You are studying overseas. You need to return to your country before the end of the semester for a family event. Write a letter to your supervisor. In your letter: - request some time off - explain why you need to leave early - reassure him/her that your studies will not suffer
Sample Response
Dear Mr Joseph, I am a student at your university and my major is finance. I need to visit my home country owing to my sister's marriage ceremony on 22nd November 2025. I am hoping that you would permit me to take a week's leave from 17th to 23rd November. Inevitably, being the only brother of the bride-to-be, shopping and some important rituals are to be taken care of by me and therefore my family members and relatives are expecting me to arrive a little earlier. I am quite aware that I have my semester exams on 15th December and I assure you that my travel would no way affect my studies. In fact, I have prepared all the subjects well in advance so I could succeed in the assessment tests with good scores. I would be grateful if you could approve my leave and pray for my sister. Looking forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely, Nivetha Roy
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use precise travel verb Original: visit my home country Suggested revision: return to my home country Why it matters: The prompt concerns returning home, so this verb states the purpose more precisely.
- 2. Use natural wording Original: marriage ceremony Suggested revision: wedding Why it matters: “Wedding” is the more natural and concise term in this context.
- 3. Use formal date style Original: 22nd Suggested revision: 22 Why it matters: Formal letters generally omit the ordinal ending in a written date.
- 4. Align verb and modal Original: I am hoping that you would permit me Suggested revision: I hope that you will permit me Why it matters: The present request needs a consistent present-tense reporting verb and modal.
- 5. Add missing preposition Original: would no way affect Suggested revision: would in no way affect Why it matters: The fixed expression is “in no way affect.”
- 6. Correct study collocation Original: prepared all the subjects Suggested revision: studied all my subjects Why it matters: A student studies subjects rather than prepares the subjects themselves.
- 7. Avoid redundant wording Original: assessment tests Suggested revision: examinations Why it matters: “Assessment tests” is redundant and does not match the earlier reference to semester exams.
- 8. Use current purpose form Original: so I could succeed Suggested revision: so that I can perform well Why it matters: Present ability is needed because the examinations have not yet taken place.
- 9. Keep request professional Original: and pray for my sister Suggested revision: and wish my sister well Why it matters: This wording makes the closing request more suitable for a supervisor.
- 10. Sentence rewrite Original: Inevitably, being the only brother of the bride-to-be, shopping and some important rituals are to be taken care of by me and therefore my family members and relatives are expecting me to arrive a little earlier. Suggested revision: As the bride-to-be's only brother, I need to help with shopping and important rituals, so my family expects me to arrive a little earlier. Why it matters: The original has a dangling modifier, an awkward passive construction, and redundant wording.
Suggested Rewrites
- visit my home country return to my home country
- marriage ceremony wedding
- 22nd 22
- I am hoping that you would permit me I hope that you will permit me
- would no way affect would in no way affect
- prepared all the subjects studied all my subjects
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter’s strongest feature is its complete coverage of the leave request, the wedding responsibilities, and concrete reassurance about the forthcoming examinations. Its main limitation is presentation: the entire message is compressed into one paragraph, and several formal phrases are awkward or slightly overpersonal for a supervisor. Prioritise separating the request, explanation, and study plan, while using direct professional wording and replacing the request that the supervisor pray for the sister.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Achievement
The leave dates, family reason, early-arrival duties, and study reassurance are all clearly and sufficiently developed in an appropriate request.
Keep the closing focused on approval and remove the personal request that the supervisor pray for the writer’s sister.
Coherence and Cohesion
The information follows a logical sequence from request to reason and reassurance, but the lack of paragraph breaks weakens readability.
Use separate paragraphs for the leave request, the wedding responsibilities, and the examination preparation.
Lexical Resource
A sufficiently broad formal range communicates the request well, though phrases such as ‘marriage ceremony’, ‘would no way affect’, and ‘succeed in the assessment tests’ are awkward.
Use natural wording such as ‘wedding’, ‘would not affect my studies’, and ‘perform well in my examinations’.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The letter uses varied complex structures with generally good control, despite occasional modal, clause, and sentence-fragment errors.
Write ‘I hope you will permit’, ‘would not affect’, and a complete closing sentence such as ‘I look forward to hearing from you’.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You are studying overseas. You need to return to your country before the end of the semester for a family event. Write a letter to your supervisor. In your letter:
- request some time off
- explain why you need to leave early
- reassure him/her that your studies will not suffer
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.