You were going to start a job next month, but you will not be able to. Write a letter to your future employer. In your letter: - Explain the situation. - Describe your problem(s). - Tell him/her when you can start work.
Sample Response
Dear Sir,
I am Ankitha, and I received the employment opportunity from your organization in the placement drive held a few weeks prior. I am supposed to reach Sydney in the upcoming month. However, I was infected by a contagious virus. Although I am completely fit and back to normal now, I was advised by the doctor to take rest and self-isolate rather than travelling.
Furthermore, it is considered perilous to relocate to another country immediately post the infection since there are norms set up by the immigration embassy which are to be practised when a passenger is affected by the virus. Unfortunately, I could not fasten my visa process as I had to stay at home until my recovery. Thus, my work permit procedure is delayed and put on hold for a few days.
Hence, I request you to extend my onboarding date for another two months, and I assure you that I will be able to join the firm from the 1st of July. I assure you that I will be onboard on the mentioned date without further delay.
Thank you for your consideration.
Yours faithfully,
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use inclusive salutation Original: Dear Sir Suggested revision: Dear Sir or Madam Why it matters: Use this formal salutation when the employer's name and gender are unknown.
- 2. Use natural collocation Original: employment opportunity Suggested revision: job offer Why it matters: “Job offer” is the standard concise expression in this context.
- 3. Clarify recruitment event Original: placement drive Suggested revision: recruitment event Why it matters: This wording is clearer and more widely understood in a formal letter.
- 4. Add article and reference Original: few weeks prior Suggested revision: a few weeks ago Why it matters: The countable phrase needs “a,” and “ago” correctly relates it to the present.
- 5. Clarify work commitment Original: supposed to reach Sydney Suggested revision: due to start work in Sydney Why it matters: The revision states the employment commitment more directly than the travel detail.
- 6. Use prompt wording Original: upcoming Suggested revision: next Why it matters: “Next month” is the more natural time expression here.
- 7. Correct preposition Original: by Suggested revision: with Why it matters: A person is infected “with” a virus.
- 8. Remove redundancy Original: completely fit and back to normal now Suggested revision: fully recovered now Why it matters: The shorter phrase conveys the same recovery status without repetition.
- 9. Use personal reference Original: the Suggested revision: my Why it matters: “My doctor” identifies the relevant medical adviser more naturally.
- 10. Correct collocation Original: take rest Suggested revision: rest Why it matters: Standard English uses the verb “rest” here rather than “take rest.”
- 11. Use correct verb Original: fasten Suggested revision: expedite Why it matters: “Expedite” means make a process happen more quickly, whereas “fasten” does not.
- 12. Name the application Original: procedure Suggested revision: application Why it matters: “Application” accurately names the process that has been delayed.
Suggested Rewrites
- Dear Sir Dear Sir or Madam
- employment opportunity job offer
- placement drive recruitment event
- few weeks prior a few weeks ago
- supposed to reach Sydney due to start work in Sydney
- upcoming next
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter clearly explains the delayed start, gives relevant medical and visa-related reasons, and proposes a precise new joining date in an appropriately formal tone. Its main limitation is frequent awkward or imprecise phrasing, which occasionally makes otherwise sensible details sound unnatural. The highest priority is to use simpler, more idiomatic wording when describing the illness, immigration requirements, and visa delay.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is clear, all three bullet points are covered with relevant detail, and the formal register suits a future employer.
Make the explanation more direct by removing minor repetition around the promised start date.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information progresses logically from the illness to the visa consequence and then to the requested postponement, with clear paragraphing.
Use less mechanical linking and avoid repeating the same assurance in consecutive sentences.
Lexical Resource
The letter shows a good range of formal vocabulary, but several collocations such as ‘immigration embassy’ and ‘fasten my visa process’ are inaccurate.
Choose familiar, precise combinations such as ‘immigration authorities’ and ‘expedite my visa application’.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A variety of complex sentences is generally well controlled, and grammatical errors rarely affect clarity.
Refine article use and clause construction in the explanation of immigration rules to make the prose more natural.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You were going to start a job next month, but you will not be able to. Write a letter to your future employer. In your letter:
- Explain the situation.
- Describe your problem(s).
- Tell him/her when you can start work.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.