Harish from Vellore’s letter to his best friend began “Dear Sir” out of habit. His next attempt was full of “gonna” and “lol”.

An IELTS personal letter should sound like a friendly, well-written message: warm, natural and clear. Contractions and everyday phrasal verbs fit; slang, text-speak and emojis do not.

Which Style Fits Letters to Friends?

IELTS notes that style depends on who you write to and how well you know them; its example of a personal letter is writing to a friend.

At Band 7, Task Achievement requires a tone that is consistent and appropriate. Mixing “Dear Sir” with casual slang destroys register consistency. For register advice, see choosing the right tone.

What Fits and What to Avoid

These points are Enable Academy advice, not exam rules.

  • Fits: contractions (“I’m”, “couldn’t”), phrasal verbs (“catch up”, “settle in”), reader questions and warm closings (“Best wishes”).
  • Avoid: text-speak (“u”, “lol”), slang (“bro”), spoken forms (“gonna”), emojis and stiff lines (“I am writing to inform you”).

For the difference between registers, see formal and informal English.

Comparing Formal, Natural and Too-Casual Phrases

This table shows how to replace stiff or careless phrases with natural ones.

Too formal Natural Too casual
I am writing to inform you… Guess what, I’ve moved. OMG guess what
I would like to invite you… You must come over soon. Pull up to my place
Please accept my apologies… I’m so sorry I missed it. My bad, totally forgot
Kindly let me know… Let me know what you think. Hit me up ASAP
I am residing in a flat… I’ve settled into my flat. Moved into my new pad
I look forward to seeing you shortly. I can’t wait to see you. Gonna be lit, see ya
Yours faithfully, Best wishes, Cya later bro,
It was a pleasant experience… We had a wonderful time. It was dope lol

For more phrasing, see informal emails and letters. For invitations, see apology, thank-you and invitation letters.

Practice Task and Model Answer

Here is an original task in the format of the IELTS sample tasks.

Practice task (written for this post)

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You have recently moved to a new city for a new job.

Write a letter to your friend, Arun, who lives in another city. In your letter:

  • explain why you moved
  • describe your new flat and neighbourhood
  • invite your friend to visit you

Write at least 150 words.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Arun,

Model letter (illustrative Band 7)

Dear Arun,

I hope you’re well. I’ve got some news for you: I’ve moved to Bengaluru for a new job.

I’d been looking for a role with more responsibility for a long time, and a software company here offered me a post as a team leader last month. It meant leaving Vellore and my family, but I couldn’t turn down such a good chance to grow.

I’m renting a small flat on the second floor, about ten minutes’ walk from my office. The neighbourhood is lively, with a market at the end of the road and a park where I go jogging every morning. The only problem is the traffic, which I’m still getting used to.

You must come and stay with me soon. Are you free for a weekend next month? There’s a spare bed, and I’d love to show you around and cook you a proper South Indian dinner.

Write back soon and tell me how everyone is in Delhi.

Best wishes, Harish

Why It Works

  • Task Achievement: states the reason for writing and develops each bullet in its own paragraph with concrete details.
  • Task Achievement (tone): stays warm and natural throughout, using contractions with no slang or text-speak.
  • Coherence and Cohesion: clear paragraphing with conversational transitions.
  • Lexical Resource: uses natural phrasal verbs like “turn down”, “get used to” and “show you around”.

Avoiding Casual Pitfalls

A personal letter is still a written task, so a chat message will not do.

Incorrect: “Hey bro, wassup.”

Correct: Dear Arun, it’s been far too long since we last spoke.

It uses the name, keeps the warmth and sounds like a real friend.

Tip

Read your draft aloud once, and rewrite any sentence you would never say to a friend.

Key Takeaways

  • IELTS gives a letter to a friend as its example of a personal letter.
  • Contractions and everyday phrasal verbs fit a personal letter.
  • Slang, text-speak and emojis do not fit it.
  • Give each bullet point its own paragraph.

The bottom line: The warmth in a personal letter should come from what you say about your reader’s life, not from slang.