IELTS Formal Letter: Letter to School Principal regarding cancelled work placement

The task

You are a student at a language school in New Zealand studying Business English. Part of the course is a summer work placement program. Unfortunately, you have just learned from the school that this program has now been canceled.

Write a letter to the School Principal. In your letter:

→state your reason for writing
→describe the problem and your concerns
→explain what you would like the Principal to do

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

Model answer

Band 8 sample letter

Band 8178 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Dear Mr. Henderson,

I am writing to express my profound disappointment regarding the recent notification that the summer work placement program, which is a core component of my Business English course, has been cancelled.

When I enrolled in this program, the primary reason for my choice was the promise of gaining practical, New Zealand-based professional experience. This placement was intended to be the bridge between my theoretical studies and my future career. Having been informed of the cancellation only weeks before the start date, I am deeply concerned about the impact this will have on my professional development and the overall value of the course I have paid for in full.

I would appreciate it if you could clarify the reasons behind this sudden decision. Furthermore, I request that the school provides an immediate alternative, such as a placement with a partner organization or a partial refund of my tuition fees to compensate for the lost opportunity. I look forward to receiving your prompt response regarding how the school intends to rectify this situation.

Yours sincerely,

Julian Thorne

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

This letter achieves Band 8 by addressing all bullet points with a clear, professional, and assertive tone appropriate for a formal complaint. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to propose a specific solution, such as a refund or alternative placement, instead simply expressing vague unhappiness.

→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

profound
very great or intense in feeling or experience
core component
an essential or central part of something
bridge
something that connects two different things together
rectify
to put something right or correct a mistake
compensate
to provide something to make up for a loss
prompt
done without delay or acting in a timely manner

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

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