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 Sir,
I am writing this letter because I need to take a few days off work. Please allow me to elaborate on why I need to take this course of action.
Over the last few weeks, I have been going through some family issues. My son was caught using drugs atin school and, because of this, I need to spend some time with him.
I believe that I may need 2 or 3 weeks off as I am going to attend an educational drug-awareness courseanti-drugs course with him. This is essentialextremely necessary as I need to make sure that he attends all classes.
In the meantime, my work can either be coveredcan be either covered by my colleagues or completeddone remotely by me. This decision can be based on your preferenceis up to you and I am also willing to work extra hours if needed.
I trust you can grasp the severity of my situation and help me to fix it. I would like to thank you in advance for your time and attention.
Yours faithfully,
Rafael
Why this response received Band 8.0
The letter fully explains the personal circumstances, the requested period of leave, and workable coverage options in a clear, considerate professional tone. Its main limitation is occasional imprecise or slightly awkward phrasing, so the best improvement would be to make the opening consistent with the later request and refine a few expressions for greater formality and precision.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The request is purposeful and fully developed, with clear reasons, a specified absence, and several realistic coverage arrangements.
Make the initial reference to a few days consistent with the later request for two or three weeks.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter is smoothly organised into focused paragraphs, and its ideas progress naturally from the problem to the proposed arrangements.
Link the coverage options more explicitly to reassure the manager that essential duties will be completed.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied, precise, and appropriately formal, with only occasional slightly awkward choices.
Refine expressions such as educational anti-drugs course and help me to fix it for more natural professional wording.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of sentence structures is handled accurately, and the few minor lapses do not affect clarity.
Polish small details in preposition choice and parallel structure during a final proofread.
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 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.