High emotional stakes in an informal register: sincere without being dramatic. The tone window is narrow — that's the test.
20 min·≥ 150 words·Classic GT scenario
A close friend got married last month, but at the last minute you were unable to attend the wedding. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: • apologise for not being there • explain what happened • suggest a way to celebrate together when you next meet You do NOT need to write any addresses. Begin your letter as follows: Dear Hana,
How to crack it
A 4-step plan for the letter
Fix the register first.
Who is the reader — stranger, acquaintance, or friend? That decides every word from "Dear…" to the sign-off. Tone, purpose and bullet-point coverage contribute to Task Achievement; there is no published half-score allocation for register.
Cover every bullet point.
Address and develop each bullet point. One paragraph per bullet can help you plan, but it is not a compulsory structure or a whole-task band cap.
Open with the purpose.
"I am writing to…" (formal) or "Just wanted to tell you…" (informal). The reader should know why you're writing by the end of line one.
Close in the same voice.
"Yours faithfully" after Dear Sir or Madam; "Yours sincerely" after a name; "Best wishes" to a friend. A mismatched sign-off is a register error in the last line they read.
What loses you the band
The four traps this question sets
Mixed register
"I am writing to inform you" next to "gonna" — pick one voice and hold it.
A skipped bullet
All three bullet points must be covered AND developed. Two done well is still a penalty.
Copying the prompt
Paraphrase the situation in your own words — lifted lines don't count toward 150.
Use plausible details
Letters benefit from relevant details that fit the situation. You can invent plausible details for the task; do not use sensitive personal information in public examples.
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