker to catch issues in your full letter beyond just the salutation.
Once you've locked down your salutation, focus on the bigger picture. Letter structure separates Band 6 writers from Band 7 writers—your paragraphing, transitions, and how you organize your message matter far more than any single line. But since the salutation is non-negotiable and costs you nothing to get right, do it once and never worry about it again.
Your salutation is just the opening move. Get instant feedback on your entire IELTS letter with our writing checker, including band score predictions and specific advice on Task Response, Coherence, and Lexical Resource.
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