Task 2 · Band 8 path
Informal Letter — To a Friend or Family Member
Contractions, phrasal verbs and questions to the reader. Formality here is the mistake.
Recognise the register
How to tell from the scenario which register the reader requires, and what breaking it costs.
Contractions, phrasal verbs and questions to the reader. Formality here is the mistake.
Regularly set, and the register candidates most reliably over-correct.
Also called: Personal letter · Letter to a friend · Friendly letter
Spotting it
How this question is worded
Write a letter to your friend / your cousin / your former classmate
A personal relationship. First name in the salutation, "Best wishes" or "Love" at the end, and natural spoken-register English throughout.
Invite / thank / apologise to a friend
The three commonest informal purposes. Each one has a social job as well as an informational one, and the social job is part of Task Achievement.
You have not seen this person for a long time
A reconnecting letter. Some catching-up is not padding here — it is what the register requires — but it still must not crowd out the three bullets.
The prompt uses a first name for the recipient
First names mean informal. Writing "Dear Mr Chen" to someone the prompt calls Wei is a register error in the very first line.
The rule that decides Task Response
This letter must sound like a real person writing to someone they like. Contractions, common phrasal verbs, direct questions to the reader and short natural sentences are all REQUIRED features here, not concessions — and formal vocabulary is an error in exactly the way slang is an error in a formal letter. Register failure is marked under Task Achievement either way, so an over-formal letter to a close friend is capped just as a slangy complaint to a company would be. All three bullets must still be developed.
The standard
What a Band 8 answer to this type does
- A first-name salutation and an informal sign-off that matches it.
- A short friendly opening before the business of the letter.
- All three bullet points covered and developed with specific, personal detail.
- Contractions, everyday phrasal verbs and direct questions to the reader.
- Warmth that sounds genuine rather than performed.
- At least 150 words, in paragraphs, with a friendly close before the sign-off.
Where the band is lost
The 7 traps in this question type
Each of these is a specific, repeatable way to lose marks on this type — not general writing advice.
Writing a formal letter to a friendTask Achievement capped at 6
The single defining failure of this type. "I am writing to inform you that I shall be unable to attend your forthcoming celebration" to a close friend is grammatically flawless and completely wrong, and because it runs through every sentence it is not a slip but a sustained mismatch. Examiners are explicitly told to assess whether the tone suits the reader.
The fix
Read your letter back and ask whether you would say it out loud to that person. If not, rewrite it: "I am writing to inform you" becomes "I'm so sorry, but I don't think I'll be able to make it".
No contractions anywhereLexical Resource 6.5 · Task Achievement 6.5
A letter to a friend with "I am", "do not", "it is" and "I will" throughout reads as stilted. In this register contractions are the norm, and avoiding them entirely is itself the marked, unnatural choice.
The fix
Contract by default: I'm, don't, it's, I'll, we've, can't, wouldn't. Keep a full form only where you want emphasis: "I really do want to come."
All greeting, no contentTask Achievement capped at 6
Warmth is required, but forty words of "How are you? How is your family? I hope everything is going well with you and your job and your studies" spends a quarter of the word budget on nothing, and the bullets end up mentioned rather than developed.
The fix
Two sentences of catching up, maximum, then into the first bullet. Warmth can be carried inside the content rather than stacked in front of it.
The invitation sentence, ungrammaticalGrammatical Range & Accuracy capped at 6.5
The friendliest sentence in the letter is usually its least accurate. "If you will come in June" breaks the first conditional, which takes the present simple after "if"; "I look forward to hear from you" puts an infinitive after a preposition. Both errors sit in the third bullet and the close, so they are the last two things the reader meets.
The fix
First conditional: if + present simple, will/can/could + infinitive — "if you come in June, we could drive to the coast". And "look forward to" always takes a gerund: hearing, seeing, catching up.
Slang, abbreviations and text-speakLexical Resource capped at 6
Informal is not the same as careless. "lol", "u", "gonna", "wanna" and "&" are below the register even for a friend, and they signal a candidate who cannot control the level rather than one who has chosen it.
The fix
Aim for relaxed spoken English written properly: "going to", not "gonna"; "you", not "u". Idioms and phrasal verbs yes; abbreviations no.
Bullets mentioned rather than developedTask Achievement capped at 6
The same fault as in the other two registers, but easier to fall into here because friendly chat feels like content. Three one-sentence answers surrounded by pleasantries is still an under-developed letter.
The fix
Two to three sentences per bullet with specific personal detail — names, dates, places, plans. Then let the warmth sit around it.
The wrong sign-offTask Achievement 6.5
"Yours faithfully" after "Dear Sam" is the mirror image of the formal-letter error and just as visible. "Love" to a distant acquaintance is the other direction — too intimate for a former classmate you have not seen in years.
The fix
Close friend or family → "Love," or "Lots of love,". Friend → "Best wishes," or "All the best,". Never "Yours faithfully" or "Yours sincerely".
Quick reference
The Informal letter at a glance
This letter must sound like a real person writing to someone they like. Contractions, common phrasal verbs, direct questions to the reader and short natural sentences are all REQUIRED features here, not concessions — and formal vocabulary is an error in exactly the way slang is an error in a formal letter. Register failure is marked under Task Achievement either way, so an over-formal letter to a close friend is capped just as a slangy complaint to a company would be. All three bullets must still be developed.
Regularly set, and the register candidates most reliably over-correct.
