IELTS General Writing Task 1: Letter Giving a Friend Advice (Band 9 Sample)
This General Training Task 1 asks you to write an informal letter giving a friend advice about moving to your city to study. A band-9 letter covers all three bullet points, offers genuinely useful advice, and sounds like a supportive friend. Below is a model letter of roughly 190 words, followed by why it scores 9 on all four criteria.
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01 · The task
A friend is planning to move to your city to study and has asked for your advice. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: say how you feel about them moving to your city, give some advice about finding somewhere to live, and suggest some things they could do in their free time.
02 · Band 9 sample answer
191 words · Band 9Dear Sam,
I was over the moon to get your message — the thought of you moving here to study has honestly made my week! It'll be brilliant having you just around the corner, and I can't wait to show you around my favourite haunts.
As for finding somewhere to live, my main piece of advice would be not to rush into the first place you see. Rents near the university are steep, so I'd strongly suggest looking a little further out, around the Riverside area, where flats are far more reasonable and it's only a short bus ride in. Whatever you do, view the place in person first and never pay a deposit before you've seen it.
Once you're settled, you'll be spoilt for choice for things to do. The old town is packed with cosy cafés and live-music bars, and if you fancy escaping the city at weekends, the hills nearby are perfect for hiking. I'll happily be your tour guide.
Let me know your moving dates and I'll come and lend a hand.
Take care, An
03 · Why this scores Band 9
All three bullet points are fully covered — how the writer feels ("over the moon... made my week"), advice on finding somewhere to live (avoid rushing, look in the cheaper Riverside area, view it in person first), and suggestions for free time (cafés and live music in the old town, hiking in the nearby hills). Each is developed with concrete, useful detail.
The letter is clearly structured — an enthusiastic opening, then one paragraph of housing advice and one of free-time ideas, and a warm close — one bullet per paragraph. Cohesion is natural: "As for finding somewhere to live...", "Once you're settled...", "if you fancy escaping the city at weekends...".
The vocabulary is warm and idiomatic — "over the moon", "made my week", "around the corner", "my favourite haunts", "don't rush into", "spoilt for choice", "lend a hand" — exactly the friendly, informal language a letter of advice calls for.
A range of structures gives advice accurately: modal advice forms ("I'd strongly suggest looking a little further out", "never pay a deposit before you've seen it"), a relative clause ("the Riverside area, where flats are far more reasonable"), and a first conditional ("if you fancy escaping the city, the hills are perfect for hiking"). Contractions suit the register, and the letter is error-free.
04 · Useful collocations for this task
Tap a phrase to see what it means and how to use it. Natural collocations like these lift your Lexical Resource score.
05 · Frequently asked questions
What register should a letter of advice to a friend use?
Warm and informal. Use contractions, a first-name greeting ("Dear Sam") and a friendly sign-off ("Take care"). Advice to a friend should sound supportive and personal, not like a formal instruction manual.
How do I give advice without sounding bossy?
Use softening modal forms — "I'd suggest...", "my main piece of advice would be...", "whatever you do, view it first". These sound like helpful tips from a friend rather than orders, which suits the register.
How specific should the suggestions be?
Quite specific — name real places or areas ("the Riverside area", "the old town", "the hills nearby"). Concrete detail covers the bullets far better than vague advice like "there are nice places to live and fun things to do".
How long should the letter be?
At least 150 words; a band-9 letter is usually 170–200. This model is 191 words, enough to react warmly and cover both the housing advice and free-time ideas without padding.
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