You're 45 minutes into your IELTS Writing test. The content of your letter flows. Grammar's solid. Then the examiner docks you points because you wrote "Hi there" instead of "Dear Sir or Madam." And just like that, points gone.
Here's the truth: most students brush off Task 1 letter format as a small thing. It's not. The IELTS band descriptors specifically grade how well you handle the task requirements, and that starts with line one. Get your salutation and closing wrong, and you're telling the examiner you don't understand formal written English, even if everything else in your letter is strong.
This guide walks you through exactly how to check your letter openings and closings before you submit. You'll also see how an IELTS writing checker catches these mistakes instantly so you don't leave band points on the table.
Task 1 letters are formal. Not "business casual" formal. Strictly formal. You're writing to an organization, council, company, or named official. Your salutation and closing set the tone from word one.
Examiners assess your Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range & Accuracy through these phrases. Open with "yo" or close with "catch you later," and you've signaled register failure. Examiners notice. Open formally but close casually, and you've shown inconsistency. Both hurt your score across multiple criteria.
The math: Task 1 makes up about one-third of your Writing score. Lose 0.5 to 1 band point on format alone, and you slip from Band 7 to Band 6.5. On the IELTS scale, that matters.
Non-negotiable. You cannot open with "Dear Sir or Madam" and close with "Cheers." That mismatch screams carelessness and costs you points.
IELTS accepts exactly two pairings for formal letter opening and closing:
That's it. Those are your only two safe combinations for Band 7 or higher. Anything else reads as informal or confused.
Let's look at real Task 1 scenarios. Weak versus strong.
Scenario 1: Complaining to a local council about noise pollution.
Weak: "Hi everyone, I'm writing about the noise problem in my area."
Strong: "Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to lodge a formal complaint regarding excessive noise pollution in my residential area."
The weak version uses "Hi." Instant register failure. The strong version uses formal structure with a complete opening sentence that states your purpose. That's Band 7+ writing.
Scenario 2: Requesting information from a university admissions office.
Weak: "Dear University, Can you tell me about your programs?"
Strong: "Dear Ms. Sarah Chen, I am writing to inquire about the specific requirements for your Master's programme in Environmental Science."
When you have a name, use it. "Dear University" isn't a salutation. And your opening should tell the reader exactly why you're writing in one sentence. Clarity and professionalism both boost your band score.
Scenario 3: Requesting a refund from a store.
Weak: "Hi Manager, I want to return a broken product. Thanks for your help!"
Strong: "Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to request a full refund for a defective item purchased at your store on 15 March 2026."
The weak version opens with "Hi" and closes with "Thanks." Both are colloquial. The strong version opens formally and explains the issue in the first sentence. When you close (we'll cover this next), you'd use "Yours faithfully," to match "Dear Sir or Madam."
Your closing must match your salutation. IELTS accepts five phrases at Band 6 and above. Use "Yours sincerely," after a named recipient. Use "Yours faithfully," after "Dear Sir or Madam." You can also use "Kind regards," "Regards," or "Best regards," with either salutation, though they're slightly less formal than the first two options.
Skip "Sincerely," without "Yours." Skip "Best wishes," unless you know the person. Skip cutesy closings like "Thanks so much" or "Speak soon." Those belong in emails to friends. Task 1 isn't that.
Quick tip: When in doubt, match named recipients with "Yours sincerely," and unknown recipients with "Yours faithfully." That pairing never fails.
British English (which IELTS uses) includes a comma after both salutation and closing. Write "Dear Mr. Smith," with a comma, then start your first paragraph on the next line. Write "Yours sincerely," with a comma, then skip a line and type your full name. Some styles drop this comma, but including it is the safest choice for IELTS.
Mistake 1: Mismatched salutation and closing.
You write "Dear Dr. Ahmed" but close with "Yours faithfully." Wrong. "Yours faithfully" pairs with "Dear Sir or Madam." "Yours sincerely" pairs with a name. Before you submit, highlight both lines. Do they match?
Mistake 2: Informal salutation.
"Hi there," "Hey," "Hello," or "To whom it may concern" don't cut it for Task 1. Your salutation must start with "Dear" followed by either a name or "Sir or Madam."
Mistake 3: Casual closing.
"All the best," "Take care," "Talk soon," or "Thanks" work for personal emails. They don't work here. Stick to the five phrases listed above.
Mistake 4: Lowercase first letter in your closing.
"yours sincerely," is wrong. It's "Yours sincerely," with a capital Y. This is a grammar error, and examiners notice every one when they score Grammatical Range & Accuracy.
Mistake 5: Extra space or sloppy formatting.
Make sure there's a line break between your closing and your name. "Yours sincerely," [line break] [Your Name]. Sloppy formatting signals a rushed letter and costs you band points.
Before you finalize your letter, run through this checklist:
Check all seven boxes, and you're safe. This takes two minutes per letter.
You don't have time during the actual exam to debate whether your closing is formal enough. That's where an IELTS essay checker comes in. It flags informal salutations, identifies mismatched pairings, and highlights closings that don't meet IELTS standards instantly. Upload your draft, and the tool shows you exactly what's wrong and why. Faster than asking a friend or hunting through forums.
The best IELTS writing correction tools give you band score estimates for your entire letter too. You might discover your opening and closing are flawless, but your task response or coherence needs work. That feedback shapes your study plan and tells you where to focus next. Beyond Task 1, if you're also preparing for other writing tasks, the same checker can evaluate your formal tone across different question types.
If you want to deepen your understanding of register and tone more broadly, our guide on tone and register covers how salutation and closing fit into the larger picture of formal written English.
One salutation or closing mistake won't fail you. But repeated register errors add up. Examiners notice when you slip between formal and informal. They mark it across multiple criteria: Task Response, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range & Accuracy. A single mistake might cost 0.5 band points. Three mistakes might cost 1 full band. That's the difference between Band 7 and Band 6.
Practice spotting these errors now. By test day, matching salutation and closing should feel automatic. You'll have mental space to focus on content, flow, and clarity instead.
Test your letter salutation, closing, and overall format with instant feedback. Use our free IELTS writing checker to catch format issues before your test and stop losing band points on careless mistakes.
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