IELTS Writing Task 1 Letter Salutation Checker: Fix Format Mistakes That Cost You Band Points

Here's what examiners actually notice first: your letter's opening line. You can write a compelling complaint or a perfectly polite request, but if your salutation looks off, you've already dropped marks in two scoring areas—Coherence & Cohesion and Grammatical Accuracy. Most students don't realize this costs them real band points.

IELTS doesn't reward creative greetings. It rewards precision. In Task 1 General Training, you're not writing literature. You're writing a functional letter that needs to follow a specific format. Examiners see hundreds of these letters and they expect the opening to look a certain way, every single time.

If you're unsure whether to write "Dear Sir or Madam," versus "Dear Sir/Madam," versus something else entirely, you'll keep making the same mistake on test day. This guide shows you exactly which format works, which doesn't, and why it matters to your final band score. Use our free IELTS writing checker to catch these errors before submission.

What Are the Two Core Rules for IELTS Letter Salutations?

IELTS General Training letters have two non-negotiable rules. Break either one, and examiners mark you down.

Rule 1: Always use a comma after the salutation, never a period. This sounds basic, but you'd be shocked how many students write "Dear Sir." with a full stop. That's wrong. It should be "Dear Sir," with a comma. The comma tells the reader your greeting hasn't finished—the body text comes next.

Rule 2: Match your formality to the recipient. If you don't know the person's name, use "Dear Sir or Madam,". If you do know their name, use "Dear Mr. Smith," or "Dear Dr. Patel,". There's no middle ground here.

See that third example? It uses a slash. That's modern email style. IELTS expects the word "or", not "/". You're writing a formal letter, not a text.

The Three Salutation Formats That Work for IELTS Task 1 Letters

You have exactly three options. Learn them now and stop second-guessing yourself on test day.

Format 1: When you don't know the recipient's name. This is the most common scenario. A task says "Write to the manager of a local sports club" but gives you no name. You write:

Not "Dear Sir/Madam,". Not "Dear Sir and Madam,". It's "or" spelled out in full. This signals formality and shows you understand standard British English conventions. Examiners recognize this pattern instantly.

Format 2: When you know the recipient's name but not their title. A prompt says "Write to Mr. James Peterson, who runs a travel agency." You write:

Use the surname only. Always use "Mr.", "Mrs.", "Ms.", or "Dr." if you know it. Never jump to first names unless the prompt explicitly tells you it's a personal relationship. In IELTS Task 1, formality is your default.

Format 3: When you know the recipient's title and role. A prompt says "Write to Dr. Sarah Chen, the Head of Customer Services." You write:

Use the title and surname. If someone holds a doctorate or professional credential, include it. This is more formal, and Task 1 rewards formality when context requires it.

What Comes After Your Salutation: Line Breaks Count

You've written "Dear Sir or Madam," correctly. Now formatting precision kicks in.

Press Enter once. Then start your first paragraph. There's no blank line between them. No extra space. Just one line break.

That extra blank line looks harmless. It's not. Examiners looking at coherence notice it immediately. A blank line signals a paragraph break. You haven't broken into paragraphs yet. Your first sentence is just the start of your body. Keep it tight.

This relates directly to how examiners assess Coherence & Cohesion. They look at whether you organize information logically. Formatting is part of organization. A student who can't format a basic letter correctly appears less coherent overall, and that hits your band score.

The Five Formal Letter Greeting Mistakes That Drop Your Band Score

These are the errors IELTS examiners see repeatedly. Avoid them and you'll immediately improve your Grammatical Accuracy and Coherence score.

Mistake 1: Period instead of a comma. "Dear Sir." is punctuation chaos. You've ended the salutation before it ends. The salutation ends when you move to the next line. The comma keeps it open.

Mistake 2: Slash instead of "or". "Dear Sir/Madam," feels modern and casual. IELTS letters are formal. You need the full word "or" to show proper register.

Mistake 3: No comma at all. "Dear Sir or Madam" sitting there bare. The comma is mandatory. It's not optional. It's grammar.

Mistake 4: Adding extra text to the salutation line. Some students write "Dear Sir or Madam, I hope you are well," and stop. The comma ends your greeting. Don't flow into your message on that line. That comma signals the greeting is done. Start a new sentence on the next line.

Mistake 5: Using "To whom it may concern" or other American formats. That phrase is outdated and not standard British English, which IELTS uses. Stick to "Dear Sir or Madam,". If you know a name, use it. If you don't, use that formula. It's that simple.

When You Know the Person's Name: Reading Task Context Carefully

Task 1 sometimes gives you a name. When it does, reading the context matters hugely because it tells you whether the relationship is personal or professional.

The rule is straightforward: use the surname with an appropriate title. But here's where students slip up.

If a prompt says "Write to your friend Tom about borrowing his car," you know Tom personally. The context is informal. You can write "Dear Tom," because the letter is casual.

But if it says "Write to Tom, the manager of a local gym, requesting information about membership," you don't actually know Tom. The relationship is professional. You'd write "Dear Mr. Tom," (if Tom is the surname) or more likely just use "Dear Sir," if you weren't given his full name.

Here's a real IELTS example to make this concrete:

You write: "Dear Mr. Finch," You have his name, so you use it. You don't know him personally—he's a manager. You use the title "Mr." and his surname. That's the formula.

How Salutation Errors Hit Your Band Score

A comma or a slash seems minor. It's not. Here's exactly how it affects your grade.

Task 1 is worth 40% of your overall Writing score. Task 2 makes up the other 60%. Within Task 1, examiners assess four criteria: Task Response, Coherence & Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range & Accuracy. Each gets a band score from 0 to 9.

A salutation error damages two of these directly. First, it hits Grammatical Range & Accuracy because punctuation is a grammar element. Second, it hurts Coherence & Cohesion because format and organization connect. A letter that looks poorly formatted reads as incoherent.

What does this mean for your final band? A student making consistent salutation mistakes across their letter typically scores 5-6 in Grammatical Accuracy instead of 7-8. On the IELTS scale, that's the difference between Band 5.5 and Band 6.5 overall. Universities and employers notice that gap.

One small formatting rule applied consistently bumps your entire band up half a point or more. Use our IELTS writing checker to catch these errors before test day.

For more detailed information on how formatting affects your overall score, check out our complete guide to letter format and band scoring.

Your Salutation Checklist

Before you write your final draft for any Task 1 letter, run through these five checks:

1. Does my salutation end with a comma, not a period or nothing?
2. Did I use "or" not "/" between Sir and Madam?
3. If I know the person's name, did I use "Mr.", "Mrs.", "Ms.", or "Dr." with their surname?
4. Is there exactly one line break between my salutation and my first paragraph, with no blank lines?
5. Does my salutation line stand alone? Am I not adding extra phrases like "I hope you are well" to it?

Check all five every time. This takes 30 seconds. It saves you 0.5 to 1 full band point.

Common Questions About IELTS Letter Salutations

Put Your Salutation Skills to the Test

Now that you know the rules, the next step is applying them. When you sit down to write your practice letters, use our IELTS essay checker to catch salutation errors and other formatting issues before test day. You'll get instant feedback on punctuation, formality, and how these small mistakes add up to band score differences.

If you're working on Task 1 more broadly, our guide on recognizing formal versus informal tone breaks down how salutations fit into the bigger picture of register control. And if you want to understand how all your formatting choices affect your final grade, check out how letter format relates to band scoring.