Formal Letter · Requesting Paid Leave for a Family Emergency
A complete IELTS General Training Writing Task 1 question with a model answer of 231 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.
A close family member has been involved in a serious accident and you need to take time off work at short notice to support them. You will need to be away from work for at least two weeks. Write a letter to your manager. In your letter: - Explain what has happened - Say how much time you will need off and when - Describe what arrangements you have made to cover your work Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses. Begin your letter as follows: Dear Mr Henderson,
How to approach it
- 01Use 'Dear Mr Henderson' and close with 'Yours sincerely' — the recipient's name is known
- 02Cover all three bullet points clearly — what happened, dates of leave, cover arrangements
- 03Maintain a formal but human tone — be direct without being cold
- 04Use precise dates and durations rather than vague phrases like 'a couple of weeks'
- 05Show consideration for the workplace by detailing how your work will be covered
- 06Avoid contractions ('I am' rather than 'I'm') in a formal letter
Model answer
231 words in 7 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 Mr Henderson,
I am writing to formally request a period of paid leave due to a serious family emergency that has arisen suddenly this weekend.
On Saturday evening, my mother was involved in a road traffic accident and has been admitted to St Mary's Hospital with multiple fractures and concussion. The doctors have advised that she will require surgery in the coming days, followed by an initial period of intensive recovery during which she will be unable to care for herself. As my father passed away two years ago and I am her only child living locally, I am needed to support her throughout this period.
Accordingly, I would be very grateful if I could take two weeks of paid leave from Monday 18 May until Friday 29 May inclusive. I appreciate that this is short notice and outside our normal procedures.
To minimise disruption, I have spoken with Priya in our team, who has kindly agreed to cover the monthly compliance report and to attend the Wednesday client review on my behalf. I have also drafted handover notes for both projects, which I will email to you and to Priya before I leave today. My laptop will be with me, and I will check messages once a day in case anything urgent arises.
Thank you in advance for your understanding during a very difficult time.
Yours sincerely, Daniel Whitcombe
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.
7 more than the median answer for this task type
4 words at the shortest, 31 at the longest
1 more than the median answer for this task type
carry a subordinate or relative clause
Sentence rhythm
Sentences average 21 words and vary by 8.1 words either side of that, running from 4 words to 31. 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. 6 of the 11 sentences here carry a subordinate or relative clause.
The cohesive devices it uses
3 in total, spread across 2 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.
accordingly, due to
once
Vocabulary and repetition
Ignoring grammar words, 82 per cent of the content words in this answer are distinct, and 73 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 3 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
Address all three bullet points fully and clearly
Coherence & Cohesion
Logical paragraphing with effective linking
Lexical Resource
Formal vocabulary appropriate to a workplace request
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Accurate sentence structures with variety
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