New Business Proposal Application IELTS General Letter

The IELTS General Writing test can be intimidating for many students. After all, writing is an entirely different skill than speaking, so even if you use English in your daily life, it’s still a good idea to brush up on your composition skills. You should start preparing in advance for this test, as writing takes time to master.

Part of the IELTS writing section is Writing Task 1. In this section, you’ll be asked to come up with a written composition on a pre-selected topic. While there’s no maximum word count, you should aim to write about 150 to 200 words. We recommend only allocating about 20 minutes to this task since Writing Task 2 is longer, so you’ll need to be prepared and organised going in.

In this guide, we’ll take you through the skills you need to write a business proposal application that’s sure to land you a perfect score.

Learn the TXXXC Writing Structure

We highly recommend organising your business proposal according to the TXXXC writing structure. You can practice organising your writing by downloading samples and examples of the TXXXC paragraph structure in English and studying them. ‘TXXXC’ stands for ‘Topic’, ‘eXplain’, ‘eXample’, ‘eXpand’ and ‘Conclusion’.

So, you should start off by clearly stating what you’re proposing, and then go into key details with examples before finishing off with a strong conclusion and call to action. Since your time is limited, your topic paragraph which introduces your business should be clear, and your writing should remain concise.

You should also try to come up with your own unique compositions to prepare and practice for the test. Likewise, your explanations should provide all the necessary details without going overboard. Finally, end your proposal with a clear summary, and provide your contact details (you can make these up!).

Practice Writing Under Time Pressure

You only have 60 minutes in total for the IELTS General Writing test, so you should allocate about 20 minutes to finish the entirety of General Writing Task 1. While this may seem like a lot of time, the pressure can make the minutes fly by seemingly much faster under test conditions. This is why timing yourself while you practice is vital to performing well on the day of your test.

When the time starts, don’t jump into writing straight away. This may sound counterintuitive, but taking a few minutes to create a mental or written outline of your business proposal will actually help provide some structure to your writing process, making it easier for you to maintain focus as you forge through.

Think about details like what sort of business you are, who you’re writing to and the purpose of your proposal. You should also write down the key details that you’ll be discussing in the ‘XXX’ (explain, example and expand) part of your composition, so you won’t get disrupted once you’re in the writing flow.

Learn Business Terminology

Before taking the IELTS General Writing test, you’ll have no idea what topic you’ll need to write about. Prompts can range from filing a noise complaint, writing a congratulatory letter to a friend, complaining about a damaged suitcase – or even crafting a short business proposal from scratch. If you do end up with the latter, using proper business terminology is paramount to getting a high grade.

While the graders don’t expect you to be a business expert, much less in a specific industry, they do want to see that you have a solid grasp of professional vocabulary. Using terms like ‘market share’, ‘industry’ and ‘conversion rate’ can propel your grade into the top bands.

The best way to acquire this vocabulary is simply to read widely. Find sample business proposals, articles and book excerpts on the internet and take notes on the wording they use. Then, use this terminology when writing practice papers. Continuous practice is the key to acing Written Task 1.

Sample Business Proposal

Aim for 150 to 200 words and try to finish within 20 minutes. Here’s a sample business proposal:

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to propose a collaboration between our social media marketing agency, [Company X], and [Company Y]. I truly believe that our expertise in building online engagement can help you grow your online presence and further establish yourself as a leader in the skincare industry.

At Company X, we specialise in providing high-quality social media marketing services to businesses in your industry. We have a proven track record of boosting engagement and conversion rates by 43% and 30%, respectively. We also have a vast network of influencers who we can reach out to in order to help promote your products. Many of these influencers are well-known in the skincare sphere on popular social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok and have previously worked with brands such as La Roche-Posay and Kiehl’s. Moreover, we have many years of experience in running both awareness and conversion-focused campaigns on all major social media platforms.

I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss a potential partnership further with you through a phone call or a Zoom meeting. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us through our phone number at [phone number] or by email at [email address].

I look forward to hearing from you,

Yours Faithfully,

[your full name]

Succeeding With Your Business Proposal Application Letter for IELTS Test

We’ve provided you with an example of a new business proposal application for the IELTS General Writing Test, so you know what it takes to create your own from scratch if you need to.

As we shared above, use the TXXXC structure to clearly define your thoughts, implement business vocabulary where you can, and practice writing out a 200 word letter within the recommended time frame of twenty minutes.

Above all, remember to plan your structure before you jump in during the exam. Allow yourself time to think, and remember what you’ve practiced. Don’t forget to check out our other letters for more examples covering different topics and tasks. Good luck – you can do it!