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Thank-you letter for completing a work project together

General Training Task 1 — thank-you letter: Thank-you letter for completing a work project together. This page gives the exam question and a band 9 model answer, with the tone, opening and closing lines that suit the letter. Aim for at least 150 words in about 20 minutes.

The exam question

You recently worked on a project with a colleague from another department. Write a letter to your colleague.

In your letter:

• Describe the project you worked on together

• Say how your colleague contributed to the project

• Express how you would like to work together again in the future

Tone and conventions

Letter typeThank-You
ToneSemi-Formal
OpeningDear [First Name] / Dear [Mr./Ms. Surname],
ClosingKind regards, / Warm regards,

Band 9 model answer

Dear Hannah,

Now that the dust has settled on our recent project, I wanted to take a moment to express my genuine appreciation for everything you contributed to its success — it simply would not have come together as it did without your involvement.

We worked together on the customer onboarding redesign, a complex initiative that required coordinating input from four departments and meeting a tight launch deadline. The project involved mapping existing processes, identifying inefficiencies, and implementing a new digital workflow for all new account registrations.

Your contribution was invaluable throughout. You took the lead on stakeholder consultations, translated technical requirements into language that non-specialist colleagues could understand, and consistently problem-solved when unexpected delays threatened the timeline. Your calm approach during the final week, in particular, kept the team focused and prevented what could easily have become a stressful situation.

I would welcome the opportunity to collaborate with you again on future cross-departmental initiatives. Your expertise and collaborative style made this project genuinely enjoyable, and I hope our paths cross on similar work soon.

Kind regards,

Useful phrases

Examiner tips

Strategy

Professional thank-you. Balance between warm and professional. Bullet 2 should be SPECIFIC about what they did (their

expertise, their availability, their problem-solving) — generic praise is a Band 5 response.

Common trap

Decide on the register based on how well you know the colleague. If it's a close working relationship, first names

and "Kind regards" is fine. If more distant, surname and "Yours sincerely" is safer.

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