GT-T1-212 General Training · Task 1 · intermediate · 20 min · 150+ words Informal Letter Culture

Letter to a Friend Inviting Them to an Exhibition

The question

A small gallery in your town is opening an exhibition of photographs by a local artist you both admire. The opening night is on Friday evening, and entry is free if you register in advance. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: • explain what the exhibition is about and who the artist is • give the date, time and place of the opening • ask them to meet you there and suggest what you could do afterwards Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses. Begin your letter as follows: Dear ______,

Instructions

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. • Use a relaxed, friendly tone: contractions and everyday expressions are fine. • Cover all the points in the bullets, in a clear and logical order. • Organise your letter into short paragraphs and sign off informally, such as 'Love' or 'See you soon'. • Keep the tone warm, even when your message is difficult.

How to approach this informal letter question

An informal letter goes to a friend or relative. Write naturally, with a personal tone, while still covering every bullet point.

Start with "Dear [first name]," and a friendly line.
Cover each bullet point with personal detail and feelings.
Use contractions and everyday expressions, but keep your grammar accurate.
Close with "Best wishes," or "Love," and your first name.

How to plan this answer

Structure

Opening: 'Dear' and your friend's name, then a quick, excited line about an exhibition you have found.
Paragraph 2: explain what the exhibition is about and who the artist is, saying why you both admire the work.
Paragraph 3: give the date, time and place of the opening and explain that you need to register in advance for free entry.
Paragraph 4: suggest a meeting time and place, then propose something to do afterwards.
Closing: ask your friend to let you know, and sign off 'See you soon' or 'Love'.

Points to cover

Artist: a local photographer whose black-and-white street scenes of the old market are admired by you both.
Details: the opening is on Friday evening at 7 p.m., at a named gallery on a street near the town centre.
Registration: entry is free, but you must register online beforehand, so you could both sign up now.
Meeting: meet at the gallery door at 6.30 p.m., or at the café across the road if you are early.
Afterwards: go for a drink at a nearby bar or have dinner at a restaurant close to the gallery.

Useful vocabulary

I thought you'd love: I thought you'd love this exhibition, given how much you like street photography.
an exhibition of photographs by: There is an exhibition of photographs by a local artist we both admire.
It opens on Friday evening: It opens on Friday evening, starting at seven o'clock.
Entry is free, but you have to register: Entry is free, but you have to register in advance.
Shall we meet: Shall we meet at the gallery entrance at half past six?
afterwards: Afterwards, we could grab a drink at the bar on the corner.
well worth going to: It is well worth going to, especially for the black-and-white prints.
Would you be up for it?: Would you be up for it? It should be a lovely evening.
I've already signed up: I've already signed up, so I'll put your name down too.

Common mistakes

Giving the opening date without the day or the time.
Forgetting to mention that free entry requires registration in advance.
Setting a vague meeting place, such as 'at the gallery', without a time.
Describing the artist's work in detail but forgetting to suggest what you could do afterwards.
Using an overly formal phrase, such as 'I would be delighted if you would attend', in a friendly letter.

Examiner tip: Put the date, time, place and registration step together in one short paragraph, then finish with a clear meeting time and a specific plan for afterwards.

Model answers by band score

Written for this question to show what changes from one band to the next. Try the task yourself first, then compare.

Band 6 answer

Dear Sam, How are you? I hope you are fine. I am writing to tell you about something that I think you will like very much. A small gallery in our town is open a new exhibition of photographs by Elena Marsh. You know that we both like her work very much. The photographs is about the life of ordinary people in our town, for example the market and the old harbour. I think they are really beautiful. The opening night is on Friday evening at 7 o'clock at the Harbour Gallery, near the bus station. The entry is free if you register in advance on the gallery website, so please do it before Friday. Can you meet me there at ten to seven in front of the door? I think that we can see the photographs together and talk about them. After that, we could go to the cafe next to the gallery and have some food or a drink. It would be a nice evening for us. Please tell me if you can come. Love, Alex

Why this is band 6

All three bullets are covered in order and the tone is friendly, with an appropriate opening and an informal sign-off.
Language is simple and repetitive ('very much', 'really beautiful', 'I think') with errors such as 'is open a new exhibition' and 'photographs is about'.
Details are quite general: the description of the exhibition and the reason for the suggestion afterwards are not developed.
Band 7 would use more natural everyday phrases, explain why the exhibition matters to both friends and make fewer errors.

