General Training Writing Task 1 · semi-formal · advice

Letter to manager requesting guidance regarding workplace conflict

You Are Experiencing Problems with A Colleague at Work and You Want to Ask Your Boss for Some Advice.

Write a Letter to Your Boss. In your letter:

explain You Are Writing to Him
why Are You Having Problems?
when You Would Like to Have a Meeting to Discuss the Issues?

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 seek your professional guidance regarding a challenging situation I have been experiencing with a colleague in our department. I value the collaborative environment of our team, but recent developments have made it increasingly difficult for me to perform my duties effectively.

Over the past month, I have encountered significant friction with Sarah regarding our shared project deadlines. She frequently alters the project parameters without consulting me, which has led to confusion and missed milestones. Despite my attempts to address these communication gaps directly with her, my concerns have been dismissed, and the lack of clarity continues to disrupt our workflow.

I believe a brief meeting would be the best way to resolve this issue professionally. Could we perhaps schedule a time to discuss this on Thursday afternoon? I am available anytime after 2:00 PM if that aligns with your calendar. I am eager to hear your advice on how to navigate this conflict to ensure our team remains productive and cohesive.

I look forward to your thoughts on this matter.

Yours sincerely,

James Miller

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

Why this scores well

A Band 8 response clearly addresses all three bullet points with a professional, solution-oriented tone that is appropriate for a manager. A common Band 6 mistake is to sound overly aggressive or emotional, which fails to maintain the expected professional decorum required in a workplace communication.

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

friction: conflict or disagreement between two or more people
parameters: the limits or boundaries of a particular task
milestones: significant stages or events in a project's development
communication gaps: failures in sharing information or understanding each other
cohesive: working together effectively as a unified group
navigate: to find a way through a difficult situation

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.