Formal request for annual leave to manager

The task

You need to take some time off from work to go on holiday.

Write a letter to your direct manager. In your letter:

→ask for time off and explain why
→provide the dates and times for which you will be unavailable to work
→describe what you will do to prepare or make up for your absence

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

Model answer

Band 8 sample letter

Band 8183 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Dear Mr. Henderson,

I am writing to formally request two weeks of annual leave later this summer. My sister is getting married in Italy, and I would like to attend the ceremony and spend some time with my extended family, whom I have not seen for several years.

I would like to be away from the office from Monday, 12 August, until Friday, 23 August inclusive. I intend to return to my desk on Monday, 26 August. During this period, I will be completely unavailable for meetings or email correspondence as we will be travelling in remote areas.

To ensure that my responsibilities are covered, I have already drafted a detailed handover document for my current projects. I am also happy to complete the pending quarterly reports by 9 August, which is a few days ahead of the original deadline. Furthermore, I have spoken with Sarah, who has kindly agreed to be the primary point of contact for any urgent client queries while I am away.

Thank you for considering my request. I look forward to your positive response.

Yours sincerely,

James Miller

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 fully addresses all three bullet points with specific, logical details and maintains a professional, semi-formal tone throughout. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to provide a specific plan for the workload, instead offering only vague statements about catching up later.

→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

annual leave
Paid time off granted by an employer yearly
inclusive
Including both the start and end dates mentioned
correspondence
Communication by exchanging letters or emails
handover document
Notes explaining tasks to a colleague covering work
pending
Waiting to be dealt with or completed
primary point of contact
The main person to talk to for help

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

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