Band 7 answer

Dear Sam, I hope you are well. I have some great news that I thought you would like to hear straight away. A small gallery in town is opening an exhibition of photographs by Elena Marsh, the local artist we have both admired for years. The collection is all about everyday life in our town, with pictures of the market, the harbour and the old streets. I have seen a few samples online and they look wonderful. The opening night is this Friday at 7 pm at the Harbour Gallery, near the bus station. Entry is free if you register in advance on the gallery's website, so make sure you do it before then! Would you like to meet me outside the gallery at about quarter to seven? We could look around together and perhaps even meet the artist. Afterwards, why don't we go to the little Italian restaurant across the road for dinner? It would be a perfect way to round off the week. Let me know if you can make it. Love, Alex

Why this is band 7

Warm, natural tone with chatty, friendly phrasing ('great news', 'make sure you do it before then!') suited to a friend.
All bullets are developed: what the exhibition shows, the exact day, time and place, and a concrete plan for afterwards.
Good range of vocabulary and structures with very few errors.
Band 8 would add more personality and sharper, more idiomatic expressions, with each paragraph feeling less like a checklist.

Band 8 answer

Dear Sam, How are things? I'm writing with some news that I just had to share with you. Do you remember Elena Marsh, the photographer whose work we both loved at the town hall last year? Well, a small gallery here is putting on an exhibition of her photographs, all about ordinary life in our town: the market stalls, the harbour at dawn, that sort of thing. I had a quick look online and, honestly, it looks stunning. The opening night is this Friday at 7 pm at the Harbour Gallery, just behind the bus station. Entry is free, but you need to register on their website beforehand, so please don't leave it until the last minute! Could you meet me outside the entrance at about quarter to seven? It would be lovely to see it together, and you always notice things that I miss. Afterwards, we could grab dinner at that little Italian place across the road and talk it all over, if you're not too tired. Say you'll come! Love, Alex

Why this is band 8

The register is relaxed and natural ('I just had to share', 'honestly', 'that sort of thing'), with contractions used appropriately.
Content is personalised and developed (a shared memory, a reason for wanting the friend there), so the bullets are met with real engagement.
Vocabulary is precise and idiomatic and errors are rare, and the paragraphs flow into each other.
Band 9 would be fully effortless: a couple of phrases ('talk it all over', 'if you're not too tired') are a little conventional rather than distinctive.

Band 9 answer

Dear Sam, How are you? I'm writing because I have some news that I simply couldn't keep to myself. You remember Elena Marsh, whose photographs of the harbour we spent half an afternoon admiring at the town hall last year? A small gallery here is about to open an exhibition of her new work, a series of portraits of market traders, fishermen and shopkeepers that captures the town in a way I've never seen before. I've only seen a handful of pictures online, but they took my breath away. The opening night is this Friday, at 7 pm at the Harbour Gallery, just behind the bus station. Entry is free as long as you register on their website in advance, so do it tonight before you forget! Would you meet me by the entrance at about quarter to seven? Half the pleasure would be hearing what you make of it, since you always spot what I miss. Afterwards, I thought we might walk along the front to that little Italian restaurant and put the world to rights over a pizza, if you're free. Do say yes! Love, Alex

Why this is band 9

The voice is warm, vivid and entirely natural ('took my breath away', 'put the world to rights over a pizza'), exactly what a close friend would write.
Each bullet is handled with specific, imaginative detail (what the pictures show, a clear time and place, a concrete plan for the evening).
Idiom, structure and punctuation are accurate and varied, with no errors.
The letter has a clear shape: greeting, hook, practical details, request, and an affectionate close.

Band levels are our estimate against the public IELTS criteria; they are not official scores.

Write your answer

Sign in with Google to write online and get 8 free answers marked each month against the IELTS band criteria. No card, no password.

Practise all four IELTS skills

Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking with band 8 samples at ieltsa.org.

Try IELTS A