General Training Task 1 letter

IELTS General Training Letter: Apologising to a friend

Question type: General Training Task 1: informal letter

The question

You were invited to a friend's wedding but were unable to attend at the last minute.

Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: - apologise for not attending - explain why you could not come - suggest how you could make it up to them

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses. Begin your letter as follows: Dear ...

Write your own answer first. Then get an estimated band and corrections from our AI marker.

Answer this question

How to approach it

This is a close friend, so write informally: first name, contractions and friendly expressions.
Make the reason specific and believable. A cancelled flight with details is better than 'I was busy'.
End with a clear offer for the third bullet point, such as an invitation, not only another apology.

Sample letter

215 words (minimum 150). Written to show the features of a Band 8-level answer.

Dear Farah,

I'm so sorry I wasn't there on Saturday. I know how much the day meant to you, and I feel terrible about letting you down, especially after you'd saved me a place at the top table.

I honestly did everything I could to get there. My flight was due to leave at seven on Friday evening, but a storm closed the airport and every departure was cancelled. I queued for three hours to get a seat on another plane, and the earliest they could offer me was Sunday morning. I even looked at trains and coaches, but nothing would have arrived before the ceremony. I tried to call you from the airport, but of course your phone was switched off, so I left a message with your brother.

I've seen some of the photos online and you looked absolutely stunning. It sounds as if everything went perfectly, and I'm really glad about that.

I'd love to make it up to you. Once you're back from your honeymoon, why don't the two of you come and stay with me for a weekend? I'll cook, and you can tell me all about it. I've also got a present here that I'd much rather hand over in person.

Once again, I'm really sorry. Give my love to Omar.

Lots of love,

Hina

Useful language from this answer

I feel terrible about…: apologising sincerely to a friend
I honestly did everything I could to…: showing you tried
it sounds as if…: commenting on something you heard about
I'd love to make it up to you: offering to do something to say sorry
why don't the two of you…?: making a friendly suggestion

Common mistakes with this question

Writing too formally to a friend, for example 'I would like to apologise for my absence'.
Spending the whole letter on the explanation and forgetting to suggest how to make it up.
Ending with 'Yours sincerely'. For a close friend use 'Lots of love', 'Love' or 'Best wishes'.

Now write your own answer

Reading a model helps, but writing is what improves your band. Answer this question and get an estimated band for all four criteria, with corrections taken from your own sentences.

Get my answer marked Take a timed Writing test

This model answer was written by TestWise Prep to show the features of a high-scoring answer. It is not official IELTS material. Use it for ideas and language, not to memorise.