The General Training Task 1 is a letter. Always a letter. The cue card tells you who you're writing to, and from that single line, your entire essay is decided.
Get the register wrong, and the highest possible band drops to 6. Get it right, and the rest is mechanics.
Here is how examiners categorise the three registers — and how to write each one without slipping.
The three registers
The cue card tells you who the recipient is. From the wording, you must identify which register applies.
Formal — someone you've never met, in an institutional role. "Write to the manager of the company you bought the product from." You don't know their name. You don't share any history.
Semi-formal — someone you know in a working or service relationship. "Write to your landlord." "Write to your bank manager who you've spoken to before." You know them, but not personally.
Informal — a friend, family member, or close acquaintance. "Write to a friend who you haven't seen for some time."
This sounds obvious. It isn't. Candidates regularly write semi-formal letters to "the manager of a hotel" or informal letters to "a colleague at work". The cue card tells you the answer if you read it carefully.
The register markers examiners scan for
In the first ten seconds, an examiner is looking at three things to confirm your register:
1. The greeting and sign-off.
| Register | Greeting | Sign-off |
|---|---|---|
| Formal | Dear Sir/Madam, | Yours faithfully, |
| Semi-formal | Dear Mr Patel, | Yours sincerely, |
| Informal | Hi Sarah, / Dear Sarah, | Best wishes, / Take care, |
Mix any of these — like "Dear Sir/Madam... Best wishes" — and your Task Achievement drops immediately.
2. Contractions.
Formal letters: never. Write I am writing, not I'm writing. Write I would, not I'd.
Informal letters: always. I've been meaning to write to you... I can't wait to see you again. Avoiding contractions in an informal letter sounds robotic and costs you points.
Semi-formal: occasional, natural ones only.
3. The first sentence.
The first sentence sets the register more than anything else in the letter. Once it's wrong, every following sentence either contradicts it or compounds the error.
Formal opener: I am writing to formally raise a concern regarding...
Semi-formal opener: I hope you are well. I am writing to follow up on...
Informal opener: Hope you're doing well! It's been ages since we caught up...
The structure inside the letter
All three letters use the same skeleton:
- Opening line — state why you are writing
- Bullet 1 — covered in 1–2 sentences
- Bullet 2 — covered in 1–2 sentences
- Bullet 3 — covered in 1–2 sentences
- Closing line — what you want next / how you'll follow up
- Sign-off
The cue card always gives you three bullets. Address them in order. Don't combine them. Don't skip any. Each bullet should be a clearly identifiable section of your letter.
What to never do
- Start a formal letter with "How are you?"
- End an informal letter with "I look forward to your prompt reply"
- Use contractions in a formal letter, ever
- Use "Dear Sir/Madam" when the cue card gives you a name
- Forget the sign-off — it's worth a full band on its own
What scoring depends on most
For GT Task 1, the four criteria are scored, but Task Achievement carries the heaviest load. Register, completeness, and tone matter more than vocabulary range. A simple letter with perfect register beats a sophisticated one with mixed register, every time.
Opiliant's GT Task 1 evaluator flags register slips automatically — every contraction in a formal letter, every formal phrase in an informal one. You see exactly where the tone broke before you submit.