You are studying for a qualification, and you would like some time off from your work to complete it. Write a letter to your manager. In your letter: - ask for some time off to complete the qualification - suggest what you will do later at work if you have time off - say how the qualification will help your job or company
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to seek your approval to take 10 days off work in order to complete my term final and thesis paper for my MBA course. I am hoping that you would allow me to take the time off work from 8th November 2025 to 17th November 2025. I am pursuing my MBA degree from Edinburgh University and to complete it, I need to submit my thesis paper by 15th November and take a few exams. I have 10 days of paid annual leaves and I have saved those for my term final. Now I am hoping to use those leaves and finish my MBA. Despite my leave from the office, I will check my emails daily, respond to important ones and be available for emergency phone calls. Besides, I have already talked to James and he is ready to take a few important responsibilities of mine in the meantime. Once I get back to the office, I would endeavour to come earlier than usual and work on weekends, if needed, in order to catch up on anything I had missed. I realise my temporary absence could be an inconvenience to the office but in the long run, our company will benefit from my knowledge and thesis activity which involves an empirical investigation into the impact of leadership on organisational performance. Since our company is considering a few training sessions for the team to enhance the leadership quality, my expertise could be useful. I am looking forward to receiving your approval for the leave. Yours faithfully, David Ferrer
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Make request concise Original: seek your approval to take 10 days off work Suggested revision: request ten days of leave Why it matters: The revision expresses the leave request more directly and formally.
- 2. Correct academic terms Original: complete my term final and thesis paper Suggested revision: complete my final examinations and thesis Why it matters: 'Term final' is not a natural noun phrase, and 'thesis' does not need 'paper' here.
- 3. Use polite request Original: I am hoping that you would allow me Suggested revision: I would be grateful if you could allow me Why it matters: This conditional form makes the request polite and grammatically consistent.
- 4. Use concise leave term Original: take the time off work Suggested revision: take leave Why it matters: The shorter phrase is conventional in a formal workplace request.
- 5. Correct study preposition Original: pursuing my MBA degree from Edinburgh University Suggested revision: pursuing an MBA at the University of Edinburgh Why it matters: A student pursues a qualification 'at' an institution rather than 'from' it.
- 6. Clarify the reference Original: to complete it Suggested revision: to complete the programme Why it matters: Naming the programme avoids an unclear pronoun reference after the university name.
- 7. Use formal exam verb Original: take a few exams Suggested revision: sit several examinations Why it matters: 'Sit examinations' is a more formal and precise collocation in this letter.
- 8. Use uncountable leave Original: 10 days of paid annual leaves Suggested revision: ten days of paid annual leave Why it matters: 'Leave' is uncountable when it refers to authorised time away from work.
- 9. Clarify reserved leave Original: saved those for my term final Suggested revision: reserved this leave for my final examinations Why it matters: The revision uses the correct uncountable form and a natural term for the exams.
- 10. Correct leave form Original: those leaves Suggested revision: this leave Why it matters: The uncountable noun 'leave' requires a singular determiner here.
- 11. Correct contrast link Original: Despite my leave from the office Suggested revision: While I am away from the office Why it matters: 'Despite' does not express the intended time relationship between absence and availability.
- 12. Specify urgent messages Original: important ones Suggested revision: urgent messages Why it matters: The revision makes clear which emails will receive a response during the leave.
Suggested Rewrites
- seek your approval to take 10 days off work request ten days of leave
- complete my term final and thesis paper complete my final examinations and thesis
- I am hoping that you would allow me I would be grateful if you could allow me
- take the time off work take leave
- pursuing my MBA degree from Edinburgh University pursuing an MBA at the University of Edinburgh
- to complete it to complete the programme
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter fulfils the request very thoroughly, using specific dates, practical cover arrangements, and a convincing explanation of how the qualification could benefit the company. Its main weakness is presentation: the entire response appears as one continuous paragraph, which obscures an otherwise clear progression, and a few collocations are unnatural. The priority is to divide the letter into purposeful paragraphs and refine expressions concerning leave and professional development.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Achievement
All three bullet points are fully developed in an appropriately formal tone, with specific and persuasive supporting detail.
Make the benefit to the manager's team even more immediate by stating one concrete way the new leadership knowledge would be applied after returning.
Coherence and Cohesion
The information progresses logically from the leave request to cover arrangements and company benefits, but the absence of paragraph breaks weakens organisation.
Use separate paragraphs for the request and dates, arrangements during and after the absence, and the qualification's value to the company.
Lexical Resource
The response demonstrates a broad formal and professional vocabulary, although several expressions are awkward or incorrectly collocated.
Use natural forms such as annual leave, final examinations, thesis research, and leadership skills instead of annual leaves, term final, thesis activity, and leadership quality.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex structures is used with generally strong control, though a few tense, article, and punctuation choices need refinement.
Review time relationships and use anything I miss rather than anything I had missed when describing future catch-up work.