IELTS general writing task 1 request letter

IELTS PREPARATION COURSE
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GENERAL
WRITING
HANDOUT3

TASK1

WritingaLetteror
Request


?




HANDOUT 3
WRITE A REQUEST LETTER
I.

STRUCTURE OF A REQUEST LETTER:
INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH

•
•
•
•

Greet the addressee.

Tell the addressee who you are. (if necessary)
Thank the addressee (if he/she has done something for you)
State your reason for writing/ your purpose for writing.
BODY PARAGRAPH 1
Explain the situation
BODY PARAGRAPH 2
Details of your request
CLOSING PARAGRAPH

• Thank the addressee.
• Refer to future contact.

II.
LANGUAGE:
There are many standard phrases used in polite request letters.
Would you mind +V-ing ?
Would you like to help me …?
Would it be possible to …?
Could you please …?
Could you possibly …?
Could you/ Can you …?
I would be extremely grateful if you could …
I was wondering if you could …
I’d like you to …
Notes:
• Không dùng câu hỏi phủ định trong lời yêu cầu lịch sự.
Ex: Could you give me a light?
(not Couldn’t you give me a light? Có vẻ phàn nàn)

PRACTICE EXERCISES
EXERCISE 1:
Read the following exam task and underline the key words and phrases.
Decide whether the points below are true or false.

1. You must deal with the points in the letter in the order in which they appear in the
question.
2. You can choose which of the points in the question you want to deal with. You needn’t
mention them all.
3. When you explain your situation, you only need to repeat that you are going to do a
short training course at a college in New Zealand.
4. It is not necessary to give a complete description of the type of accommodation you
need – just your basic requirements in order to orientate the accommodation officer.
5. You should give the dates when you will need the accommodation.
Read the following sample letter and put one word in each space.


Which phrases does Bei Heng Lang use to describe herself?
Which phrases does Bei Heng Lang use to make requests?
Which phrases does Bei Heng Lang use to explain what she needs and give reasons?

EXERCISE 2:
You are renting a flat from an agency. Your contract was for one year but you need to
leave the flat your months early.
Write a letter to the agency. In your letter
• Introduce yourself.


• Ask to leave the flat before the contract finishes.
• Explain why you need to break the contract.

Here is an example letter for the above situation. Complete the letter with appropriate
phrases.
Dear Sir or Madam,
My name is Hiroshi Kobayashi and I have been renting the flat Tree Avenue from you for
the past seven moths. 1 …………………………………………… I have been a good tenant
during this period. I always pay my rent on time and look after the flat.
My rental agreement with you was for one year and the contract ends in February.
2……………, I have just heard that I will need to leave the flat in October, which is, in fact,
four months early. The reason for this is that my boss has asked me to go back to Japan
earlier than planned and I am afraid this is beyond my control.

As I am now unable to stay here until the end of the contract, 3……………………………
release me from it early. 4……………………………………… this is not normally allowed
but 5…………………………… and still return my deposit.
6…………………
Hiroshi Kobayashi.

EXERCISE 3: Here are three different letters requesting something. The relationship
between the sender and receiver is different and what is being asked for varies in
difficulty. Use appropriate phrases from the box below to complete the blank spaces in
the three letters.
a I am writing to ask you
b I need to know
c Should we also
d We need to
e We would like you to
f Could you please
g I would be grateful if you
h Can you arrange this
i Can you also let me know

………………………………………
Andrew


1……………………………… re-order 20 packs of the high grade photocopying paper.
2……………………………… and let me know the delivery date? 3…………………… get
some pack of staples at the same time?
Sarah.
………………………………………
Dear Alan,
4………………………… send details of this year’s April conference? 5……………………
by next week to arrange numbers. 6……………………………… if accommodation is
available?
Thanks
David.
………………………………………
Dear Mr. Webb,
7……………………… if you would be able to give a presentation al our Board meeting on
Thursday 7 February. 8……………………………… talk about your current projects and
how your consultants could help our company. 9…………………………… could let me
know as soon as possible.
Regards,
Elaine Jackson.

EXERCISE 4:


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EXERCISE 5:
You are planning to go and study English at a school overseas. You would like some
information about their courses.
Write a letter to the school. In your letter
• Ask about the school
• Say what kind of accommodation you want
• Mention any special requests you have (for example diet)
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EXERCISE 6:
You are taking a course at a local college. The deadline for your project was last week
but you haven’t finished it.
Write a letter to your lecturer. In your letter


• Introduce yourself
• Explain why you haven’t handed in the project yet
• Request more time to do it
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