You write "Hi there, mate!" and immediately lose points. You didn't realize that four words cost you band score points before you even finished the first sentence.
Here's the thing. Most IELTS General Training test takers lose marks on Task 1 letters not because they can't write, but because they misjudge the tone from the very first greeting. Your salutation sets the register for everything that follows. Get it wrong, and the examiner notices immediately. Get it right, and you're already building coherence and showing control of formality levels, which directly impacts your Coherence & Cohesion and Lexical Resource scores.
This guide teaches you how to read a Task 1 prompt, figure out whether you need formal or informal tone, and pick a salutation that matches. You'll see real IELTS examples and learn the specific mistakes that hold most test takers back. By the end, you'll have a framework to check your own letter opening before you submit, which is exactly what our free IELTS writing checker helps you do.
The IELTS band descriptors for Task Response specifically state that you must "answer the question fully". For letters, this includes matching the required tone and relationship to the reader. If the prompt asks you to write to a hotel manager about a booking problem, starting with "Hey!" signals you haven't understood the task at all.
Examiners assess your writing across four criteria: Task Response, Coherence & Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range & Accuracy. Your salutation feeds directly into the first two. An inappropriate greeting disrupts flow and shows poor register control.
Think about real estate. Your salutation takes maybe 2-3 words. But tone is contagious. One weak greeting often pulls the rest of your letter down because you've already signaled confusion about formality levels.
You'll encounter three main letter types in IELTS General Training Task 1.
The prompt tells you exactly which one you need. Your job is to read carefully and match your salutation to the scenario.
You can't use the same greeting for all three and expect a band 7. You need flexibility. Examiners reward students who show control of different registers within the same test. This register control is what separates band 6 responses from band 7 responses.
Quick tip: The prompt language gives you clues. Words like "friend," "know well," or "recently met" signal informal greeting choices. Words like "complaint," "enquiry," "official," or a person's title signal formal letter salutations.
Formal letters are your baseline. Use these when writing to:
The gold standard formal salutations are straightforward. There's no creativity needed.
Good: "Dear Sir or Madam," (when you don't know the person's name)
Good: "Dear Mr. Johnson," (when you know the person's name)
Good: "Dear Ms. Chen," (use Ms. when you're unsure of marital status)
Notice the pattern. "Dear" plus a title and name, or "Dear Sir or Madam". That's it. Consistency with standard English business practice is what you're aiming for.
Weak: "Dear Sir/Madam" (missing the comma; this is a punctuation error)
Weak: "To Whom It May Concern," (overly stiff and dated; "Dear Sir or Madam" is preferred)
Weak: "Hi Mr. Johnson," (mixing informal greeting with formal name; this is register confusion)
"Hi" is conversational. "Mr. Johnson" is respectful. Together, they send mixed signals. Examiners flag this as register inconsistency, which costs you points on Coherence & Cohesion.
Informal letters go to friends, close family, or people you know personally. The tone should be warm, personal, and relaxed. Your letter opening reflects that relationship from the start.
These informal greetings all work:
Good: "Dear Sarah,"
Good: "Hi Sarah,"
Good: "Hello Sarah,"
"Dear Sarah" is warm but slightly reserved. "Hi Sarah" is friendly and natural. "Hello Sarah" sits in the middle. Pick whichever feels most authentic to your relationship.
Weak: "Dear Ms. Sarah," (using a title with a first name mixes formal and informal)
Weak: "What's up Sarah?" (too casual; you still need a comma and some professionalism)
Weak: "Sarah" (no greeting at all; this looks incomplete)
Informal doesn't mean sloppy. You're still writing for an examiner in a formal test. The language can be relaxed, but structure and courtesy must stay intact.
This is where most students stumble. Semi-formal sits between friendly and professional. You use it when writing to a colleague you know reasonably well, a teacher outside a classroom crisis, or a service provider you've dealt with multiple times.
The prompt might say: "You recently attended a cooking class run by a local chef. Write a letter thanking them for the course and asking about advanced classes."
You know the chef's name. You're not angry. You're not close friends either. What do you do?
Good: "Dear Mr. Romano," (title and last name keeps appropriate distance, but "Dear" keeps it warmer than pure business)
Good: "Hi Mark," (first name alone signals you've met but aren't close)
Both work for semi-formal letter greetings. Choose based on whether the prompt emphasizes the person's professional role (use the title) or your personal connection (use the first name).
Weak: "Dear Sir or Madam," (too formal for someone you know and have met repeatedly)
Weak: "Hi Mark, it's been a while!" (mixes salutation and opening line; keep these separate)
Keep your greeting and first sentence distinct. The salutation gets a comma and a line break. Then your letter body begins fresh on the next line.
After you write your letter, use this quick process to verify your greeting matches the prompt.
Step 1: Identify the relationship. Read the prompt again. Do you know this person? Are you equals or is there a power difference (boss, official, service provider)? Write it in one sentence.
