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 have been recruited as a Sales Supervisor by your organisation followingin an interview held at your Los Angeles office on 17th September and I am due to start work on 1st Novembersupposed to join on 1st November. However, due to a personal emergency, I will not be able to do so and thus I am writing this letter to you to accept a week's delay in joining. Last week, my mother became seriously ill and I had to rush her to a local hospital after I travelled to my hometown in Starkville, Mississippi. After a few tests, the doctors informed us that she has severe diabetes and needs medical attention. The doctor instructed us to bring her to the hospitalThe doctor instructed that she should be brought to the hospital for daily checkupsfor a daily checkup for the next three weeks. UnfortunatelyCoincidentally, my father is currently awaymy father is not around and I am the only one to take her for the checkup. I sincerely apologise for not being able to join the job as promised but I assure you that I can start on 8th November 2024. My father is returning home next weekend and he will then take over the responsibility of taking my mother to the hospital, allowing me to begin work as agreedmaking me available for my office commitments. Yours faithfully, John Carter
Why this response received Band 7.5
The letter fully explains the unavoidable delay, develops the family emergency convincingly, and gives a firm revised start date in an appropriately respectful tone. Its main weakness is presentation: the response is not divided into clear paragraphs, and the wording used to request acceptance of the delay is awkward. Prioritise clearer paragraphing and more natural request language.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is clear, all three bullet points are fully addressed, and the emergency and revised start date are developed in an appropriate formal tone.
Phrase the central request more directly by asking the employer to approve or accommodate the one-week delay.
Coherence and Cohesion
The information progresses logically from the intended start date through the emergency to the proposed solution, with cohesive links used effectively.
Divide the letter into clear paragraphs for the request, supporting circumstances, and revised joining arrangements.
Lexical Resource
A flexible and generally precise formal vocabulary conveys the employment and medical circumstances clearly, though a few collocations are awkward.
Replace unnatural combinations such as accept a delay in joining with more idiomatic formal request language.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex sentence structures is used with strong control, and the few lapses do not impede communication.
Refine the occasional awkward clause relationship, particularly the sequence describing the journey home and hospital visit.
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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.