Here's the thing. You can nail the grammar. Strong vocabulary, clear paragraphs, solid structure. But mess up your salutation or closing—use something too casual when it should be formal, or too stiff when it's informal—and you'll drop marks on Task Response and Coherence & Cohesion. The IELTS examiners notice immediately. They're trained to spot when a greeting or sign-off doesn't fit the relationship with your reader.
This guide walks you through exactly where students slip up, shows you the rules that actually matter, and gives you a five-second checklist you can use before you hit submit on any letter.
Your salutation and closing set the entire tone. They tell the examiner whether you understand who you're writing to and why. That's Task Response—and it's worth real band points.
The Task 1 prompt always tells you who you're writing to. Sometimes it's someone you've never met (a company manager, a university official). Sometimes it's someone you know a little (a neighbor, a colleague at work). Sometimes it's someone close (a friend, family). Your greeting and sign-off have to match that relationship.
Slip up here and you could score 7 on grammar and vocabulary but drop to a 6 on Task Response because you weren't appropriate to the context. That's a real band score hit.
You write formal letters to people you don't know or have only a professional relationship with. That's a company, a government office, a university, a landlord. You know (or can find out) their name.
What works:
Here's the rule that catches people out. When you use the person's name in the salutation, "Yours faithfully," is the closing. Not "Sincerely," not "Best regards," not "Kind regards." Yours faithfully.
Good: "Dear Mr. Robinson, [letter body] Yours faithfully, [Your Name]"
Weak: "Dear Mr. Robinson, [letter body] Best regards, [Your Name]" (Too informal for the greeting)
Don't know the recipient's name? Use "Dear Sir or Madam," and close with "Yours faithfully," as well.
Semi-formal is the middle ground. You might know this person a little, or you have a professional relationship that's not stiff. Writing to a former teacher for a reference? That's semi-formal. Contacting a hotel manager about a booking problem? Semi-formal. Reaching out to a colleague you've worked with before? Semi-formal.
What works:
Good: "Dear Sarah, [letter body] Best regards, [Your Name]"
Weak: "Dear Sarah, [letter body] Yours faithfully, [Your Name]" (The closing is too formal for using a first name)
Informal letters are for friends and family—people you know well and feel comfortable with.
What works:
Good: "Hi James, [letter body] All the best, [Your Name]"
Weak: "Dear Mr. Thompson, [letter body] Warm regards, [Your Name]" (You don't use formal titles with friends)
This is non-negotiable. Your formal letter closing must echo the formality level of your formal letter greeting.
If you start with "Dear Mr. Johnson," your reader expects something formal at the end. Flip to "Cheers, Sarah" and you've broken the register entirely. The examiner catches it. Your Coherence & Cohesion score drops.
Think of a letter like a conversation. You wouldn't greet your boss formally and then say goodbye like you're texting a friend. The IELTS examiner expects you to keep that consistency throughout. It's one of the things they're specifically looking for when they assess coherence.
Tip: As you write the first paragraph, commit to a register. Stick with it. Don't shift tone halfway through.
Commas matter.
In British English (the IELTS standard), you put a comma after the salutation and after the closing.
Skip these commas and the letter looks incomplete. Examiners mark Grammatical Range & Accuracy partly on punctuation accuracy. One or two missing commas? Not a huge deal. But three or four scattered throughout? That adds up to a lower band score.
Weak: "Dear Mr. Thompson [no comma] [letter body] Yours faithfully [no comma]"
Good: "Dear Mr. Thompson, [letter body] Yours faithfully,"
Some closings look professional but aren't standard for IELTS formal letter writing. The examiners are trained on traditional formats. Anything unusual flags as awkward or wrong.
| Avoid | Use Instead | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Regards | Kind regards / Best regards | Single "Regards" is incomplete |
| Sincerely yours | Sincerely or Yours faithfully | Sincerely yours is American; less common in IELTS |
| Thanks | Thank you / Yours faithfully | Too casual; doesn't replace a proper closing |
| Cheers | All the best (informal) or Best regards (semi-formal) | Too casual except between actual friends |
| See you soon | Warm regards / All the best | Don't promise a future meeting unless the letter actually mentions it |
You stayed at a hotel and had a bad experience. You're writing to the manager (name provided).
Register: Formal. You don't know them, and you're reporting a specific problem.
Salutation: "Dear Mr. [Last Name],"
Closing: "Yours faithfully,"
You worked with someone years ago and want to reconnect about a career move.
Register: Semi-formal. You know them, but time has passed and the tone is professional.
Salutation: "Dear [First Name]," or "Dear Mr./Ms. [Last Name],"
Closing: "Best regards," or "Kind regards,"
You want to invite someone you know well to your graduation party.
Register: Informal. It's a friend; the tone is warm and personal.
Salutation: "Hi [First Name]," or "Dear [First Name],"
Closing: "All the best," or "Yours,"
Use this five-point checklist every time you finish a Task 1 letter. Takes 30 seconds, catches most errors.
Five yes answers? You're good.
Once you've nailed the format, use a free IELTS writing checker to catch tone and register consistency issues before you submit. Then make sure the rest of your letter is solid. Check that you're addressing the main purpose clearly—our guide on identifying and fixing unclear purpose in Task 1 walks through how examiners evaluate whether you've actually answered the prompt. And if your letter includes comparisons (like contrasting two options or situations), comparison language is a specific skill that separates band 6 from band 7.
Our IELTS writing checker catches tone, format, and appropriateness issues instantly. Get real-time feedback on salutation, closing, and register consistency to help you hit higher band scores on Task 1.
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