Band 8 letter sample: A semi-formal letter

You are going to spend your vacation in a city in a foreign country. You have never been there before. Your cousin has a friend who lives there. Write a letter to this friend in your letter

• Introduce Yourself
• Say why you are making this trip
• Ask some questions about the city (e.g. places to see, things to do, things to bring)

Sample response

Dear Tejas,

Let me introduce myself. My name is Nitin and I am Shivam’s cousin. He was your classmate at Mumbai University. I live in Mumbai. I just completed my studies and I am planning to visit your city – Edinburgh. As I have never been to Edinburgh before, Shivam told me that I should seek your help in planning my trip.

First of all, I must tell you that you are lucky to have got an opportunity to live in such a beautiful city. I have always been fascinated by Edinburgh and that is the main reason I decided to visit it this vacation. Also one of my uncles stays in the nearby city of Glasgow and I want to meet him as well.

I have read a lot about Edinburgh and seen pictures on the internet. However, I still can’t decide which monuments and which places are worth visiting during my short stay in the city. Considering that I will have only five days in the city, I need to plan this trip wisely. Could you help me prepare a list of the most famous tourist attractions in Edinburgh? Also could you suggest a nice hotel that provides affordable accommodation and restaurants that serve Indian food? As this is the winter season, I will definitely be bringing some woolen clothes. Is there anything else that I need to carry with me?

I will be grateful if you can guide me in planning my trip. I know you are busy but I hope that you can spare a few minutes for this.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards

Nitin Acharya

Analysis

This seems to be a band 8.5 letter. The candidate has addressed the task. The tone is appropriate for a semi-formal letter of this kind. Also, there are hardly any grammar mistakes.