Short answer: an IELTS job application letter is a General Training Task 1 answer of at least 150 words in about 20 minutes, written in formal register, that names the position in the opening sentence, gives evidence of suitability in the body, and closes with a professional availability line.
It is not a real cover letter: no address blocks, no bulleted CV, no headings. Continuous prose in four paragraphs, answering the three bullets the prompt gives you.
Candidates who have written real job applications often score worse on this task than candidates who have not, because they import formatting that IELTS does not want and adjectives that IELTS does not reward.
What the task gives you, and what it wants back
| Feature | Real application | IELTS Task 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Address blocks | Both addresses at the top | Never. They are not marked and they waste minutes. |
| Subject line | Common | Not required. Put the role in sentence one instead. |
| Bullet lists of skills | Normal | Avoid — the descriptors reward connected prose, and a list gives Coherence nothing to mark. |
| Length | One page | 150+ words, ideally 160 to 190. |
| Content | Whatever sells you | Exactly the three bullets in the prompt, each developed. |
The four-paragraph structure
- Purpose. The role, and where you saw it advertised. One sentence.
- Relevant experience. What you have done that matches the job, with duration and scale — not a list of adjectives.
- Why this role / what you bring. The bullet that asks why you want it, or what qualities suit you. Tie each claim to something you have actually done.
- Availability and close. Notice period, when you can interview, and the correct sign-off.
Model 1 — applying for an advertised post (176 words)
Prompt: You have seen an advertisement for a part-time job at a local sports centre. Write to the manager. Say why you are writing, explain what relevant experience you have, and say when you are available.
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to apply for the part-time receptionist position at Eastgate Sports Centre, which was advertised in the Evening Herald on 14 September.
I have worked for the past two years as a front-desk assistant at a university library, where I handled enquiries from around two hundred visitors a day, managed the room-booking system and trained three new part-time staff.
Before that I spent a summer as a membership assistant at a swimming club, so I am familiar with the scheduling software leisure centres typically use and with the pressure of a busy reception at peak times.
I am particularly interested in this post because I coach a junior football team at weekends and would like to work somewhere that supports community sport. I believe my experience of handling both routine bookings and difficult enquiries would be useful in a centre of your size.
I am available to start from 1 November and can attend an interview at any time with two days' notice.
Yours faithfully,
Priya Raman
| Element | In the letter | Why it scores |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose in sentence one | Role + publication + date | Bullet one closed immediately; the examiner is never in doubt what the letter is for. |
| Quantified evidence | "two years", "two hundred visitors a day", "trained three staff" | Numbers develop the point. "I am hardworking" develops nothing. |
| Relevance stated, not implied | "familiar with the scheduling software leisure centres typically use" | Connects past experience to this job — that connection is the bullet, not the experience itself. |
| Specific availability | Start date and interview notice | Bullet three, answered precisely rather than "I am available anytime". |
Model 2 — asking about unadvertised work, named reader (163 words)
Prompt: A company you admire has no vacancies advertised. Write to the human resources manager, Mrs Adeyemi. Explain what kind of work you are looking for, describe your background, and ask her to keep your details on file.
Dear Mrs Adeyemi,
I am writing to enquire whether Halden Engineering expects to recruit junior design staff in the coming months, as I would very much like to work for your company.
I graduated in mechanical engineering last year and have since spent eleven months on a design placement at a manufacturer of agricultural equipment, where I produced component drawings and assisted with three product revisions.
I am confident with both CAD work and the documentation side, and I have a working knowledge of the safety standards your sector applies.
Halden's recent work on low-emission pumps is the reason I am writing to you rather than to a recruitment agency; it is the area I would most like to develop in.
I would be grateful if you could keep my details on file and let me know if a suitable vacancy arises. I have attached my curriculum vitae and would be glad to provide references.
Yours sincerely,
Tomas Varga
Note the sign-off change: a named reader takes Yours sincerely, and "Dear Sir or Madam" takes Yours faithfully. This pairing is a convention, not a preference, and getting it wrong is one of the most visible errors in the whole task.
Evidence beats adjectives
The single biggest quality difference between a band 6 and a band 7 application letter is whether the claims are supported. Task Achievement asks for bullet points that are covered and developed; an adjective is a claim, and a claim is not development.
| Unsupported (band 6 shape) | Supported (band 7 shape) |
|---|---|
| "I am a hardworking and motivated person." | "I worked evening shifts alongside my studies for two years without missing a deadline." |
| "I have excellent communication skills." | "I handled around two hundred visitor enquiries a day, including complaints." |
| "I am a good team player." | "I coordinated a team of six volunteers during the centre's summer programme." |
| "I am very interested in your company." | "Your recent work on low-emission pumps is the area I would most like to develop in." |
Formal phrase bank
| Stage | Use | Avoid, and why |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | "I am writing to apply for the position of…" / "I am writing to enquire whether…" | "I want to get a job in your company" — informal and vague about which job. |
| Experience | "I have spent the past three years working as…" / "My current role involves…" | "I have a lot of experience" — unquantified, so it develops nothing. |
| Suitability | "I believe my background in X would allow me to…" | "I am the perfect candidate" — overclaiming reads as register failure in formal English. |
| Availability | "I am available from 1 November and could attend an interview at short notice." | "I can start anytime" — contraction-free but too casual, and not a specific answer. |
| Closing | "I look forward to hearing from you." / "Thank you for considering my application." | "Hope to hear from you soon!" — exclamation marks and informal ellipsis. |
The same structure covers resignation letters
If your prompt asks you to resign, recommend a colleague or request leave, the skeleton does not change — purpose sentence, evidence or explanation, what you want to happen, professional close.
What changes is the second paragraph's content and one line of tone: a resignation letter should thank the employer even when the prompt gives you a grievance, because a hostile resignation is a register failure in the same way an angry complaint is.
The letter guide has the first line for each of the six types.
Checklist
- No address blocks, no subject line, no bullet lists, no headings.
- The role is named in sentence one.
- Every quality claim has evidence attached.
- Greeting and sign-off match.
- 150+ words, ideally 160 to 190, in 20 minutes.
- No contractions in a formal letter — "I am", not "I'm".
- All three bullets traceable to a paragraph.
Letters are the most predictable task in IELTS Writing, which makes them the cheapest marks available to a General Training candidate — and the easiest to lose on register and bullet coverage rather than on English.
If you want to know which of the two is costing you, the Writing Checker marks a letter on all four criteria separately, and Task Response explained covers why a fluent letter can still sit at 6.5.