To end the letter
Apology:
- Once again, I am sorry for any inconvenience caused……….
- I hope I did not cause you too much problem……….
- Please accept my apologies once more……….
- I am so sorry for the whole thing……….
- I hope you will accept my apologies……….
- Kindly accept my apologies ……….
Complaint:
- I expect to hear from you soon……….
- Hopefully, you will pay immediate attention to this matter ……….
- I highly expect your kind attention about the situation……….
- I want you to take immediate action about the misunderstanding……….
Request:
- Thank you again for your attention to this matter……….
- Could you possibly resend the papers?……….
- I expect to hear from you again……….
Thanking:
- Thanks.
- Thank you.
- Thanks a lot for.
- Thank you very much.
- I can’t thank you enough.
- I am extremely grateful for.
- No words can express my gratitude.
Wishing Good Luck:
- I wish you a good trip ahead.
- I wish you good luck with your interview.
- Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll do well.
- Wishing you all the best.
Providing Information:
- I would like to inform you that I have already sent the papers you asked me to………..
- Perhaps you should be informed that the last date has already been over…………
- I hope this information will be helpful for you, please contact me for any other information ………..
- This is all I would like to inform you.Please feel free to contact me for any information…………
Expecting a reply from someone
- I am looking forward to hearing from you …….
- I am waiting to hear from you soon………..
- I look forward to hearing from you soon…………
- I am expecting to hear from you soon………..
- I am eagerly waiting for your response…………
Closing the letter
- I look forward to hearing from you.
- I look forward to seeing you.
- I look forward to meeting you.
- I look forward to getting a reply from you soon.
- I really look forward to your cooperation in this.
Signing off
- Personal Letter: Yours truly, Yours ever, Best regards, Best wishes, Many thanks, Love, Lots of love, All the best, Best wishes.
- Official Letter: Yours sincerely, Yours faithfully, Yours obedient.
- Business Letter: Yours sincerely, Yours faithfully.
IELTS vocabulary – Writing a letter
Below, you will see eleven common situations that people encounter when they are writing a formal letter. Choose the sentence or phrase (A, B or C) that would be most appropriate in each situation.
1. You are writing a letter to the headteacher of a school or college, but you don’t know their name. How do you begin your letter?
A. Dear Headteacher.
B. Dear Sir / Madam.
C. Dear Sir.
2. You have received a letter from the manager of a company which buys computer components from your company, and you are now replying. What do you say?
A. Thank you for your letter.
B. Thanks a lot for your letter.
C. It was great to hear from you.
3. You recently stayed in a hotel and were very unhappy with the service you received. You are now writing to the manager. What do you say?
A. I had a horrible time at your hotel recently.
B. I would like to say that I am unhappy with your hotel.
C. I would like to complain about the service I received at your hotel recently.
4. You have sent a letter of application to a college, together with your curriculum vitae which the college requested. What do you say in the letter to explain that your curriculum vitae has been attached?
A. You asked for my curriculum vitae, so here it is.
B. As you can see, I’ve enclosed my curriculum vitae.
C. As you requested, I enclose my curriculum vitae.
5. You have applied for a job, but you would like the company to send you more information. What do you say?
A. I would be grateful if you would send me more information.
B. I want you to send me more information.
C. Send me some more information, if you don’t mind.
6. In a letter you have written to a company, you tell them that you expect them to reply. What do you say?
A. Write back to me soon, please.
B. Please drop me a line soon.
C. l look forward to hearing from you soon.
7. In a letter you have written, you want the recipient to do something and are thanking them in advance for their action. What do you say?
A. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
B. Thanks for doing something about it.
C. I am gratified that you will take appropriate action.
8. The company you work for has received an order from another company and you are writing to them to acknowledge the order and let them know when you can deliver. What do you say?
A. About the order you sent on 12 January for…
B. I would like to remind you of the order you sent on 12 January for…
C. refer to your order of 12 January.
9. In a letter, you explain that the recipient can contact you if they want more information. What do you say?
A. Give me a call if you want some more information.
B. If you would like any more information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
C. If you would like any more information, why not get in touch?
10. You began a letter with the recipient’s name (e.g., Dear Mr Perrin). How do you end the letter?
A. Yours faithfully.
B. Yours sincerely.
C. Best wishes.
11. You did not begin the letter with the recipient’s name (see number 1 above). How do you end the letter?
A. Yours faithfully.
B. Yours sincerely.
C. Best wishes.
Related IELTS Resources
Take a practice test to find out what is your current weakness in terms of IELTS scale and allow more time to improve your weak spots. The following IELTS resources will help you to develop your skills faster: