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 this letter to explore the possibility of having a fortnight off from my work, from 12th June to 27th June, in order to complete my Advance diploma course in Digital Business and Trade. I am almost finished with the course, and now all I need to do is take the final exams which will start within two weeks. Luckily, I still have some unused annual leaves, and I want to finally use them up by taking the final exams to finish my diploma course. Having said that, however, if my company still feels that I would need to make up for those missing days at work, I would be more than happy to work on the weekends as well as show up early at work once the exams are over. For your kind information, this particular certification is important for me and the company since it will help me, in the capacity of a Senior Marketing Manager, to better position my company to tap into a huge number of prospective customers who want to buy our products online. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours faithfully, Kelly Bower
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Make request direct Original: explore the possibility of having Suggested revision: request Why it matters: A direct request is clearer and still appropriately polite for a manager.
- 2. Align duration and dates Original: a fortnight off from my work, from 12th June to 27th June Suggested revision: leave from 12th June to 27th June Why it matters: The stated dates span more than a fortnight, so removing the conflicting duration keeps the request precise.
- 3. Use adjective form Original: Advance diploma course Suggested revision: Advanced Diploma course Why it matters: Advanced is the adjective required in the qualification title.
- 4. Use uncountable leave Original: leaves Suggested revision: leave Why it matters: Leave is uncountable when referring to an employee's holiday entitlement.
- 5. Match singular leave Original: use them up Suggested revision: use it Why it matters: The pronoun should agree with the uncountable noun annual leave.
- 6. Remove double contrast Original: Having said that, however Suggested revision: However Why it matters: Both expressions signal contrast, so using one is sufficient.
- 7. Address manager directly Original: if my company still feels Suggested revision: if you feel Why it matters: The letter is addressed to the manager, so direct reference makes the offer clearer.
- 8. Use professional wording Original: show up early at work Suggested revision: arrive at work early Why it matters: Arrive is more professional than the conversational phrasal verb show up.
- 9. Use concise business phrase Original: tap into a huge number of prospective customers Suggested revision: reach a large number of prospective customers Why it matters: Reach customers is clearer and more formal than tap into a huge number.
- 10. Separate request sections Suggested revision: Use short paragraphs for the leave request, the proposed make-up arrangements, and the qualification's benefit to the company. Why it matters: The single block makes the three required points less easy for the manager to scan.
Suggested Rewrites
- explore the possibility of having request
- a fortnight off from my work, from 12th June to 27th June leave from 12th June to 27th June
- Advance diploma course Advanced Diploma course
- leaves leave
- use them up use it
- Having said that, however However
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter fully explains the requested dates, the examination reason, the proposed way to make up the time, and the commercial value of the qualification, while maintaining a suitably respectful tone. Its main limitation is presentation: the whole message, including the greeting and sign-off, is compressed into one paragraph, and a few expressions are less natural than the otherwise strong language. The priority is to organise each communicative purpose into a separate paragraph.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All three bullet points are clearly and specifically developed, with an appropriate formal request and a convincing explanation of company benefit.
Refine the opening salutation for a known manager and state the requested approval even more directly.
Coherence and Cohesion
The content follows a clear sequence from request to compensation and benefit, but the absence of paragraph breaks weakens the letter's organisation.
Place the request, make-up arrangement, and business benefit in distinct body paragraphs, with the closing on separate lines.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is flexible and suitably formal, with only occasional awkward choices such as unused annual leaves and use them up.
Use more natural workplace phrasing such as remaining annual leave and take my final examinations.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A broad range of complex structures is used accurately, and the few grammatical slips do not affect communication.
Polish noun forms and modifier choices, particularly Advanced Diploma and annual leave, to increase precision.
Write this task while it is fresh
Try the same task now. It helps you remember the feedback and write better next time.
IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
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
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.