You are applying for a job and need a letter of reference from someone who knew you when you were at school. Write a letter to one of your old teachers asking for a reference. In your letter: - say what job you have applied for - explain why you want this job - suggest what information the teacher should include
Sample Response
Dear Mr George, I hope you and your familyHope you and your family are doing well. I am Mark Thomas, one of your formerpast students, writing to ask you for a referencewriting for your reference for a job I am applying forjob I am going to apply to. I am hoping that you would write a recommendation letter for mewrite me a recommendation letter requested by my prospective employerthat my prospective employer is expecting. I am delighted to inform you that I am applying for a position at Morgan's Incorporation. This is a dream job for me and working for a reputable company like Morgan's Incorporation will enable me to gain valuable experienceexperiences and advance my careergive wings to my career. One of the requirements for applying forto this job is a reference letter from someone who knew me at schoola known person from my school whose opinion is respectedwhose words count. Being an international student, I don't know many people here who are able to provide such a referenceworthy of such a recommendation. I would greatly appreciatewill highly appreciate it if you provide me with a reference letter that includes some basic informationreference letter which requires some basic information about me and my studies and how I can behow can I be a suitable candidate for the junior executive position in an international company. The company needs this letter before the end of July. I would like to request you to send me the letter at your earliest convenienceprovide me with the letter as early as possible. I will be gratefulindebted to you for the favour. Yours sincerely, Mark Thomas
Why this response received Band 6.5
The letter clearly requests a reference, explains the attraction of the job, and suggests relevant academic and suitability information for the teacher to include. Its main weakness is precision and naturalness: the junior executive title appears only late, while several phrases sound exaggerated or grammatically awkward. State the exact role near the beginning and use concise, professional language to specify the qualities and achievements the reference should cover.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All bullet points are addressed and the purpose is clear, though the exact job title and requested reference content could be presented more directly.
Name the junior executive role in the opening and list specific studies, skills, or qualities the teacher could credibly mention.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter progresses from the request to the job motivation, reference requirements, and deadline, but repeats the request several times.
Use one focused paragraph for each bullet point and combine the deadline and final request into a concise closing.
Lexical Resource
There is sufficient vocabulary for employment and references, but awkward or exaggerated phrases reduce professional precision.
Use natural expressions such as ‘provide a reference’, ‘gain valuable experience’, ‘support my application’, and ‘I would appreciate’.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Meaning is clear through a mix of structures, but errors in verb patterns, embedded questions, articles, and relative clauses recur.
Revise phrases such as ‘a job I am applying for’ and ‘how I would be a suitable candidate’, keeping indirect questions in statement word order.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You are applying for a job and need a letter of reference from someone who knew you when you were at school. Write a letter to one of your old teachers asking for a reference. In your letter:
- say what job you have applied for
- explain why you want this job
- suggest what information the teacher should include
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.