You work for a company. You have seen some information online about a training course that would be useful for your work. Write a letter to your manager. In your letter: - give details of the course - say how the course would be useful - explain how the company could help you do this course.
Sample Response
Dear Martin I have recently become aware of a course called Social Media Marketing Essentials and I am writing to ask for your support in taking this course. It is a five-day intensive program being offered by the Business Leadership Association and it starts on Monday 15 February. I believe the course would be of great benefit to our company as we have been recently considering how to build up our social media presence and attract more customers online. After reading reviews by former participants, I think this Social Media course will help me professionally in my capacity as Communications Manager and make a real difference to our company. For these reasons, I am requesting paid leave from 15-20 February to attend the course. It would be helpful if other team members did not take leave at this time; so far nobody else has applied. I believe this will not be a particularly busy time at work, but I am prepared to spend some time working on those evenings if needed. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Best wishes Neil MacFarlane
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Add salutation comma Original: Dear Martin Suggested revision: Dear Martin, Why it matters: A comma should follow the name in the salutation.
- 2. Place adverb naturally Original: have been recently considering Suggested revision: have recently been considering Why it matters: The frequency adverb is more naturally placed between the auxiliary verbs.
- 3. Use precise wording Original: build up Suggested revision: strengthen Why it matters: “Strengthen” is a more concise choice for developing the company’s online presence.
- 4. Use lower case Original: Social Media course Suggested revision: social media course Why it matters: The generic reference is not the full course title and does not need capitals.
- 5. Simplify job reference Original: in my capacity as Communications Manager Suggested revision: in my role as communications manager Why it matters: The replacement is more natural while keeping the same professional meaning.
- 6. Specify the period Original: at this time Suggested revision: during these dates Why it matters: The replacement links the staffing request clearly to the leave period.
- 7. Clarify the reference Original: those evenings Suggested revision: the evenings during the course Why it matters: The revised phrase identifies which evenings the writer means.
- 8. Format the sign-off Original: Best wishes Neil MacFarlane Suggested revision: Best wishes, Neil MacFarlane Why it matters: The closing phrase needs a comma and the name should follow separately.
- 9. Sentence rewrite Original: For these reasons, I am requesting paid leave from 15-20 February to attend the course. Suggested revision: For these reasons, I am requesting paid leave for the five course days beginning 15 February. Why it matters: This wording aligns the leave request with the stated five-day course and removes the unclear six-date range.
- 10. Group related details Suggested revision: Separate the course details, its workplace benefits, and the practical support request into distinct paragraphs. Why it matters: Paragraphing by purpose would make the manager’s decision points easier to locate.
Suggested Rewrites
- Dear Martin Dear Martin,
- have been recently considering have recently been considering
- build up strengthen
- Social Media course social media course
- in my capacity as Communications Manager in my role as communications manager
- at this time during these dates
Why this response received Band 8.0
The response communicates its request clearly and persuasively, using specific course details and a professional, cooperative tone that suits a manager. The main weakness is its presentation as a single block, which obscures the otherwise sound movement from course information to benefits and practical support. Clear paragraphing and slightly more precise phrasing around the leave dates and staffing arrangements would sharpen the request.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
All bullet points are covered with relevant detail, and the request for paid leave is supported by clear professional benefits and practical arrangements.
Clarify the apparent mismatch between a five-day course and the requested leave from 15 to 20 February.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas follow a sensible progression from course details to value for the company and then to the support requested.
Use separate paragraphs for the course, its benefits, and the leave arrangements to strengthen the letter's visual and logical organisation.
Lexical Resource
The response uses a strong range of appropriate workplace vocabulary, including "social media presence," "former participants," and "paid leave."
Refine slightly awkward combinations such as "have been recently considering" to make the wording consistently natural.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex and simple sentences are combined with strong control, and punctuation supports meaning effectively overall.
Polish the occasional awkward clause connection and maintain consistently accurate punctuation in the greeting and closing.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You work for a company. You have seen some information online about a training course that would be useful for your work. Write a letter to your manager. In your letter:
- give details of the course
- say how the course would be useful
- explain how the company could help you do this course.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.