You are studying for a qualification, and you would like some time off work to complete it. Write a letter to your manager. In your letter: - Ask for some time off to complete a qualification. - Suggest what you will do later at work if you have time off. - Say how the qualification helps your job or company.
Sample Response
Dear Mr Lee, I am writing to you about the possibility of taking a fortnight off work in order to complete my Master’s degree in Engineering. I am almost finished writing my thesis, which must be submitted to my university by June 30th. Unfortunately, all my annual leave has been used up. Any time I took off, would naturally be unpaid; I would also check my email daily, and be available for emergency phone calls. On return, I would endeavour to come into the office earlier than usual and work Saturdays in order to catch up on anything I had missed. I have already spoken about my situation to my colleagues Mr Grunewald and Ms Tak, who are both willing to assume my responsibilities for two weeks. I realise my temporary absence could be an inconvenience to you and the rest of the team, but in the long term, our company will benefit from my research. As you may be aware, I have been investigating 3-D printing for some time, and my thesis compares three printers already on the market with two designs pending patent and production. Since our company is considering developing software for these printers, my expertise will help give us a competitive edge. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely, Alexander Aksyonov
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. More formal phrase Original: taking a fortnight off work Suggested revision: taking a fortnight’s leave Why it matters: Fortnight’s leave is a more concise formal expression for the requested absence.
- 2. Concise purpose phrase Original: in order to complete Suggested revision: to complete Why it matters: The shorter infinitive expresses the same purpose without unnecessary wording.
- 3. General degree terms Original: Master’s degree in Engineering Suggested revision: master’s degree in engineering Why it matters: Generic degree and subject names are normally lower case when no official programme title is given.
- 4. Clear active voice Original: all my annual leave has been used up Suggested revision: I have used all my annual leave Why it matters: The active construction identifies the writer directly and is more natural here.
- 5. Add possessive determiner Original: On return Suggested revision: On my return Why it matters: The possessive determiner makes the time phrase complete and idiomatic.
- 6. Correct verb pattern Original: spoken about my situation to my colleagues Suggested revision: spoken to my colleagues about my situation Why it matters: Speak to someone about something is the correct ordering of this verb pattern.
- 7. Natural collocation Original: help give us a competitive edge Suggested revision: help us gain a competitive edge Why it matters: Gain a competitive edge is the more precise workplace collocation.
- 8. Sentence rewrite Original: Any time I took off, would naturally be unpaid; I would also check my email daily, and be available for emergency phone calls. Suggested revision: Any time I take off would naturally be unpaid; I would also check my email daily and be available for emergency phone calls. Why it matters: The revision corrects the conditional tense and removes commas that incorrectly separate the subject and coordinated verb phrases.
- 9. Separate functional paragraphs Suggested revision: Divide the letter into paragraphs for the request, the proposed cover and catch-up arrangements, the company benefit, and the closing. Why it matters: The response handles each purpose clearly, but presenting everything in one block reduces readability.
Suggested Rewrites
- taking a fortnight off work taking a fortnight’s leave
- in order to complete to complete
- Master’s degree in Engineering master’s degree in engineering
- all my annual leave has been used up I have used all my annual leave
- On return On my return
- spoken about my situation to my colleagues spoken to my colleagues about my situation
Why this response received Band 8.5
The letter is highly effective because it makes a precise request, offers credible ways to compensate for the absence, and convincingly links the qualification to the company's commercial plans. The main limitation is the unbroken paragraph structure, alongside one or two minor punctuation or phrasing slips. The highest-priority improvement is to organize the request, work arrangements, and business benefits into clear paragraphs.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The communicative purpose is fully achieved through a specific request, practical compensation arrangements, and a detailed explanation of the qualification's value to the company.
Retain this level of relevant detail while making the final request for approval slightly more explicit.
Coherence and Cohesion
The content follows a very clear and persuasive sequence, but presenting the whole letter as one paragraph limits its visual and structural organization.
Create separate paragraphs for the leave request, proposed work arrangements, and the qualification's commercial benefit.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is broad, precise, and natural, with flexible workplace and technical language used effectively throughout.
Polish the rare compressed phrase, such as designs pending patent and production, to make the intended status completely precise.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex structures are used with strong flexibility and control, and the response contains only rare minor punctuation or phrasing lapses.
Remove the unnecessary comma after the subject clause in Any time I took off would naturally be unpaid and preserve the otherwise strong control.
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 work to complete it. Write a letter to your manager. In your letter:
- Ask for some time off to complete a qualification.
- Suggest what you will do later at work if you have time off.
- Say how the qualification helps your job or company.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.