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 Mrs Edwards,
I hope you are doing well. I am writing this letter to get a reference letter from you for my job application.
I have been working as an Intern Developer at Technology Factory for six months and became eligible to apply for a permanent position as a Junior Developer. Even though there were hundreds of other interns, only a handful of them was eligible to apply as this was purely based on academic qualifications and performance during the training. The background check they do requires all the academic details from elementary school to master.
Furthermore, as you are aware that I have ageing parents and young siblings, my career progress is important. In case if I get selected for this position, I would be able to solve many of my family problems. Moreover, this job will enable me to work in the client place and acquire skills that are highly demanded in the market.
I would request you to send me a reference letter that contains details of my joining and last date at school. It is also necessary to include my higher secondary and high school aggregates. I am sure that you can find these records in our office room. Furthermore, it would be really helpful if you could add a few points to my soft skills as they are highly regarded by my employers.
I am looking forward to your response.
Kind Regards,
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use precise request Original: get a reference letter Suggested revision: request a reference Why it matters: This phrasing states the purpose more naturally in a formal request.
- 2. Lowercase job title Original: Intern Developer Suggested revision: intern developer Why it matters: A generic job title is not capitalized in running text.
- 3. Keep tense consistent Original: became eligible Suggested revision: have become eligible Why it matters: The present perfect is needed to match the unfinished six-month period and current eligibility.
- 4. Fix agreement Original: was Suggested revision: were Why it matters: The verb should agree with the plural people referred to by “them.”
- 5. Clarify the reference Original: this was purely based on Suggested revision: eligibility was based entirely on Why it matters: Naming eligibility removes the vague pronoun reference.
- 6. Use formal phrasing Original: The background check they do Suggested revision: The employer’s background check Why it matters: The possessive construction is clearer and more professional than “they do.”
- 7. Complete degree phrase Original: to master Suggested revision: through my master’s degree Why it matters: The endpoint needs a possessive degree form and a clear preposition.
- 8. Fix clause structure Original: as you are aware that Suggested revision: as you are aware, Why it matters: “Aware” takes either a that-clause or this parenthetical pattern, not both together.
- 9. Remove double conditional Original: In case if Suggested revision: If Why it matters: “In case” and “if” should not be combined to introduce the same condition.
- 10. Use formal passive Original: get Suggested revision: am Why it matters: The passive form is the natural construction for a job selection outcome.
- 11. Use natural collocation Original: solve many of my family problems Suggested revision: help resolve many of my family’s problems Why it matters: “Help resolve” expresses the intended benefit more naturally and avoids an overly absolute claim.
- 12. Use workplace term Original: client place Suggested revision: client’s premises Why it matters: “Client’s premises” is the standard expression for working at a client’s location.
Suggested Rewrites
- get a reference letter request a reference
- Intern Developer intern developer
- became eligible have become eligible
- was were
- this was purely based on eligibility was based entirely on
- The background check they do The employer’s background check
Why this response received Band 6.5
The letter has a clear purpose, covers all three requested points with relevant detail, and maintains a suitably respectful tone. Its main weakness is recurring imprecision in grammar and word choice, which makes several otherwise understandable statements sound unnatural; the highest-priority improvement is to revise collocations and sentence structures so that details about qualifications, family circumstances, and the requested reference are expressed more accurately.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is clear, all bullet points are developed, and the respectful register suits a request to a former teacher.
Make the requested contents of the reference more precise and relevant by distinguishing factual school records from the teacher's personal assessment.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information progresses logically through the job, motivation, and requested reference details, with effective paragraphing.
Reduce the repeated use of additive linkers such as 'Furthermore' and 'Moreover' to make connections feel less mechanical.
Lexical Resource
The letter uses a reasonably broad range of vocabulary, but several collocations such as 'client place' and 'add a few points to my soft skills' are inaccurate.
Choose more natural professional phrases, such as 'work at a client's premises' and 'comment on my interpersonal skills.'
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A mix of simple and complex structures communicates the message clearly, although agreement and clause-construction errors recur.
Check structures including 'a handful of them were,' 'as you are aware,' and conditional phrasing without the double form 'in case if.'
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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.