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General Training Task 1: Control the Tone

Identify purpose, reader relationship, and required bullet points, then control tone from polite and neutral to appropriately personal without memorised ceremonial language.

Level
B1–B2
Time
40 minutes
Skills
IELTS General Training Writing Task 1 + Register
Outcome
Write a letter with appropriate purpose and register

Your goal

By the end of this lesson, you can write a letter with appropriate purpose and register.

Progress focus: WRLC

Engduo Audio: Licensed voices prepared for this lesson. Audio never starts automatically. Use the transcript after the first listening attempt.

1. Look, listen, and notice

Use the visual and model audio to understand the situation, viewpoint, or communication problem before studying the language.

Original letter planning map with reader relationship, purpose, three content points, request, and closing
Use this visual to notice, practise, and communicate.
  • reader relationship
  • purpose
  • three required points
  • appropriate closing

Engduo Audio • British English

Transcript — open after listening

I’m writing to ask whether I can move to the Saturday course. My work schedule changed this week, so I can no longer attend on Tuesday evenings.

Engduo Audio • American English

Transcript — open after listening

Could you please confirm whether a place is available? I would appreciate any alternative you can suggest.

How to run Stage 1

Confirm the observable outcome and connect it to one realistic learner need.

2. Build useful language

Choose the phrases that help you complete the task; do not memorise a full script.

I’m writing to ___.

I would like to explain ___.

Could you please ___.

I appreciate ___.

I’m sorry that ___.

I hope we can arrange ___.

How to run Stage 2

Use the visual and first audio or text for meaning before explaining language.

3. Rehearse with support

Practise the decisions, evidence, listening, or language moves that make the final task successful.

  • Sort phrases into formal, neutral, and personal tone.
  • Rewrite an overly direct request and an excessively formal message.
  • Plan one paragraph for each required content point.
How to run Stage 3

Select only the useful-language items needed for this learner and this task.

4. Complete the communication task

Exchange information, solve a problem, create a text, or reach a decision with a real outcome.

Write to a community-centre manager about a course schedule change: explain the problem, describe its effect, and request one practical solution in an appropriate register.

How to run Stage 4

Run the supported rehearsal without reading every instruction aloud.

5. Perform, receive feedback, and retry

Complete the task with keywords only, receive focused feedback, and repeat the weakest part.

Write a complete original letter with clear purpose, all three content points, consistent tone, and a specific request; revise after a reader reports the perceived relationship.

Retry: Repeat once with clearer meaning, stronger evidence, more accurate listening, or less support.

How to run Stage 5

Run the main task: Write to a community-centre manager about a course schedule change: explain the problem, describe its effect, and request one practical solution in an appropriate register.

Exit check

Complete this without reading a model: Write one direct sentence and revise it into an appropriate polite request.

Success looks like: The reader immediately understands the purpose, relationship, required action, and tone.

Evidence: writing · Repeat the weakest part once after one meaning-focused and one language-focused correction at most.

WR · Writing Control

2: Produces reader-focused writing that completes the stated purpose.

1: Demonstrates the skill after one focused prompt, correction or self-repair.

0: Cannot yet demonstrate the skill clearly enough to complete the stated outcome.

LC · Language Control

2: Controls the target language well enough to keep meaning clear.

1: Demonstrates the skill after one focused prompt, correction or self-repair.

0: Cannot yet demonstrate the skill clearly enough to complete the stated outcome.

Use these scores after the independent attempt. Record one recurring need in the Engduo app when lesson-result fields become available.

How to run Stage 6

Record focused evidence, give one meaning-focused and one language-focused correction at most, repeat the weakest part, and complete the exit check.

คำอธิบายภาษาไทย — เปิดเมื่อจำเป็นเท่านั้น

เลือก tone จากความสัมพันธ์กับผู้อ่านและวัตถุประสงค์ ครบทุก bullet point ใช้ภาษาสุภาพชัดเจนโดยไม่ต้องท่องประโยคทางการยาว

Teacher guide

30-minute must-do route

  • Confirm the observable outcome and connect it to one realistic learner need.
  • Use the visual and first audio or text for meaning before explaining language.
  • Select only the useful-language items needed for this learner and this task.
  • Run the supported rehearsal without reading every instruction aloud.
  • Run the main task: Write to a community-centre manager about a course schedule change: explain the problem, describe its effect, and request one practical solution in an appropriate register.
  • Record focused evidence, give one meaning-focused and one language-focused correction at most, repeat the weakest part, and complete the exit check.

60-minute extension

  • Rewrite the same message for a close friend and for an unknown manager, explaining the language changes.
  • Change the role, information, listener, or constraint so the learner transfers the skill rather than repeating the same answer.
  • Compare the first and second performance and record one specific improvement.

Make it easier

Use a purpose–point 1–point 2–request paragraph frame.

Make it harder

Rewrite the same message for a close friend and for an unknown manager, explaining the language changes.

Likely difficulty

The learner may omit one bullet point, mix friendly and formal register, or hide the request.

Correction priority

Prioritise task coverage, purpose, consistent reader-appropriate tone, and actionable request.

Thai support rule

Keep the Thai panel closed unless examples, visuals, replay, reformulation, and simpler English do not allow progress. Explain only the key distinction, then return to English.

Progress record

Score WR, LC from 0–2 and record one recurring need from: task-coverage, register, request.

Retry

Give one meaning-focused correction and one language-focused correction at most, then ask for a second attempt with fewer visible prompts.

Continue your learning path

writing-practice

Task 2: State a Clear Position

Continue with the next connected communication outcome.

Open the next lesson →
Teaching references
  • Council of Europe — CEFR Companion Volume — Supports action-oriented language learning through age- and level-appropriate interaction, descriptions, goal-oriented co-operation, written interaction, and observable communication outcomes.
  • IELTS — Academic test format in detail — Supports accurate lesson alignment to the official IELTS Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking task structure and skills.
  • IELTS — Writing band descriptors — Supports feedback on task achievement or response, coherence and cohesion, lexical resource, and grammatical range and accuracy without promising a band score.
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