Complete guide to writing this type of IELTS letter. Covers format, tone, useful phrases, and sample answers for Band 7+.
Originally published December 2017. Last reviewed 3 July 2026.
In this post, we will look at the differences between formal and informal writing. Formal and informal language refers to using different forms of language in different situations. For example, in writing, if you were writing an essay for university this would have a different tone than if you were writing a diary entry about your thoughts and feelings or an email to a friend.
In writing, writing an academic essay is different from writing a letter to a close friend. Using the correct form of language is essential for getting a high score on the IELTS writing test.
Informal Writing Style
Colloquial Language
Informal writing is similar to a spoken conversation. Informal writing may include slang, figures of speech, broken syntax, asides and so on. Informal writing takes a personal tone as if you were speaking directly to your audience (the reader). You can use the first or third person point of view (I and we), and you are likely to address the reader using second person (you and your).
Simple Sentences
Using short sentences is acceptable and sometimes essential to making a point in informal writing. There may be incomplete sentences or ellipsis(…) to make points.
Contractions and Abbreviations
Words are likely to be simplified using contractions (for example, I’m, doesn’t, couldn’t, it’s) and abbreviations (e.g. TV, photos) whenever possible.
Showing Empathy and Emotion
The author can show empathy towards the reader regarding the complexity of a thought and help them through that complexity. See our page: What is Empathy? for more.
Formal Writing Style
Complex Sentences
Longer sentences are likely to be more common in formal writing. You need to be as thorough as possible with your approach to each topic when you are using a formal style. Each main point needs to be introduced, explained and supported.
State The Objective
State your main points confidently and offer full supportive arguments. A formal writing style shows a limited range of emotions and avoids emotive punctuation such as exclamation points, ellipsis, etc. unless they are being cited from another source.
Use Full Words
No contractions should be used to simplify words (in other words use “It is” rather than “It’s”). Abbreviations must be spelt out in full when first used, the only exceptions being when the acronym is better known than the full name (BBC, ITV or NATO for example).
Third Person
Formal writing is not a personal writing style. The formal writer is disconnected from the topic and does not use the first person point of view (I or we) or second person (you).
When to Use Formal and Informal Writing
A formal writing style is necessary to use in the IELTS Test. If you are studying for the General Training writing test part 1, you should familiarise yourself with the difference between informal, semi-formal and formal letter writing.
Writing for the Academic writing test parts 1 and 2 and the General Training writing test part 2 requires the formal writing style, although during the speaking test you may use a more informal tone when speaking to the examiner.
Formal Writing Style in Writing Task 2
In writing task 2 you are expected to write your essay in a formal academic style. Here are two examples of the main body paragraph from a positive/negative question >
Bad Example
Sometimes working from home can be great, you can work when you want and live your life around your own clock. If you have kids to look after it makes it even better because you can work around their timetables. I can work from anywhere I want too like if I want to go on holiday I can just take my laptop with me and work from a cafe or anywhere that has wifi. You can fit your work around your life, which is really easy for all sorts of reasons. For example, my friend works from home and she loves it, she’s always saying how great it is that she can work from anywhere she wants to. She even went on holiday and worked from her sun lounger next to the swimming pool. I would love to do something like that for work, it sounds like it can give you lots of time to travel and explore the world.
Good Example
On the one hand, having the option to work from home, can have a positive impact on an employee’s schedule. This is especially so if the person has children or other dependants because working long hours is not always possible depending on your lifestyle. Therefore it allows the employee to manage their own schedule while ensuring that they maintain a work-life balance, working from wherever they are in the world. Having flexible working hours means that collecting children from school, spending time travelling and being able to attend non-work related appointments becomes much easier. For example, Google allows senior engineers to work remotely, using flexible hours for those who travel a lot or have the need to work with little interruptions.
Can you see the difference?
The bad example has been written in an informal manner as if the writer is writing to a friend. The good example shows the formal style and elements of a high-level IELTS main body paragraph, through the structure, use of cohesive devices, complex sentences and the tone.
We hope you found this post useful in helping you to study for the IELTS Test. If you have any questions please let us know in the comments below or on the Facebook page.
The best way to keep up to date with posts like this is to like us on Facebook, then follow us on Instagram and Pinterest.
If you need help preparing for the IELTS Test, join the IELTS Achieve Academy and see how we can assist you to achieve your desired band score. We offer an essay correction service, mock exams and online courses.
Comprehensive guide covering essential IELTS preparation strategies and techniques to help you achieve your target band score.
Originally published December 2017. Last reviewed 3 July 2026.
In this post, we will look at how to write relevant examples to support your main points in the writing task 2 essay. Being able to write strong examples is important because it shows the examiner that you can logically organise your ideas and support your points with evidence.
In the main body paragraphs, you want to show the examiner that you can write about your ideas, explain them and support them with examples that are relevant, if you do this, you will gain marks for task achievement and coherence.
For a band score 8 in the task achievement section, the marking criteria states ‘presents a well-developed response to the question with relevant, extended and supported ideas’. For a band 9, it says ‘presents a fully developed position in answer to the question with relevant, fully extended and well-supported ideas’.
