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 am writing to express my gratitude for the opportunity you have given me to work as a Sales Executive in your company. However, I regret to inform you that my mother has been hospitalised and I will be travelling to my hometown tomorrow. In light of thisConsidering this, I would request you to postpone my start date by two weeksdelay my joining for two weeks. I need to travel urgently to my hometownhave to rush to my hometown as my mother has broken her ribs in an accident and is being treated currently in hospitalin a hospital now. My father passed away a few years ago, and I need to be at my mother's side for a few days. I would, however, get back to Delhi as soon as she recovers, which I guess would take two weeks. I would request you to understand my situationempathise with my situation and kindly postpone my date of joining for two weeks. I am very much keen to join your company and would love to work under your supervision. Looking forward to hearing from you soon. Yours faithfully, Geetika Bakshi
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter clearly communicates the emergency, explains why the writer must travel, and requests a specific two-week postponement in a suitably formal and courteous tone. Its main limitation is that ideas are presented as one block and the request is repeated, while a few expressions sound slightly unnatural. Prioritise paragraphing the situation, explanation, and proposed start time separately while tightening repeated wording.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The letter fulfils its purpose by clearly describing the family emergency, explaining the resulting delay, and stating a workable two-week postponement.
State the revised joining date as an exact date, if possible, to make the proposed arrangement even more precise.
Coherence and Cohesion
The ideas follow a clear and logical sequence, but the single-block presentation and repeated postponement request limit organisational polish.
Use separate paragraphs for the initial request, the supporting explanation, and the proposed revised start time.
Lexical Resource
A strong range of formal vocabulary expresses the situation precisely, with only occasional awkward combinations such as delay my joining and very much keen.
Prefer more natural formal collocations such as postpone my start date and very keen to join.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses varied complex structures with generally strong accuracy, and minor awkwardness does not affect clarity.
Tighten the clause linking the mother's recovery to the two-week estimate so that the reference is completely unambiguous.
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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.