IELTS Semi-formal Letter: Requesting Further Language Training from a Manager

The task

You and your colleagues have recently attended a foreign language training course organized by your company. Now you all want to do some more language training.

Write a letter to your manager. In your letter:

→say how you and your colleagues felt about the course
→explain why you all want to do more language training
→suggest when and where the training could take place

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

Model answer

Band 8 sample letter

Band 8194 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Dear Mr. Henderson,

I am writing on behalf of the project team to share our feedback regarding the recent foreign language course and to propose a follow-up training programme.

We all thoroughly enjoyed the intensive Spanish sessions last month. The instructor was exceptionally engaging, and the practical focus on business terminology significantly improved our confidence when communicating with our Madrid-based counterparts. The general consensus is that the course was both highly motivating and immediately applicable to our daily tasks.

Given the recent expansion of our international client base, we believe that further training is essential to maintain our competitive edge. Our current proficiency is a solid foundation, but we are keen to develop more advanced negotiation skills. Continuing this development will undoubtedly streamline our collaborative efforts and reduce potential misunderstandings in high-stakes meetings.

We would like to suggest scheduling bi-weekly afternoon sessions at our office premises. Hosting the training here would minimize downtime and allow more staff members to participate without disrupting their core responsibilities. We would appreciate your support in securing a budget for this initiative.

Thank you for considering our proposal. I look forward to discussing this further.

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 response achieves Band 8 by addressing all bullet points with specific, well-developed ideas and maintaining a consistently professional, semi-formal tone. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to provide a clear, logical reason for the request, often resulting in vague or repetitive sentences about 'needing to learn more'.

→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.

6 phrases

Useful phrases from the letter

counterparts
people who have the same position in another company
general consensus
a generally accepted opinion among a group of people
competitive edge
an advantage that makes a company more successful
high-stakes
involving serious risks if things do not succeed
streamline
to make a process work more efficiently
premises
the land and buildings owned by a company

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 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 request letters

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