IELTS General Training Writing Tips

If you're taking IELTS for Canadian PR, Australian skilled migration, or a UK Skilled Worker visa, you're almost certainly sitting the General Training module. The Writing section in GT is different from Academic in a way most candidates underestimate: Task 1 is a letter, not a graph or diagram. And that letter has a marking criterion — tone consistency — that trips up even fluent English speakers.

This post covers both tasks in the GT Writing module, with particular attention to the letter format, tone rules, and how to prepare efficiently if you're working full-time.

The Difference Between GT and Academic Writing

Both modules have the same two tasks and the same time allocation (20 minutes for Task 1, 40 minutes for Task 2), and Task 2 carries twice the weighting. But:

• Task 1 (GT): Write a letter of at least 150 words. The prompt gives you a situation and three bullet points to address.
• Task 1 (Academic): Describe a graph, chart, table, or diagram.

Task 2 is the same question type across both modules (discursive essay), though GT Task 2 prompts tend to be slightly more concrete and everyday in topic than Academic ones. The scoring criteria — Task Achievement, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy — are identical.

For immigration applicants, the GT module is required for Canada (Express Entry: FSWP, CEC, FST), and is generally accepted for Australian and NZ skilled migration unless a professional registration body specifically mandates Academic.

IELTS Formal Letter Format

Getting the letter format right is worth marks in Task Achievement and Lexical Resource. The opening and closing conventions are not optional — they're examined.

Formal letters (writing to a company, government body, or someone you don't know personally):

• Opening: "Dear Sir or Madam," (comma after, not a colon)
• Closing: "Yours faithfully,"
• Your name: on the line below "Yours faithfully"
• Tone: no contractions, no first-name references, professional register throughout

Semi-formal letters (writing to someone you know professionally — your manager, a landlord, a colleague):

• Opening: "Dear Mr./Ms. [Surname],"
• Closing: "Yours sincerely," or "Kind regards,"
• Tone: professional but not stiff

Informal letters (writing to a friend or family member):

• Opening: "Dear [First Name],"
• Closing: "Best wishes," "Warmly," "Take care,"
• Tone: contractions are fine, personal and warm register

The most common Task 1 failure for GT candidates is tone inconsistency — starting with "Dear Sir or Madam" (formal) and ending with "Best wishes" (informal), or using contractions ("I can't believe...") in a formal complaint letter. Examiners check for this explicitly. The tone must be consistent from the opening salutation through the closing.

Identifying the required tone: The prompt will tell you. "Write a letter to the manager of the hotel where you recently stayed" = formal. "Write a letter to your manager at work" = semi-formal. "Write a letter to your friend in another country" = informal.

Addressing All Three Bullet Points

Every GT Task 1 prompt includes a situation and three bullet points you must address. Missing or partially addressing even one bullet point directly reduces your Task Achievement score. A Task 1 that covers only two of the three points is capped at Band 5 for Task Achievement.

Treat each bullet point as a mini-paragraph. Don't try to address all three in one dense paragraph — separate them clearly. This also improves your Coherence and Cohesion score because the structure is transparent to the examiner.

Example prompt: "Write a letter to the manager of a gym you recently joined. In your letter:

• Explain why you joined the gym
• Describe the problem you have experienced
• Suggest what the manager should do"

Three bullet points = three body paragraphs. Opening paragraph = your reason for writing. Closing = sign-off.

Task 2 in GT: What's Different (and What Isn't)

GT Task 2 topics tend to be more relatable and concrete than Academic — you'll see questions about community, work, technology, and social issues rather than the more abstract Academic topics. The essay structures are identical: opinion, discussion, advantages/disadvantages, problem-solution. Examiners use the same Band Descriptors for both modules.

One GT-specific tendency to avoid: because the topic feels more familiar, candidates sometimes write less formally or more conversationally. Your register for GT Task 2 should be formal academic English — the same as Academic Task 2.

Time split matters: spend 20 minutes on Task 1 and 40 minutes on Task 2. Since Task 2 carries double the marks, some candidates mistakenly spend equal time. If you're short on time at the end of Task 2, cut the conclusion short but don't skip it — an incomplete structure costs more than a brief conclusion.

IELTS General Training Preparation Strategy

If you're preparing for the GT module alongside a full-time job, the challenge is realistic time allocation. A 4-hour-a-day student schedule isn't viable. A focused professional schedule looks different:

Daily (30–45 minutes):

• Weekday mornings: Read one article from The Guardian, BBC, or The Economist. Note any phrases or collocations you could use in essays.
• Evenings: Practice one timed writing task every other day. Alternate between Task 1 letters (both formal and informal) and Task 2 essays.

Weekly:

• One full mock Writing section (both tasks under timed conditions — 60 minutes total).
• Review against Band Descriptors. Don't just reread what you wrote — identify which criterion is weakest and target it the following week.

The letter bank approach: Before your exam, practice at least 6–8 Task 1 letters across all three tones (formal, semi-formal, informal). You'll quickly learn the opening/closing formula and then can focus on addressing the bullet points more fluently. For Task 2, practice each essay type at least twice (opinion, discussion, advantages/disadvantages, problem-solution).

For nurses applying to Canada or Australia specifically, the writing requirements extend beyond IELTS. See the post on IELTS preparation for nurses for profession-specific requirements.

The Quick Audit Before Your Next Attempt

If you've already sat GT Writing and want to diagnose what to fix:

1. Did your Task 1 letter address all three bullet points? If you missed one, Task Achievement was capped regardless of your English quality.
2. Was your tone consistent from opening salutation to closing? Check every letter you write.
3. In Task 2: did you state a clear position in your introduction and maintain it throughout? "Sitting on the fence" in an opinion essay hurts Task Response.
4. Review your Task 2 introductions. Were they paraphrases of the question, or did you copy phrases from the prompt? Copying verbatim is penalised under Lexical Resource.

For a structured GT preparation plan covering band-by-band criteria, sample letters at Band 6 and Band 7, and immigration score targets by country, the IELTS Preparation & Score Strategy Guide is built specifically for immigration applicants using the General Training module.