General Writing Sample Task 1 

Salutation and endings examples

Dear Sir, Dear Sirs

• Use only when you are writing a formal or official letter and you do not know the person you are writing to, or their name.
  sign off with Yours faithfully

Dear Mr Smith, Dear Ms Austen, Dear Dr Phil

• Use the tale with the family name when you are writing a formal letter to someone you know or whose name you have been given. Use this salutation for people you don't know very well or where you need to show respect.
  sign off with Kind regards, Yours sincerely

Dear Darlene, Dear John

• Use given names only with people you know quite well. In business this is sometimes acceptable, but if in doubt, use the family name. Always use given names when writing an informal letter to a friend or relative.
  sign off with Kind regards, Best wishes, Lots of love

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

A friend from another country is moving to your city for work. He / she has asked you for advice about living in your city.

Write a letter to your friend. In your letter

• suggest an interesting part of the city to live in

• describe the public transport in your city

• say how your friend can meet new people there

Write at least 150 words.

 Model answer

Dear Irina,

It's very exciting to hear that you'll be moving to London and congratulations on your new job!

As you'll probably be working in the city centre, perhaps you could think about living near me in Croydon. It's a large town in south London. There are people here from all over the world and it has a friendly, relaxed vibe.

In terms of public transport, you can get around London by bus, train and the Underground. You should just get an Oyster card, which I'll help you with. It means you can get on and off without having to buy a separate ticket each time. Public transport is pretty crowded in the mornings but no worse than in Moscow!

I'll introduce you to my friends and I'm sure you'll meet people at work too. You could try living in a shared house if you want to meet some locals.

Anyway, I can't wait to see you.

Lots of love,

Jane

(160 words)