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 or Madam,
I’m Khushbu Mehta, selected for the SAP SD consultant job role in the consulting domain of your organization. I’m very grateful for this opportunity, and I’m due to start onI’m supposed to join on Monday, January 10thJanuary 10th, Monday. I regret to inform you that I will not be able to start work on the agreed dateparticipate on the mentioned joining date.
I can’t join on the date previously planned because the HR policypolicies in my organization have changed the length of the required notice periodduration of the serving notice period from two months to three monthsfrom 2 months to 3 months. Initially, I thought I was requiredapplicable to serve the notice period for two months, but due to the lengthy negotiation process, I received the offer letter much later. Not serving the full notice periodNot doing the entire notice period would be considered serious misconductwill be considered severe misconduct, and could lead to legal actionfollowed by legal actions in my organization.
I trust you understand my situation and if possible, kindly consider changing my joining date for next month, and I could start working from February 10th, Wednesday. If postponing the date is not possibleIf it doesn’t work, please explain your organization’s policyprovide some insights about the policy in your organization on applying for reimbursementto apply for reimbursement if I have to buy out my notice periodopt for a notice buyout in my current company.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughtshearing back your suggestion on this matter.
Yours faithfullyFaithfully,
Why this response received Band 6.5
The letter clearly explains the delayed start, gives a specific revised date, and maintains an appropriately formal, cooperative tone. Its main weakness is the recurring use of unnatural or imprecise phrases, especially around the notice period and reimbursement request, which occasionally makes the message sound less professional. Prioritize clearer, more idiomatic wording and simplify the final request so the employer can understand the preferred solution immediately.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is clear, all three bullet points are addressed with relevant detail, and the formal tone suits a future employer.
State February 10 as the preferred solution more decisively before presenting the notice-buyout option as a contingency.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter is logically divided by purpose and progresses clearly from the situation to the explanation and proposed solution.
Separate and streamline the two requests in the final body paragraph so each action is immediately clear.
Lexical Resource
Relevant workplace vocabulary shows some range, but recurring collocational problems make several phrases sound unnatural.
Replace expressions such as 'serving notice period,' 'applicable to serve,' and 'apply for reimbursement' with standard workplace phrasing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A mix of simple and complex structures communicates the message, although errors in articles, prepositions, and clause construction recur.
Edit the longer conditional and request sentences to ensure clear clause boundaries, accurate prepositions, and consistent verb patterns.
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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.