General Training Writing Task 1 · semi-formal · request

Formal Letter to Manager Requesting Study Leave

You are studying for a qualification, and you would like some time off work to complete it.

Write a letter to your manager. In your letter:

ask for some time off to complete a qualification
suggest what you will do later at work if you have time off
say how the qualification helps your job or company

Write at least 150 words. You do not need to write any addresses. Begin your letter: Dear ...,

Band 8 sample letter

Dear Mr. Henderson,

I am writing to formally request a period of study leave from 10th to 20th November. I am currently pursuing an Advanced Project Management certification, and these dates coincide with the final intensive workshop and the subsequent examination period.

To ensure my absence does not disrupt the team, I have already drafted a detailed handover document outlining the status of all current client accounts. Upon my return on 21st November, I plan to dedicate additional hours throughout that week to clear any administrative backlog and assist the team in meeting the upcoming quarterly deadlines.

Completing this qualification will be highly beneficial for our department. The course focuses on agile methodologies and risk mitigation strategies, both of which are directly applicable to our current software development projects. I am confident that the skills I acquire will allow me to streamline our workflow and improve overall project delivery times significantly.

I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss this request with you at your earliest convenience. Thank you for considering my application for professional development.

Yours sincerely,

David Miller

179 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Why this scores well

This letter achieves Band 8 by addressing every bullet point with specific, logical details while maintaining a professional and persuasive semi-formal tone. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to link the qualification back to the company's specific needs, resulting in an underdeveloped argument for the leave request.

Write to someone you know but not closely, such as a manager, landlord or neighbour, using their title and surname.
Polite and friendly at once: a few contractions are fine, slang is not. Close with Yours sincerely or Kind regards.
State the purpose in the first two sentences; small talk costs words you need for the bullets.

Useful phrases from the letter

coincide: happen at the same time as something else
handover: passing responsibility for work to a colleague
backlog: a large amount of unfinished or pending work
mitigation: the action of reducing the severity of something
streamline: make a system more efficient and effective
professional development: learning to earn or maintain professional credentials

Write your own and get a band

Answer this prompt in a timed General Training writing test and get a band for task achievement, coherence, vocabulary and grammar, with the sentences to fix.

Practise IELTS General writing

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Frequently asked questions

Is this letter formal or informal?

Semi-formal. Write to someone you know but not closely, such as a manager, landlord or neighbour, using their title and surname.

How long should an IELTS General Training letter be?

At least 150 words, and 160 to 200 is the comfortable range. Spend about 20 minutes on it and leave 40 for Task 2, which carries twice the marks.