General Training Writing Task 1 · formal · other

Formal Resignation Letter to a Company Manager

You have decided to leave your current job.

Write a letter to your employer. In your letter:

say that you are resigning
give the date of your last day of employment
thank your employer for the opportunity

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

Band 8 sample letter

Dear Sir or Madam,

Please accept this letter as formal notification that I am resigning from my position as Senior Project Coordinator. My final day of employment will be 15 November 2024, which allows for the required notice period as specified in my contract.

I have reached this decision following a period of reflection regarding my long-term career aspirations. While I have enjoyed my time here, I feel it is the right moment to pursue a new professional challenge that aligns more closely with my current goals.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the opportunities I have been afforded during my three years with the firm. Working under your leadership has been a rewarding experience, and I am particularly appreciative of the mentorship I received during the recent infrastructure project. The skills I have developed here have been invaluable, and I hope to carry these lessons forward into my future endeavours.

I am fully committed to ensuring a smooth transition of my responsibilities before my departure. Please let me know how I can best assist with the handover process.

Yours faithfully,

Jonathan Sterling

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

Why this scores well

This response achieves Band 8 by addressing all bullet points with sophisticated, cohesive language and maintaining a consistently professional tone. A common mistake at Band 6 is failing to provide a specific date or including overly emotional language that undermines the formal register.

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

formal notification: an official statement informing someone of a decision
long-term career aspirations: future goals regarding one's professional life
afforded: given or provided with an opportunity
invaluable: extremely useful or having great worth
endeavours: attempts to achieve a goal or task
handover process: the act of passing responsibilities to another person

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.