IELTS General Task 1: How to write a good introduction

Guide to Writing an Introduction for IELTS General Task 1 Letter
Guide to Writing Body Paragraphs for an IELTS General Task 1 Letter
Guide to Writing Conclusion for an IELTS General Task 1 Letter

Write no less than 150 words
Allocate no more than 20 minutes
Cover all the bullet points mentioned
Adhere to the general rules of letter writing
Follow IELTS Writing Assessment Criteria

Introduction/Purpose of Writing
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 3
Concluding Sentence/Closing Statement
Signoff
Name

Read the question prompt 1 or 2 times to fully understand what the task is about. Let’s look at this example:
You work for an international company and you need some time off to attend a family celebration. Write a letter to the company’s manager. In your letter:
- give details of the celebration
- explain the reason why you need time off
- suggest a way to have your work done during that time.
Now underline or highlight keywords that will help you understand the purpose of your letter. In the above question prompt, you could underline words like ‘work for an international company,’ ‘need time off,’ ‘attend family celebration,’ and ‘company’s letter.’
Next is to quickly read through the 3 bullet points. Although these will be covered in the Body Paragraphs, it’s a good idea to get a gist of what is required from you.
Understand the point-of-view you will need to write from. Are you writing as a student needing a loan, a tenant complaining about noise, or a volunteer seeking an internship? (The possibilities are endless in the Writing Task 1 Letter and you’ll need to put your imagination to use.) In this case, you are an employee who needs time off to attend a family celebration.
Decide the tone of the letter. Will it be formal, semi-formal or informal? In this case, the tone will be semi-formal because the company manager is known to you but not a friend.
Write the Greeting/Salutation. You could start your letter addressing the manager by their family name. For e.g.
Dear Mr Smith,(Take note of capitalisation, and the comma after the name)
Write the Introductory Statement (in 20-30 words) by paraphrasing the 1^st line of the prompt question i.e. [You work for an international company and you need some time off to attend a family celebration.]
I am writing to request a few days off to attend a family event that requires my presence. Additionally, I have attached a work coverage plan. (26 words)

You will get a good score in Task Achievement because the reader is immediately aware of the intention of the letter. First impressions matter and this is your chance to impress the examiner with a concise yet relevant Introductory Statement.
Your Coherence and Cohesion score will also improve because the Introduction has provided a road map to the examiner about what the rest of the letter is about. Without establishing a clear purpose, they might be confused. The conjunction “additionally” links two related ideas and enhances fluency.
What about Lexical Resource? The Introductory Statement has been paraphrased to express same ideas in different words. ‘Some time off’ has been paraphrased to ‘a few days off,’ and ‘celebration’ has been changed to ‘occasion.’ ‘Work coverage plan’ is a great way to rephrase ‘A way to have your work done during that time’ which appears in the 3^rd bullet point.
With regards to Grammatical Range & Accuracy, this Introduction does well because it includes the present continuous tense (I am writing), infinitive verbs (to request, to attend), and the present perfect tense (I have attached). Articles and prepositions have been used correctly, and punctuation is in order. This is a useful resource on grammar used in IELTS Task 1 Letter.
Note – When you move to an English-speaking country and are required to write letters/emails, it’s important to state the purpose right at the beginning. This is because the recipients are not examiners who will carefully analyse your letter; instead, they might quickly glaze through it.