Hi Brian

Thanks for this Task 1 letter from the General Training Module.

Why are you and Katiss suddenly interested in GT? Just wondering! Make sure that GT is acceptable for whatever program or purpose you need it for.

Overall, I’m happy with this letter. It started off very well. There are two things I'd change.

The most important change is to describe a closer relationship between you and the person (Don Thomas) -  how do you know him? Are you drinking buddies, a friend of his father, are you a headmaster in his high school, a former employer, or a professor in the university he attended?  Your reference to his programming ability is not backed up by any expertise mentioned on your part.

For example, if you had said (a) that he was the son of one of your colleagues and (b) that he had worked for your company one summer as an intern or a summer student and excelled in the project you assigned him, that would make you very credible.

There’s a cohesion problem, too in the sentence “It goes without saying that you can trust him implicitly.” This doesn't follow logically from the previous sentence. Just because someone is a programmer or knows C# does not necessarily mean we can trust them. Do you mean trust them to do a good job as a programmer? Then it’s ok, but not perhaps to lend him money or tell him a secret.

Also, I don’t really like the standard letter phrase ‘I do appreciate your attention to this matter.’  To me, this comes across as very demanding, the sort of thing a senior employee might write to a less important employee in another company.  Since it’s a personal reference and you are writing to an unknown person, you could write something like this:

If you need any further information about Mr Thomas’ expertise or background, please let me know.

‘Sincerely’ used to be for friends, but now this is changed – possibly it’s not a big issue. Maybe someone can tell us about this in IELTS Task 1.

No, business letters particularly often use standard endings, so if you learn a few it will be very useful.

I just wanted an alternative to the part  "Thank you for your attention to this matter."  

It's a useful sentence, but it's used when you want action.  The second part of the sentence  -  "I hope Mr. Thomson meets the requirements of your company" -  is fine!

Alternatives might be...

• I am happy to supply any other information you may require regarding Mr Thomas.
• I will be happy to supply any other information you may require regarding Mr Thomas.
• If you have any further inquiries about Mr Thomas, please call me at XXX-YYYY or email me.
• Please don't hesitate to contact me for any further information about Mr Thomas. I am confident...
• I am confident that Mr. Thomson will meet the requirements of your company, but if you need any further information, please don't hesitate to call me. 
• I hope Mr. Thomson meets the requirements of your company. Please feel free to contact me for any further information you may require.