Interpersonal Writing
What the section measures
Interpersonal writing evaluates purposeful communication in a realistic exchange: an email, note, message, or short letter. The task usually supplies a situation and several required content points. You are scored on task completion, appropriateness of register, social conventions, coherence, and language accuracy. The reader expects a response that would actually function in the situation.
Concepts to master
- Task completion: treat the prompt as a checklist. If it asks you to greet, explain, ask a question, and suggest a time, every element must appear.
- Register and address: decide between formal and informal forms and keep them consistent. Greetings, closings, and titles must match the relationship.
- Interaction: interpersonal writing is a turn in a conversation. Include a question or a request for information when the situation calls for it.
- Cohesion: use connectors and reference words so the message reads as a unified text, not a list of sentences.
Traps
The biggest error is writing a descriptive essay instead of a message that responds to a person. Other traps include ignoring one bullet of the prompt, mixing formal and informal address, omitting a closing, and using memorized phrases that do not fit the situation. Overlong responses increase the chance of grammar errors without adding credit.
Rule of thumb
Plan with a four-part frame: greeting, response to each content point, a question or follow-up, and closing. Match every verb and pronoun to the chosen register. Worked example: a prompt asks you to write to a host family, introduce yourself, ask about meals, and confirm your arrival time. A strong response opens appropriately, states who you are and what you study, asks whether meals are shared or independent, names the arrival time, and closes politely. Each required element is visible in one or two sentences.