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The General Training test includes two writing tasks. One is a 250-word essay and the other is a 150-word letter.  

In the letter-writing task you will need to write a letter to someone for a specific purpose, and in your letter address a common, everyday issues or tasks, such as writing a job application letter. 

Today we will look at some key items you need to address to successfully write a job application letter for Writing Task 1. You can also apply most of what you will learn here to any IELTS letter writing task.  

When writing your job application letter, remember to: 

  1. Present a clear purpose – why you are writing the letter 

  2. Use the correct tone 

  3. Address all three bullet points completely and relevantly 

  4. Write in letter format 

Let’s look at the following sample task. And before you read the tips that follow, think about how you would approach this task so you can compare and adapt your approach after you have finished reading this article. Ask yourself specific questions before you write. 

You have learned about an international job that is available within the company you currently work for and you want to apply. 

Write a letter to the hiring manager. In your letter 

  • Say why you are applying for this international position 

  • Describe the job you are currently doing for the company 

  • Tell him/her why you think you will be good at the job 

Begin your letter as follows: Dear Sir or Madam

Find the situation and purpose of the letter

Make sure you read the task carefully to understand the situation and purpose of the letter. Pausing for a moment to analyse the task, highlight key points or take notes will help you build a logical background story and make it easier to write the letter.  

If we look at the question above, it appears that:  

  • You already work for this company 

  • You now want to work for them in an international location.  

Ask yourself the following questions to help craft your response: 

  • Why would someone want to move to another country to work?  

  • What kind of work could you be doing now that would make you a good candidate to move?  

  • What special skills or experience could you have that would make you good for the job? 

If we put the above tips into action, we might imagine a scenario where your job application letter would address the following points: 

  • Maybe you work as a product manager with a company and you are very familiar with the product that is launching in this other part of the world.  

  • You would also like to travel abroad with your family for the experience and you have all the skills and success stories that would make you the best person to launch the product somewhere else.  

  • You also speak the mother tongue of that country or perhaps you are fluent in English which is the business language there.  

And remember to write an opening sentence that clearly explains why you are writing the job application. For example: 

  • I am writing to express an interest in... 

  • I am writing to apply for... 

  • I am writing in response to the international job opening... 

Determine if you need to write a formal or informal letter.

You will be told in the instructions who you are writing to. If you are told to begin a letter with “Dear Sir or Madam” this is a signal to be formal, using a formal tone. 

In this case, you are writing to the hiring manager, not your boss or anyone you know and you are specifically instructed to begin your letter with ‘Dear Sir or Madam’. So, make sure you do this.  

If you are not given instructions to begin your letter with “Dear Sir or Madam”, then make sure you begin your formal letter with ‘Dear Mr./ Miss/ Mrs. / Ms. Smith’ because you are not friends with the recipient.   

In addition, the purpose of the letter is a serious one because you are applying for a job, so use a more serious tone to write your letter. To keep to the formal tone: 

  • Begin your letter with a formal address (e.g. Dear Sir or Madam) 

  • Keep to the point or purpose of the letter and don’t use contractions (e.g. can’t, don’t, won’t) 

  • Sign your letter off formally (e.g. Yours faithfully, followed by your full name)