How to recognise this question
- “Write a letter to your friend / your cousin / your former classmate”
- A personal relationship. First name in the salutation, "Best wishes" or "Love" at the end, and natural spoken-register English throughout.
- “Invite / thank / apologise to a friend”
- The three commonest informal purposes. Each one has a social job as well as an informational one, and the social job is part of Task Achievement.
- “You have not seen this person for a long time”
- A reconnecting letter. Some catching-up is not padding here — it is what the register requires — but it still must not crowd out the three bullets.
- “The prompt uses a first name for the recipient”
- First names mean informal. Writing "Dear Mr Chen" to someone the prompt calls Wei is a register error in the very first line.
The four-paragraph structure
First-name greeting, a short friendly line, then why you are writing.
Answer the first bullet with personal, specific detail.
A genuinely different point, same depth, still conversational.
Usually the invitation, the offer or the ask.
A friendly close and an informal sign-off with your first name.
The traps that cap this type at Band 6
Writing a formal letter to a friendTask Achievement capped at 6
The single defining failure of this type. "I am writing to inform you that I shall be unable to attend your forthcoming celebration" to a close friend is grammatically flawless and completely wrong, and because it runs through every sentence it is not a slip but a sustained mismatch. Examiners are explicitly told to assess whether the tone suits the reader.
Fix: Read your letter back and ask whether you would say it out loud to that person. If not, rewrite it: "I am writing to inform you" becomes "I'm so sorry, but I don't think I'll be able to make it".
No contractions anywhereLexical Resource 6.5 · Task Achievement 6.5
A letter to a friend with "I am", "do not", "it is" and "I will" throughout reads as stilted. In this register contractions are the norm, and avoiding them entirely is itself the marked, unnatural choice.
Fix: Contract by default: I'm, don't, it's, I'll, we've, can't, wouldn't. Keep a full form only where you want emphasis: "I really do want to come."
All greeting, no contentTask Achievement capped at 6
Warmth is required, but forty words of "How are you? How is your family? I hope everything is going well with you and your job and your studies" spends a quarter of the word budget on nothing, and the bullets end up mentioned rather than developed.
Fix: Two sentences of catching up, maximum, then into the first bullet. Warmth can be carried inside the content rather than stacked in front of it.
The invitation sentence, ungrammaticalGrammatical Range & Accuracy capped at 6.5
The friendliest sentence in the letter is usually its least accurate. "If you will come in June" breaks the first conditional, which takes the present simple after "if"; "I look forward to hear from you" puts an infinitive after a preposition. Both errors sit in the third bullet and the close, so they are the last two things the reader meets.
Fix: First conditional: if + present simple, will/can/could + infinitive — "if you come in June, we could drive to the coast". And "look forward to" always takes a gerund: hearing, seeing, catching up.
Slang, abbreviations and text-speakLexical Resource capped at 6
Informal is not the same as careless. "lol", "u", "gonna", "wanna" and "&" are below the register even for a friend, and they signal a candidate who cannot control the level rather than one who has chosen it.
Fix: Aim for relaxed spoken English written properly: "going to", not "gonna"; "you", not "u". Idioms and phrasal verbs yes; abbreviations no.
Bullets mentioned rather than developedTask Achievement capped at 6
The same fault as in the other two registers, but easier to fall into here because friendly chat feels like content. Three one-sentence answers surrounded by pleasantries is still an under-developed letter.
Fix: Two to three sentences per bullet with specific personal detail — names, dates, places, plans. Then let the warmth sit around it.
The wrong sign-offTask Achievement 6.5
"Yours faithfully" after "Dear Sam" is the mirror image of the formal-letter error and just as visible. "Love" to a distant acquaintance is the other direction — too intimate for a former classmate you have not seen in years.
Fix: Close friend or family → "Love," or "Lots of love,". Friend → "Best wishes," or "All the best,". Never "Yours faithfully" or "Yours sincerely".
Informal letter questions — frequently asked
Is it really wrong to be formal in this letter?
Yes — and it is the commonest way to score 6 on this type. The descriptors assess whether the tone suits the reader, so a stiff letter to a close friend is as much a mismatch as a slangy complaint to a company. Over-formality here is an error, not a safe default.
Should I use contractions?
Yes, by default. In this register the full forms are the marked, unnatural choice. Save "I am" and "do not" for emphasis: "I really do want to come."
How informal is too informal?
Slang, text-speak and abbreviations — "lol", "u", "gonna", "&" — are below the register even for a friend, because they signal a candidate who cannot control the level. Aim for relaxed spoken English written properly: idioms and phrasal verbs yes, abbreviations no.
"Love" or "Best wishes"?
Family and very close friends take "Love," or "Lots of love,". A friend takes "Best wishes," or "All the best,". Someone you have not seen for years takes "Best wishes,". Never "Yours sincerely" or "Yours faithfully" — that is the mirror of the formal-letter error.
How much small talk should I include?
Two sentences at the start and one at the end. More than that and the three bullets end up mentioned rather than developed, which caps Task Achievement — warmth cannot substitute for content.
Next
Once this type is at Band 8, move to another — Formal letter, Semi-formal letter — or check a full essay you have written in the Essay Checker
Go deeper on Task 2
- Band 9 vs Band 6.5 sample answersThe same question answered twice, compared criterion by criterion
- How IELTS Writing is markedWhat each of the four criteria actually rewards
- More Task 2 questionsA large bank of practice prompts by topic
- Timed writing mock testTask 1 and Task 2 in 60 minutes, marked like the exam