Formal Letter Declining a Job Offer
A complete IELTS General Training Writing Task 1 question with a model answer of 209 words, plus a breakdown of the sentence structures, cohesive devices and vocabulary that answer uses. Write your own version first, then compare.
Written by Manish Sharma · CELTA and DELTA qualified · 8 years teaching IELTS
Score my answer to this questionThe question
You have 20 minutes. Write at least 150 words.
You recently attended an interview for a job and have now been offered the position. However, you have decided not to accept it. Write a letter to the company. In your letter: - Thank them for offering you the job - Explain why you have decided not to accept the offer - Suggest how they might find another suitable candidate Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses. Begin your letter as follows: Dear Ms Caldwell,
How to approach it
- 01Use 'Dear Ms Caldwell' and close with 'Yours sincerely' since the recipient is named
- 02Open with sincere thanks before delivering the refusal — soften the message
- 03Give a credible but tactful reason; you do not have to share salary details
- 04Offer a constructive suggestion to fulfil the third bullet point
- 05Keep tone formal throughout — avoid contractions like 'I'm' or 'don't'
Model answer
209 words in 6 paragraphs. Read it after you have written your own, not before: the point of a model answer is to show you what you missed, and you cannot miss anything you have not attempted.
Dear Ms Caldwell,
I am writing to respond formally to the offer of the Marketing Coordinator position at Brightline Communications, which you kindly extended to me on 7 May. I would like to begin by thanking you and the interview panel for the warmth and professionalism with which I was received, and for the time you devoted to evaluating my candidacy.
After considerable reflection, I have regretfully decided that I am unable to accept the offer at this time. My current employer has counter-offered with a senior project lead role that aligns closely with the long-term direction I have been developing, and I feel it would be unfair to all parties to leave that commitment immediately after accepting it.
I am very sorry for any inconvenience this decision may cause. May I respectfully suggest that you reach out to one of the other shortlisted candidates I met during the assessment day, particularly the applicant who presented the social-media case study — she struck me as an exceptional fit. I would also be happy to share my professional network on LinkedIn should you wish to advertise the role more widely.
Thank you once again for the opportunity. I hope our paths may cross professionally in the future.
Yours sincerely, Daniel Whitmore
What this answer actually does
Measured from the text above, and compared against the other 31 answers of the same type in this library. These are counts, not band scores: they describe what the writing does, which is the part you can copy.
15 fewer than the median answer for this task type
4 words at the shortest, 40 at the longest
1 fewer than the median answer for this task type
carry a subordinate or relative clause
Sentence rhythm
Sentences average 20.9 words and vary by 12.3 words either side of that, running from 4 words to 40. Variation is the point. Grammatical Range and Accuracy rewards a mix of simple and complex sentences, and an answer where every sentence is the same length reads as flat no matter how correct it is. 5 of the 10 sentences here carry a subordinate or relative clause.
The cohesive devices it uses
1 in total, spread across 1 different functions. Range matters more than count: an answer that opens every paragraph with a sequencer signals its structure but never signals a relationship between ideas, and Coherence and Cohesion is marked on both.
once
Vocabulary and repetition
Ignoring grammar words, 81 per cent of the content words in this answer are distinct, and 74 per cent appear exactly once. Lexical Resource is where repetition costs the most marks, and the usual cause is not a small vocabulary but reaching for the same noun every time the topic is named.
The longest run of words copied straight from the question is 4 words. Examiners discount wording lifted from the question, so a short run here is the right outcome: the answer restates the topic in its own words rather than borrowing the question's.
What you are marked on
All four criteria carry equal weight, and your Writing band is their average rounded to the nearest half band.
Task Achievement
All three bullet points addressed appropriately
Coherence & Cohesion
Clear paragraph for each functional purpose
Lexical Resource
Formal vocabulary suited to professional correspondence
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Accurate complex sentences and polite modal forms
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