You were supposed to go on an interview in a few weeks, but you have since found out you cannot go on the date arranged. Write a letter to the potential employer. In your letter: - tell them why you need to move the interview time - ask to change the interview date - explain that you are still interested in being interviewed for the job
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to request you to reschedule my interview foron a later date. I will travel to Australia during the first week of September to attend urgent work commitmentssome emergency office work which unfortunately conflicts with my scheduled interviewcontradicts my earlier schedule to meet you in a formal interview for the position of assistant manager in your company. I sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused by thiscaused due to this and I hope to meet you at any time after 8 SeptemberI am hoping to meet you anytime after 8th September. I am supposed to meet you to further discuss my candidacy for the position of assistant manager in your respectedreputed organisation on 5th September and I am really looking forward to that meeting. However, I was assigned to a new project recently and my current employer expects me to visit our Australian office during the first week of September. It will be a training programme from 4th totill 7th September and I will be in Australia during this time. Considering the situation, I am hoping that you would agree to meet me at a time convenient for youat your convenient time, preferably after 8 Septemberafter the 8th of September. I will be ready to meet you on 9th September if the schedule suits you. Once again, I apologiseMy sincere apologies for the request to reschedule the interview but I can assure you that I am really looking forwardI really am looking forward to meeting you in a formal interview as planned. I consider your company one of the best placesI consider your company as one of the best places to work in and I hope that I would be able to prove my worth once hired. Thank you in advance. Yours faithfully, David Henderson
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter addresses every purpose clearly and maintains a suitably formal, engaged tone, with convincing reassurance that the applicant remains interested. Its main limitation is unnecessary repetition of the travel conflict, preferred dates, and enthusiasm, compounded by the single-paragraph presentation and some awkward phrasing. The strongest improvement would be to organise the request into four brief paragraphs and state the original appointment and proposed alternative once, using standard interview collocations.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The letter clearly explains why the interview date must change, asks for a new date, and confirms continued interest in the job. The formal tone is appropriate for a potential employer.
State the original interview date and requested alternative in one concise early paragraph to reduce repetition.
Coherence and Cohesion
The progression is logical but repetitive: the reason, date, and interest are stated more than once. The one-paragraph format also makes the formal request less reader-friendly.
Use four short paragraphs: request, reason, availability, and reassurance of interest.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is suitable for a professional letter, with phrases such as "reschedule", "candidacy", and "inconvenience caused". Some collocations are awkward, including "on a later date", "contradicts my earlier schedule", and "reputed organisation".
Use standard interview phrases such as "reschedule for a later date" and "conflicts with my interview appointment".
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Meaning is clear and there are several complex sentences, but grammar is weakened by preposition errors, missing commas, and awkward clause structures.
Check prepositions after "reschedule", date ranges, and comma placement in long formal sentences.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You were supposed to go on an interview in a few weeks, but you have since found out you cannot go on the date arranged. Write a letter to the potential employer. In your letter:
- tell them why you need to move the interview time
- ask to change the interview date
- explain that you are still interested in being interviewed for the job
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.