IELTS General Training: informal and formal

For my first two General Training lessons I wrote examples of an informal and a formal letter. Today I want to highlight some of the differences between them.

Informal letter:

• Beginning: Dear + first name
• Friendly greeting: I hope this letter finds you well.
• Contractions: I'm, didn't, couldn't, there's...
• Questions: Do you remember...? Why don't you...?
• Exclamation: ...earlier than I thought it was!
• Linking: Well, Anyway, so, and
• Phrases: had a great time, couldn't have asked for, working flat out, back to normal
• Ending: Hope to see you soon + first name

Formal letter:

• Beginning: Dear Sir or Madam
• No greeting necessary
• No contractions: I am, did not...
• Normally avoid direct questions: "I would like" instead of "Can I have?"
• No exclamation marks (!)
• Linking: However, Consequently, and, also
• Phrases and vocabulary: with regard to, appliance, it was installed, the following day, failed to (meaning "didn't"), procedure, he assured me, report the issue, contacted, under warranty, I am entitled to, replacement, phone me personally
• Ending: I await your prompt response, Yours faithfully + full name

Note:
Both letters also contain 'neutral' vocabulary that can be used in any type of letter. For example, I didn't highlight words like 'hosts', 'deadline' or 'assignment' because they could be used in both formal and informal contexts.

Comments

[dave]

hi simon, my question is about a question task which is TO what extent do you Agree or Disagree. A former examiner, which is also the assistant head of a review center here in the Philippines told us that the first page ( or the 3rd page in the exam paper should contain the views of other people and the 4th page should start with "However" then your view. This is really confusing because you said that in that kind of question, we should state our opinion and not the opinion of other people.. you said that all examiners are trained in the same way?? tnx

[am salman]

Hi Simon,
My inquiry is about REMARKING IELTS exam. i had my results and they were pretty good for a first attempt (R:7 L:8 S:7.5 W:6). honestly i expected much more for my writing test, and i was amazed by the score i got.
so what about going for remarking! and would it risk my score to be dropped "lower" ? how long will it usually take.
Thanks for the useful tips .

Yours,
Am Salman.

[moody]

Hi Simon,
Can you explain the difference between "Dear Sir or Madam" and "Dear Sir/Madam"?
I read some posts on Internet, but still confused.

[GED Online]

You have my eternal gratitude. Your graciousness is appreciated.

[Simon]

Hi Dave,

Maybe that teacher was giving advice (i.e. it's his/her method). When a teacher gives advice, they are saying "In my opinion, this is a good way to do it."

If the teacher was saying "You MUST do it this way", I completely disagree with him/her. There is nothing in the examiners notes that says students must give both views for that type of question. Believe me.

...

Hi AM,

If you are confident that your writing was better, why not try a re-mark. It's rare for scores to go down. Good luck if you decide to go for it!

...

Hi Moody,

Just use "Dear Sir or Madam". The other way is the lazy way to write the same thing.

[Jean-Luc]

Hi Dave,

I think it's a good idea to mention very briefly, at the start of the essay, the range of opinions that people may have on the topic at hand, if only to show your awareness that the topic might be somewhat polarising.

But if someone tries to fit your writing into a tight mould, imposing a formula such as: good essay = 1st page of other opinions + "However," + your opinion, it's probably best to ignore them. Especially since the question is clearly stating: "To what extent do you agree or disagree?"

[Ivan]

Hello, dave.
I also met that sort of advise. For instance, Australia Network IELTS Preparation Video Course recommends answering that way - by providing "pro et contra" for both points of view

[Jess]

Hi Simon,
Can you give me some advice about how to score 8 for ielts general training. I reckcon my English is good enough to get 8 in writing as I have 8.5 for listening and reading. The thing that I am afraid of is "off-topic". I read the sample on ielts official website that was given band 8 http://www.ielts.org/pdf/115030_General_Training_Writing_sample_task_-_Task_2.pdf , for me, it's a bit off-topic. So what is the best way to generate and orginise the ideas for the essay? Thanks Simon. If I knew about your blog earlier, I could have got 8 for each band by now.

[Smriti]

Hi Simon,

It would be great if you can post few examples of letters or could provide a link for the same.

Thanks & Regards,
Smriti

[Isaac]

Simon please am on of the candidate who going to write the exams on 8/6/13 in Ghana, please help me for listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. I wanted to score 8 for each band.