You are due to start a new job next week but you will not be able to because you have some problems. Write a letter to your new employer. In your letter: - explain your situation - describe your problems - tell him/her when you think you can start
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I would like to thank you for offering me the assistant manager positionpost in your organisation. However, I regret to inform you that I am suffering from a severe viral feversuffering from viral fever severely for the pastlast couple of days and my doctor has advisedpredicted that it willwould take me another week to recover. So, instead ofSo instead of starting on 1 Februaryreporting on first February, I need a two-week postponement of my start datean additional two weeks to start my work atin Smith and Sons. During the interview, I informed you that I would need 15 daysI require 15 days to finish my office workworks with my current employer. Unfortunately, the fever means I need another week to complete mythe pending tasks before I can be leave my current employerreleased from my current company. I would thereforehence request you to consider a postponement of my start datea delay in my joining. I am confidentpositive that I can start workjoin the office on 15 Februaryon the 15th of February. I must express that I am eager to joineagerly waiting to join your company. My sincere apology for any inconvenience caused due to this but considering the situation, I am hoping you would allow me the delay in joining your company. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Yours faithfully, Mahtab Uddin
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter clearly explains the delayed start through illness and unfinished obligations to the current employer, while proposing a definite new start date of 15 February. The tone is apologetic and professional, and the employer receives enough context to assess the request. Its main limitation is awkward, repetitive language around illness and ‘joining’; prioritise a concise timeline linking recovery, handover completion, and the confirmed start date.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The situation, two related problems, and revised start date are all clearly and appropriately developed.
Confirm that the doctor expects recovery within one week and that the second week will complete the current-employer handover.
Coherence and Cohesion
The reasoning progresses logically from illness to delayed handover and a definite start date, though the request and apology are repeated.
Present one concise timeline, then close with a single request for approval and assurance of commitment.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is adequate and formal, but phrases such as ‘suffering from viral fever severely’, ‘office works’, and ‘delay in my joining’ are unnatural.
Use ‘have a severe viral infection’, ‘outstanding work’, ‘complete my handover’, and ‘postpone my start date’.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Meaning is clear through varied structures, with recurring issues in tense, articles, prepositions, word order, and sentence linking.
Use present perfect for the ongoing illness and revise the final apology into a complete, clearly punctuated sentence.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You are due to start a new job next week but you will not be able to because you have some problems. Write a letter to your new employer. In your letter:
- explain your situation
- describe your problems
- tell him/her when you think you can start
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.