General Training Writing Task 1 · formal · apology

Formal Letter to University Committee Regarding Missed Exam

You have received a letter from your university of Albion demanding a reason for your absence from an exam. You were ill that day but failed to submit the evidence.

Write a letter to the Examinations Committee explaining your situation. In your letter:

apologies for the situation
identification for yourself (Name, student number, case number)
an explanation of what had happened and any possible evidence you may have
possible resolutions to consider

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

Band 8 sample letter

Dear Members of the Examinations Committee,

I am writing regarding the notification I received concerning my absence from the History 201 examination held on 15th May. Please accept my sincere apologies for failing to notify the university of my situation in a timely manner.

My name is Julian Thorne, and my student identification number is 884920. This correspondence refers to case number EX-9921, as stated in your recent letter. I understand the importance of university protocol and regret the administrative inconvenience my silence has caused.

On the day of the examination, I suffered from a severe bout of food poisoning, which left me physically unable to attend the campus. Due to the sudden onset and intensity of the illness, I was primarily focused on recovery and neglected to follow the official procedure for reporting an absence. I have since obtained a medical certificate from my GP, which I have attached to this letter as evidence of my condition.

I would be grateful if the committee could consider allowing me to sit a deferred examination or, if that is not possible, to accept this medical evidence to waive the penalty. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Yours faithfully,

Julian Thorne

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

Why this scores well

A Band 8 response addresses all bullet points with a coherent structure, professional tone, and precise vocabulary. A common Band 6 error is failing to provide specific details like case or student numbers, or neglecting to provide a logical resolution to the missed exam.

Write to an organisation or someone you do not know: open with Dear Sir or Madam, close with Yours faithfully.
If you know the person's surname, use Dear Mr or Ms and close with Yours sincerely.
No contractions, no slang; polite indirect requests such as I would be grateful if you could.

Useful phrases from the letter

notification: a formal document or message informing someone
correspondence: communication by exchanging letters or emails
protocol: the official procedure or system of rules
onset: the beginning of something, especially something unpleasant
deferred: put off to a later time or date
waive: refrain from applying or enforcing a rule

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?

Formal. Write to an organisation or someone you do not know: open with Dear Sir or Madam, close with Yours faithfully.

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.