General Training Writing Task 1 · formal · other

Letter to a teacher withdrawing from evening classes

You have a full-time job and you are also doing a part-time evening course. You now find that you cannot continue the course.

Write a letter to your teachers. In your letter:

describe the situation
explain why you cannot continue at this time
say what action you would like to take

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 my withdrawal from the Advanced Web Development evening course, which I am currently attending on Tuesday and Thursday nights.

Over the past month, my responsibilities at my full-time position have increased significantly due to the launch of a new company project. This role requires me to work late hours and travel periodically, making it impossible to arrive at your classroom by 6:00 p.m. without compromising my professional obligations.

Given these constraints, I find that I am no longer able to dedicate the necessary time to complete the coursework or attend lectures consistently. I am disappointed to leave, as I have truly valued the curriculum thus far.

I would appreciate it if you could advise me on the procedure for officially dropping the course. Furthermore, I would like to know if it is possible to defer my enrollment to the next semester when my work schedule is expected to stabilise. Thank you for your understanding and for the support you have provided during my time in your class.

Yours sincerely,

Jonathan Miller

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

Why this scores well

This response achieves Band 8 by clearly addressing all three bullet points with a sophisticated, consistent formal tone and cohesive structure. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to explain the specific conflict between the job and the course, or using overly casual language inappropriate for a teacher.

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

compromising: Accepting standards lower than what is desired
obligations: Tasks that you are required to do
curriculum: The subjects or materials taught in school
defer: To put off until a later time
stabilise: To become unlikely to change or fail
constraints: Limitations or restrictions on one's freedom

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.