You are working for a company. You need to take some time off work and want to ask your manager about this. Write a letter to your manager. In your letter: - explain why you want to take time off work - give details of the amount of time you need - suggest how your work could be covered while you are away
Sample Response
Dear Mr Mclaren, I am writing to request permissionask your permission to take a week's leave from work starting on 7 November 2025starting from 07th November 2025. As you may knowAs you know, I am pursuingdoing my PhD at Monash University and I am in my final term. A week's leave would allow me to complete my exams and I hope that you will grantI am hoping that you would grant me the leave. I need the leave toThe reason for taking time off work is to prepare for and sit my final examsprepare and set for my final exams which begin on 8 Novemberwhich will begin on November 08th. I understand the inconvenience this might cause youinconvenience this might cause to you but I have already spokentalked to Jack and he has agreed tohe is ready to take on some of my responsibilitiesshare some of my responsibilities during my absence. Moreover, I will be available to receive emergency calls from the office and willwould check my emails and perhaps reply to the important ones during my leaveduring the interim. I would really appreciate your approval ofyour permission to grant me the unpaid leave from 07th November to 13th November 2025. I will return to workjoin the office the next day. Thank you in advance for your kind cooperation. Yours sincerely, Naji Lichaa
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter fully explains the examination-related reason for leave, specifies the exact week requested, and offers practical cover through a colleague, emergency calls, and email access. Its strongest feature is the considerate, professional handling of potential disruption; the main limitation is occasional wordiness and awkward phrasing. Prioritise concise workplace language and organise the reason, dates, and cover arrangements into distinct paragraphs.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is clear, all three bullet points are fully developed, and the respectful tone is appropriate for a manager.
Refine the request by stating which specific duties Jack will cover, adding practical detail without repeating the dates or reason.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter follows a logical sequence from the request and reason to cover arrangements and a courteous close.
Use separate paragraphs for the reason and dates, the cover plan, and the final request to make the structure easier to scan.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and appropriate for a formal leave request, with only a few awkward or repetitive expressions.
Replace 'prepare and set for my final exams' and 'permission to grant me' with 'prepare for and sit my final exams' and 'approval of my leave'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A good range of complex sentences is mostly accurate, and errors do not impede communication.
Tighten conditional and prepositional forms, for example 'I hope you will grant the leave' and 'the inconvenience this may cause'.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You are working for a company. You need to take some time off work and want to ask your manager about this. Write a letter to your manager. In your letter:
- explain why you want to take time off work
- give details of the amount of time you need
- suggest how your work could be covered while you are away
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.