Sana from Aurangabad, practising for General Training, wrote to her landlord: “Hey Mr Kapoor, the tap’s broken again, fix it ASAP!” It read like a message to a friend with a “Mr” added.

The person you are writing to sets the tone: a stranger or an organisation suggests a formal letter, someone you know in a formal role a semi-formal one, and a friend a personal one. IELTS names these styles personal, semi-formal and formal, so keep one tone from greeting to sign-off.

What Are the Three Letter Styles?

IELTS gives its own examples: a personal letter goes to a friend, a semi-formal letter to your manager, and a formal letter to someone you do not know personally. It adds that the style depends on who you are asked to write to and how well you are supposed to know them. A manager, for example, may call for a semi-formal or a formal letter.

Our advice is to treat a landlord or neighbour you know by name as semi-formal. A company, a college office or a local council you do not know is formal.

Matching the Style to Your Reader

This table is advice based on those examples, and it shows how the greeting, sign-off and voice change.

You are writing to Style Greeting Sign-off Sounds like
A company you do not know Formal Dear Sir or Madam, Yours faithfully, Polite and objective, without contractions
A manager or landlord you know Semi-formal Dear Mr Kapoor, Yours sincerely, Respectful and direct, with polite requests
A friend Personal Dear Priya, Best wishes, Warm and relaxed, with contractions

Tone Beyond Greetings

Tone also lives in contractions, phrasal verbs, how direct you are and how you close. These are advice, not IELTS rules.

  • Contractions: “I’m” and “don’t” suit a personal letter; a formal letter uses “I am” and “do not”.
  • Phrasal verbs: “let me know” is natural in a personal letter, while “please inform me” fits a formal one.
  • Directness: “Fix the tap” is a command, and “Could you arrange a repair?” is a polite request.
  • Closing lines: “I look forward to your reply” fits a formal or semi-formal letter, while “Hope to see you soon” fits a personal one.

One Request in Three Styles

Here is the same request, to move a meeting, written three ways.

Formal (illustrative)

I am writing to ask whether it would be possible to move my appointment from Thursday afternoon. An unavoidable work commitment has arisen, and I would be grateful if you could offer a time early next week.

Semi-formal (illustrative)

I am writing to ask whether we could move our meeting from Thursday afternoon. Something urgent has come up at work, so I would appreciate a time early next week if that suits you.

Personal (illustrative)

Could we meet early next week instead of Thursday? Something’s come up at work, and I’d really like to see you when things are calmer.

Consistency and Task Achievement

In the public IELTS Writing band descriptors, tone is part of Task Achievement for a letter. At Band 7 the tone is consistent and appropriate to the task, with minimal lapses.

At Band 6 there may be minor inconsistencies in tone, and at Band 5 the tone may be variable and sometimes inappropriate. Slang in a letter to a landlord is the kind of mixing those lower descriptors describe.

Incorrect: “Hey Mr Kapoor”

Correct: Dear Mr Kapoor,

In British letters, “Dear” plus a title and surname is the usual greeting when you know the name.

For the matching sign-offs, see greetings and sign-offs. For more on register, see formal and informal English.

Writing to someone you know in a formal role? See semi-formal letters. For letters to friends, see informal emails and letters.

Tip

Read your finished letter once, looking only for contractions and casual phrases that clash with your greeting.

Key Takeaways

  • IELTS names three letter styles: personal, semi-formal and formal.
  • The style depends on who you write to and how well you know them.
  • Greeting, sign-off, contractions and directness should match the style.
  • At Band 7, Task Achievement describes a consistent, appropriate tone.

The bottom line: Decide who your reader is before your first word, then keep that relationship in each sentence.