Step 2: Match formality to relationship. Unknown person or authority figure? Use formal. Person you've met multiple times in a friendly context? Use semi-formal. Friend or family? Use informal.
Step 3: Check consistency. Read your first three sentences after the salutation. Does the tone match your greeting? If you wrote "Dear Sir or Madam," but then said "Anyway, I'm writing because my room was freezing last night," you've broken consistency. That's a register error.
Pro move: Spend 30 seconds analyzing the prompt before you write. Identify the relationship first, then lock in your tone. This prevents rewrites and saves time under the 20-minute limit for Task 1. If you're unsure after writing, use an IELTS writing checker to catch register errors you might have missed.
Let's break down mistakes you see in Band 5 and Band 6 responses, and why they don't reach Band 7.
Error 1: Mixing formal and informal in the same greeting.
Example: "Dear Mr. Johnson, hope you're doing well!" (formal title plus informal tone equals register confusion)
The band descriptors highlight Coherence & Cohesion as critical. Register inconsistency disrupts cohesion because the reader (and examiner) loses confidence in your control. You seem unsure of the formality level, which signals weaker command of the language.
Error 2: Using no greeting at all.
Example: "I am writing to complain about my recent stay at your hotel." (jumps straight to content)
This breaks letter format. Task Response requires you to follow standard letter conventions, which include a salutation. Skipping it costs you points.
Error 3: Choosing a salutation that contradicts the prompt.
Example: Prompt says "Write to a friend you haven't seen in five years." Your letter starts with "Dear Sir or Madam,"
This is Task Response failure. You've misread the relationship entirely. An examiner would mark this down immediately.
Prompt 1 (Formal): "You are unhappy with a product you bought online. Write a letter to the customer service manager of the company, complaining about the product and requesting a refund."
Salutation: "Dear Sir or Madam," (you don't have a name; this is a formal complaint to a company)
Prompt 2 (Semi-formal): "You recently took an English course at a local language school. Write to the school director, John Martinez, thanking him for the course and asking about job opportunities as a tutor."
Salutation: "Dear Mr. Martinez," (you know his name and have a professional relationship, but you're not close; the title and "Dear" preserve appropriate distance)
Prompt 3 (Informal): "A close friend of yours is getting married next month. Write a letter to your friend, congratulating them and expressing your excitement about the wedding."
Salutation: "Hi Sarah," or "Dear Sarah," (first name because you're close; either works, but "Hi" feels more natural for excitement)
Practice tip: Write three practice letters using these prompts. Get feedback if you can. Track whether your salutation choice makes sense before you write the body. This trains your instinct for letter opening tone correction.
Your sign-off matters just as much, and it must match your opening. This is part of Coherence & Cohesion. A formal salutation demands a formal closing. An informal salutation allows an informal closing.
Formal: "Dear Sir or Madam," ... "Yours faithfully," or "Sincerely,"
Semi-formal: "Dear Mr. Johnson," ... "Yours sincerely," or "Best regards,"
Informal: "Hi Sarah," ... "Best wishes," or "Take care," or "Cheers,"
Notice the pattern. Formal gets "Yours faithfully" when you don't know the name, or "Yours sincerely" when you do. Semi-formal gets "Yours sincerely" or "Best regards". Informal gets warmer, shorter closings.
Weak example: "Dear Sir or Madam," (formal opening) ... "Love, James" (informal closing). This mismatch screams register confusion.
Your entire letter is a conversation with someone. The opening and closing should match. That's coherence.
If you want more detail on how closing phrases work, our guide on letter closing phrases and sign-offs breaks down each option and shows which ones work for which letter types.
Task 1 is a letter. Task 2 is an essay. Both require formal language in most cases, but Task 1 demands register flexibility in ways Task 2 doesn't. An IELTS essay checker for Task 2 will look for consistent academic tone throughout. An IELTS writing correction tool for Task 1 must check whether your tone shifts appropriately based on the letter type.
This distinction matters. If you nail your letter salutation but write the body in full academic prose, you'll break the letter's natural tone. Task 1 letters can sound more natural and conversational than Task 2 essays, especially informal and semi-formal ones. Your IELTS letter salutation checker should verify that the rest of your letter matches the opening's formality.
Salutation is just one part of tone, but it's the foundation. If you nail the opening, the rest of your letter has a much better chance of staying consistent. This is why understanding the difference between polite and formal language matters so much. Formal isn't always polite, and polite isn't always formal. Your letter salutation sets which path you're taking.
Want to check your entire letter for tone consistency? Use our free IELTS writing checker to get instant feedback on whether your salutation, body paragraphs, and closing all work together. You'll also get a band score estimate and specific guidance on Coherence & Cohesion.
Beyond individual letter feedback, explore our band score guides to see exactly what separates a band 6 letter from a band 7. Salutation choice alone won't get you there, but it's where the band score journey starts.
Get instant feedback on your letter salutations, tone consistency, and band score estimate. Catch register errors before test day.
Check My Essay Free