IELTS Formal Letter: Letter to Instructor Resigning from Training Course

The task

You Are Doing a Three-Month Course at A Training Institute. You Have Recently Been Offered a Full-Time Job at A Company and Can Not Continue the Course.

Write a Letter to The Course Instructor. In your letter:

→explain Why You Cannot Continue the Practice
→describe the Job You Have Been Offered
→and Ask if They Have an Evening Course that You Can Continue

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

Model answer

Band 8 sample letter

Band 8171 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to formally notify you that I must withdraw from the three-month Professional Development course I commenced last month, effective immediately.

I have recently been offered a full-time position as a Junior Project Manager at a leading logistics firm in the city. Given the demanding nature of this new role and the requirement for me to start during regular business hours, it is no longer feasible for me to attend my current daytime sessions. This opportunity represents a significant milestone in my career that I feel compelled to pursue.

While I am disappointed to leave this programme, I have found the curriculum exceptionally valuable thus far. I am keen to complete my certification if possible. Could you please clarify if you offer an evening version of this course or a modular distance-learning alternative that would allow me to continue my studies outside of office hours?

I appreciate your guidance thus far and look forward to hearing your thoughts on how I might proceed.

Yours faithfully,

Jonathan Sterling

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.

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Examiner's view

Why this scores well

A Band 8 response addresses all three bullet points with a clear, professional tone and logical progression of ideas. A common Band 6 error is failing to explain the job details clearly or using overly casual language that undermines the formal nature of the request.

→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.

6 phrases

Useful phrases from the letter

commenced
a formal term meaning to have started something
feasible
something that is possible to do or achieve
compelled
feeling forced or required to take an action
curriculum
the subjects or topics included in a course
modular
structured in separate, independent units or parts
proceed
to move forward with a plan or action

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 many words 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.

What does the examiner look for?+

Keep practising

More giving information letters

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