You are working for a company. You need to take some time off work and want to ask your manager about this. Write a letter to your manager. In your letter: - explain why you want to take time off work - give details of the amount of time you need - suggest how your work could be covered while you are away
Sample Response
Dear Mrs Lindsay, I am writing to request some unpaid leave next month and I am hoping you would permit me to take the leave. My parents' 50th wedding anniversary is on November 21st, and they are planning to celebrate this significant achievement with all their children and grandchildren. To do this, they have rented a house big enough to accommodate the whole family. To participate in this special occasion, I would need to be away from work for four days, from Monday, 19th to Thursday 23rd. My schedule for that week is relatively light, apart from two meetings with clients. Netta would be able to attend these in my place, as she has had previous dealings with both companies and knows the relevant staff there. I have no other urgent work commitments at that time. I would be very grateful if you could allow me this time. These few days are very important to my parents and the whole family, and it would be a way to thank them for all the support they have given me. Best regards, Caroline Laina
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use current request Original: would Suggested revision: will Why it matters: Will is the natural modal for the manager's response to this current request.
- 2. Use concise wording Original: permit me to take the leave Suggested revision: approve my leave request Why it matters: The revision avoids repeating leave and uses a natural workplace collocation.
- 3. Use standard date style Original: on November 21st Suggested revision: on 21 November Why it matters: Formal British date style normally places the day before the month and omits the ordinal suffix.
- 4. Use precise event term Original: achievement Suggested revision: milestone Why it matters: A fiftieth anniversary is naturally described as a milestone.
- 5. Clarify the reference Original: To do this, they Suggested revision: For the celebration, they Why it matters: The revision states what the rented house is for instead of relying on the vague this.
- 6. Use formal wording Original: big Suggested revision: large Why it matters: Large enough is slightly more suitable in a formal request to a manager.
- 7. Use natural collocation Original: To participate in this special occasion Suggested revision: To attend this special celebration Why it matters: People attend a celebration rather than participate in an occasion.
- 8. Use workplace term Original: schedule Suggested revision: workload Why it matters: Workload more precisely describes the amount of work requiring cover.
- 9. Clarify the reference Original: attend these in my place Suggested revision: attend these meetings on my behalf Why it matters: Naming the meetings removes the vague reference, and on my behalf is the natural formal phrase.
- 10. Clarify the leave dates Suggested revision: Give a single internally consistent four-day date range that includes the anniversary and matches the stated weekdays. Why it matters: The current Monday-to-Thursday range and dates do not clearly align with the claimed four-day absence.
Suggested Rewrites
- would will
- permit me to take the leave approve my leave request
- on November 21st on 21 November
- achievement milestone
- To do this, they For the celebration, they
- big large
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter gives a convincing family reason for leave and explains a practical coverage plan by naming the colleague who can handle two client meetings. Its tone is polite and workplace-appropriate. The main limitation is the duration: ‘four days’ conflicts with the stated period from the 19th to the 23rd, which spans five calendar dates. Prioritise giving an exact, internally consistent absence and return-to-work date.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The reason and work-coverage plan are fully developed, but the stated four-day duration conflicts with the 19th-to-23rd date range.
State the precise four working days requested and confirm the date on which normal duties will resume.
Coherence and Cohesion
The letter progresses smoothly from the request and family event to the absence period, work coverage, and courteous closing.
Use distinct paragraphs for the personal reason, dates, and coverage arrangements to make managerial review faster.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied, natural, and suitably professional, with only minor repetition and occasional imprecision such as calling an anniversary an achievement.
Use ‘milestone’, ‘cover the meetings’, ‘urgent commitments’, and ‘approve my leave request’ for maximum precision.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A broad range of structures is generally accurate and clear, with only minor tense, punctuation, and date-format issues.
Use parallel date forms and check agreement between the stated number of days and the calendar range.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You are working for a company. You need to take some time off work and want to ask your manager about this. Write a letter to your manager. In your letter:
- explain why you want to take time off work
- give details of the amount of time you need
- suggest how your work could be covered while you are away
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.