The importance of Appropriate Tone in IELTS General Writing Task 1

On Task 1 of the  IELTS General Training, you’re supposed to write a letter. Let’s look at a sentence in a candidate’s letter addressed to his/her boss in IELTS General Writing Task 1:

“I’d be heaps grateful if you gave me the company car tomorrow.”

This IELTS candidate would lose marks for their inappropriate tone. They are writing to their boss (not their friend)! Therefore, using words like “heaps” which are informal is not suitable for formal letters. The candidate could improve their tone by re-writing that sentence as follows:

“I would be truly grateful if you allowed me to use the company car.”