Why does my essay need to have relevant examples?
As a recap here is what your main body paragraph structure should look like for a high score >
Your main body paragraphs should have 3 main sentences >
Introduce the topic
Explain/give detail
Example
Introduce the topic
Start the paragraph by introducing the topic. This is where you need to have a topic sentence that introduces the examiner to the main idea of the paragraph.
Explain/give detail
The next sentence(s) should explain the topic, going into detail. This gives some background information related to the main idea of the paragraph. It explains the idea, telling the examiner how it is relevant to the question.
Example
The third part of your main body paragraph should give an example to support your main points. The example you give could be something from your own experience or made up – it is ok to make up something as the examiners will not fact check your information. They want to see your ability to use English at a certain level. You could make up an example from a report, journal, newspaper or University study to support your view.
How Do I think of Relevant Examples?
When you are trying to think of relevant examples, you can use your own personal experiences, or information from something you have seen or read about. If you really can’t think of anything, then you are allowed to make one up. The examiners will not check the facts that you present in your examples, as they want to see that you can support your main ideas well and that you have a high level of written English.
When writing relevantexamples you can use one of the following >
1. A University Study
You can make up a fictional study from a University in your country or city. If you want you can even use a study from a famous University, like Harvard, Cambridge or Oxford in the UK. These types of examples are great for supporting points about education, students or children.
Example
For example, Cambridge University in the UK surveyed over 500 students in 2017 and reported that over 65% had completed a gap year before starting their chosen course.
2. A Newspaper Report
Another way of writing a relevant example is to make up some information from a newspaper report or article. This may even be loosely based on something you have read in the news or seen online.
Example
For instance, according to an article published in The New York Times in 2016, a survey of people who work online, from home in the state of New York showed that 24% of people said they had developed depression.
3. Statistics from The Police
If you are writing an example for a crime or punishment related question you could include statistics from the police or government.
Example
For example, in some states in the USA, there are tough sanctions in place for criminals, including death by lethal injection. In 2014, the Texas State Police Department reported that up to 65% of criminals who were incarcerated for high-level crimes (murder, manslaughter) received the lethal injection.
4. Statistics from A Health Organisation
If you are writing an example for a health-related question you could include statistics from a health organisation like The WHO (World Health Organisation), the NHS in the UK or a private organisation like BUPA. Think of places from your own country that you could write about.
Example
For instance, the NHS in the UK regularly hold talks in schools for both parents and students to educate communities on how to have a balanced diet. They also promote proper exercise, involvement in sports, and having an active lifestyle. As a result of this program, in some areas, they saw a decrease in the number of overweight health issues.
5. Data from a Tech Company
If you are writing an example for a technology or communication-related question you could include statistics from a tech company.
Example
For example, in 2015 Google allowed senior engineers to work remotely, using flexible hours for those who travel a lot or have the need to work with little interruptions. This increased productivity to over 70% as the senior members could work seamlessly without any delays.
6. A Documentary
Another way of writing a relevant example is to make up some information from a documentary you have seen.
Example
For example, a documentary by Channel 4 in 2016 showed that the most obese populations were situated in underdeveloped nations, like Venezuela, where people admitted to finding it difficult to eat a balanced and healthy diet and had no nutritional education.
7. Your Own Experience
You can also include examples that display your own experiences in relation to the question. You should avoid using personal pronouns in the essay, but in this example, where you are writing about your own experience it is acceptable.
Example
For instance, In my experience, I know that in Romania, it is common practice for graduates from state-funded university courses to work in areas where their services are needed for a minimum of two years before they are able to apply to work abroad.
Make Your Examples Specific
You need to make sure that your examples are specific as this gives your point more authenticity. If your point is too general, then you will not be supporting your main idea enough for a high band score.
Look at these examples below >
Bad Example
For example, many students have a gap year before starting their chosen course.
Good Example
For example, Cambridge University in the UK surveyed over 500 students in 2017 and reported that over 65% had completed a gap year before starting their chosen course.
Feedback
You can see in the bad example that the example is not developed enough and gives general information to the reader. It tells you that many students have a gap year before starting University, but that is all of the information given.
The good example gives you specific data related to the main idea. There is a time (2017) how many students were asked (500) and the percentage of how many had a gap year (65%). This example gives more authenticity to the answer and provides an academic example. This is the type of answer that will fully support your main idea in the paragraph, which will score higher in the marking criteria.
You can make your example specific by adding the following >
Introduce the example with a cohesive device – For exampl/For instance
Include a percentage (if you are giving the results of a survey)
We hope you found this post useful in helping you to study for the IELTS Test. If you have any questions please let us know in the comments below or on the Facebook page.
The best way to keep up to date with posts like this is to like us on Facebook, then follow us on Instagram and Pinterest.
If you need help preparing for the IELTS Test, join the IELTS Achieve Academy and see how we can assist you to achieve your desired band score. We offer an essay correction service, mock exams and online courses.
