English Lesson

IELTS - Writing Task 1 and Listening

Warm Up!

Wonderful

Beautiful

Look at the word and write as many words as possible using the letters in the word!

Serendipity

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to you regarding my suitcase, which was lost on the British Airways flight from London to New York (BA123) on January 2nd. When I realized the loss on my arrival in New York I reported it to the counter staff. The agent promised to give my hotel a call within the next hours, but unfortunately this did not happen. I have contacted British Airways numerous times since by phone without being able to locate the suitcase.

My suitcase is made of dark blue fabric with black handles and a single. It contains clothing, presents for friends I will visit and photographic equipment I was planning to use on my trip. I already had to buy some cloths and toiletry for which I attached the receipt to this letter expecting you to refund my expenses.

I hope this matter can be resolved very soon as I plan to continue my trip to California on the 7th of January and will no longer be able to pick up the suitcase in New York after this date. You can reach me on my mobile 123456789.

Yours Faithfully,
Chuck Berry

What was the prompt?

Write to the airline and

* explain what happened.

* describe your suitcase and tell them what was in it.

* find out what they are going to do about it.

You travelled by plane last week and your suitcase was lost. You have still heard nothing from the airline company.

Writing

- 60 minutes

- 2 tasks

Task 1: 150 words / Task 2: 250 words

Task 2

- 40 minutes

Task 1

- 20 minutes

Write a short letter (150 words at least)

- Request information

- Explain a situation

It may be formal, informal or semi-formal.

Essay-style question (250 words at least)

- Give reasons (arguments)

- Give examples

Semi-formal. A personal approach is valid.

Register

If the letter is for a friend or a close member of your family

Informal

Formal

If you are asked to write to someone you don't know

Dear Sir or Madam / Yours faithfully,

Dear Mr. Martínez / Yours sincerely,

Dear Jeff / All the best, / See you soon, / Keep in touch, 

Contractions

Do not use contractions

Greetings and Sign-offs

Informal

Semi-formal

Formal

Dear Valentina, - Best wishes, Luisa.

It depends on how well you know the person.

Dear Valentina/Dear Ms. Rodríguez - Best regards, Luisa Ramírez. 

Dear Sir or Madam  - Yours faithfully, Luisa Ramírez. 

Types of Letters

Apology

Request

Complaint

Letter of explanation

An invitation

Application or resignation letter

Marking Criteria

Lexical Resource

Cohesion and Coherence

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Task Achievement

Paragraphing

Paragraphing means to divide a written piece into small paragraphs, each paragraph has a purpose. Letters need to be well organised, through the use of paragraphs you show your organisation. 

Which three paragraphs are introductory and which three are concluding paragraphs? Match the concluding paragraphs to the introductory paragraphs.

Choose the best style. You will follow from the first to the last line.

Present a clear purpose (the reason why you are writing the letter-house sitter).

You must cover each bullet points in your letter. One sentence is not enough, you need to write several sentences (avoid irrelevant details).

B

R

E

A

K

Listening 

Part 3

It involves a conversation between two or four people about an academic and training context. The audio lasts about 3-4 minutes.

Multiple choice

Either maps or matching statements

Fill in the blanks