IELTS Formal Letter: Letter to Lecturer Requesting Extension for Course Project

The task

You are taking a course at a local college. The deadline for your project was last week but you haven't finished it.

Write a letter to your lecturer. In your letter:

→introduce yourself
→explain why you haven't handed in the project yet
→request more time to do it

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

Model answer

Band 8 sample letter

Band 8173 words. Names and details are invented; write your own.

Dear Dr. Aris,

I am writing to you as a student in your 'Introduction to Macroeconomics' course, which meets on Tuesday mornings. My name is Julian Thorne, and I have greatly enjoyed the modules covered during this semester.

I am contacting you regarding the final research project that was due last Friday. Unfortunately, I have not yet submitted my work. Last week, I suffered a severe bout of influenza which left me bedridden and unable to focus on any academic tasks for several days. Consequently, I fell behind on the final data analysis stage of my assignment.

Given these unforeseen circumstances, I would like to respectfully request a one-week extension to complete my project. I have attached a medical certificate from my general practitioner confirming my illness during the submission window. I am now feeling much better and am confident that I can deliver high-quality work by next Friday.

Thank you for considering my request during this busy time of the term. I look forward to your positive response.

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

A Band 8 response maintains a consistently formal tone and addresses all three bullet points with specific, logical details. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to provide a credible reason for the delay or neglecting to include evidence, such as a medical note, which weakens the request's persuasiveness.

→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

modules
distinct units or parts of a university course
bedridden
confined to bed because of serious illness
consequently
as a direct result of the previous action
unforeseen
not anticipated or predicted before it happened
general practitioner
a doctor who treats routine health problems
submission window
the specific period allowed for turning in work

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 request letters

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