You cannot go to a company where you received a job offer. Write a letter to the HR supervisor. In your letter: - explain why you are declining the offer - express your gratitude - explain why you like your current job very much
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to inform you that I have recently been offered the Landscape Designer position in your company and I am very grateful for the opportunity. But I regret to say that I cannot accept the offer right now. I have known your company for decades and I have heard about the great projects that your company has recently completed. I appreciate your time in checking my portfolio online and I was flattered when I received your invitation. Honestly, it took me one week to weigh in my option. At the end of the day, I decided to decline the offer because I am happy with my achievements and role in my current company. Besides, I also have a few large ongoing projects that I want to finish first to enhance my portfolio before I decide to explore other job opportunities. I hope that in the future I will have a chance to work and be a part of the success of your company. Thank you once again. Yours faithfully, Benchong Dee
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use natural preposition Original: in Suggested revision: at Why it matters: “At your company” is the more idiomatic prepositional phrase for employment.
- 2. Keep formal tone Original: But I regret Suggested revision: However, I regret Why it matters: “However” provides a smoother formal transition to the refusal.
- 3. Use formal wording Original: right now Suggested revision: at this time Why it matters: This alternative better suits a formal letter to an HR supervisor.
- 4. Add required preposition Original: known your company for decades Suggested revision: known of your company for decades Why it matters: The intended meaning requires “known of” rather than “known”.
- 5. Use precise verb Original: checking Suggested revision: reviewing Why it matters: “Reviewing” is the more precise verb for assessing an applicant’s portfolio.
- 6. Name the offer Original: received your invitation Suggested revision: received your job offer Why it matters: The company sent a job offer, not merely an invitation.
- 7. Fix the idiom Original: weigh in my option Suggested revision: weigh my options Why it matters: The correct expression is “weigh my options” without “in” and with a plural noun.
- 8. Remove connector redundancy Original: Besides, I also Suggested revision: Moreover, I Why it matters: Using both “Besides” and “also” is redundant in this transition.
- 9. Make wording concise Original: I hope that in the future I will have a chance Suggested revision: I hope to have an opportunity in the future Why it matters: The revised phrase expresses the same hope more concisely and formally.
- 10. Organise the letter Suggested revision: Separate the letter into paragraphs for the refusal, appreciation, reasons for staying, and closing. Why it matters: A single block obscures the progression between the required purposes.
Suggested Rewrites
- in at
- But I regret However, I regret
- right now at this time
- known your company for decades known of your company for decades
- checking reviewing
- received your invitation received your job offer
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter communicates the decision tactfully, maintains an appropriate formal tone, and gives relevant reasons for valuing the current role and completing ongoing projects. The main weakness is that the response is compressed into one paragraph, and a few inaccurate collocations reduce its professional polish. The highest-priority improvement is to separate the gratitude, reasons, and courteous conclusion into paragraphs while replacing unnatural phrases with precise business English.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Achievement
The response clearly declines the offer, expresses sincere gratitude, and explains satisfaction with the current role through relevant achievements and projects.
State the practical reason for declining even more explicitly by linking the ongoing projects directly to the present timing of the decision.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas progress logically from appreciation to refusal, reasons, and a future-oriented close, but the lack of paragraphing weakens the letter's structure.
Use separate paragraphs for thanking the employer, explaining the decision, and expressing interest in future opportunities.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is sufficiently varied and appropriately formal, though expressions such as "weigh in my option" and "checking my portfolio" are inaccurate collocations.
Replace awkward phrases with natural alternatives such as "weigh my options" and "reviewing my portfolio".
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses a good range of sentence forms with generally secure control and only a few minor errors in phrasing and article use.
Proofread fixed expressions and noun phrases, particularly "weigh my options" and "be part of the success," to improve accuracy.
Write this task while it is fresh
Try the same task now. It helps you remember the feedback and write better next time.
IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You cannot go to a company where you received a job offer. Write a letter to the HR supervisor. In your letter:
- explain why you are declining the offer
- express your gratitude
- explain why you like your current job very much
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.