You are due to start a new job next week but you will not be able to because you have some problems. Write a letter to your new employer. In your letter: - explain your situation - describe your problems - tell him/her when you think you can start
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I would like to thank you for offering me the assistant manager post in your organisation. However, I regret to inform you that I am suffering from viral fever severely for the last couple of days and my doctor has predicted that it would take me another week to recover. So instead of reporting on first February, I need an additional two weeks to start my work in Smith and Sons. During the interview, I informed you that I require 15 days to finish my office works with my current employer. Unfortunately, the fever means I need another week to complete the pending tasks before I can be released from my current company. I would hence request you to consider a delay in my joining. I am positive that I can join the office on the 15th of February. I must express that I am eagerly waiting to join your company. My sincere apology for any inconvenience caused due to this but considering the situation, I am hoping you would allow me the delay in joining your company. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Yours faithfully, Mahtab Uddin
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use professional term Original: post Suggested revision: position Why it matters: Position is more natural than post in this employment context.
- 2. Correct article and order Original: suffering from viral fever severely Suggested revision: suffering from a severe viral fever Why it matters: A singular illness needs an article, and severe belongs before the noun phrase.
- 3. Use present-duration phrase Original: last Suggested revision: past Why it matters: For the past naturally describes a condition continuing to the present.
- 4. Use suitable reporting verb Original: predicted Suggested revision: advised Why it matters: A doctor advises about likely recovery rather than predicts it.
- 5. Use future form Original: would Suggested revision: will Why it matters: Will reports the expected future recovery period more directly.
- 6. Add introductory comma Original: So instead of Suggested revision: So, instead of Why it matters: The introductory connector should be followed by a comma.
- 7. Use natural start wording Original: reporting on first February Suggested revision: starting on 1 February Why it matters: Starting is the natural verb for beginning a new job, and the date form is concise.
- 8. Clarify requested delay Original: an additional two weeks to start my work Suggested revision: a two-week postponement of my start date Why it matters: The revision states the requested change to the employment start date precisely.
- 9. Correct the preposition Original: in Suggested revision: at Why it matters: At is the appropriate preposition for employment by a company.
- 10. Use reported future need Original: I require 15 days Suggested revision: I would need 15 days Why it matters: Would need correctly reports what the writer said during the interview.
- 11. Use uncountable noun Original: works Suggested revision: work Why it matters: Work is uncountable when referring generally to job tasks.
- 12. Use possessive detail Original: the Suggested revision: my Why it matters: My clarifies that these are the writer's remaining duties.
Suggested Rewrites
- post position
- suffering from viral fever severely suffering from a severe viral fever
- last past
- predicted advised
- would will
- So instead of So, instead of
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter clearly explains the delayed start through illness and unfinished obligations to the current employer, while proposing a definite new start date of 15 February. The tone is apologetic and professional, and the employer receives enough context to assess the request. Its main limitation is awkward, repetitive language around illness and ‘joining’; prioritise a concise timeline linking recovery, handover completion, and the confirmed start date.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The situation, two related problems, and revised start date are all clearly and appropriately developed.
Confirm that the doctor expects recovery within one week and that the second week will complete the current-employer handover.
Coherence and Cohesion
The reasoning progresses logically from illness to delayed handover and a definite start date, though the request and apology are repeated.
Present one concise timeline, then close with a single request for approval and assurance of commitment.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is adequate and formal, but phrases such as ‘suffering from viral fever severely’, ‘office works’, and ‘delay in my joining’ are unnatural.
Use ‘have a severe viral infection’, ‘outstanding work’, ‘complete my handover’, and ‘postpone my start date’.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Meaning is clear through varied structures, with recurring issues in tense, articles, prepositions, word order, and sentence linking.
Use present perfect for the ongoing illness and revise the final apology into a complete, clearly punctuated sentence.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You are due to start a new job next week but you will not be able to because you have some problems. Write a letter to your new employer. In your letter:
- explain your situation
- describe your problems
- tell him/her when you think you can start
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.