Letter to manager explaining recent work lateness

The task

For the past seven days, you were late for work due to some unavoidable issues at home.

Write a letter to your manager explaining why you were late for work for several days. In your letter:

→explain why you were late for the last seven days
→apologize for the delay
→assure your manager that you will be on time from now on

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 formally address my recent attendance record, as I have arrived late to the office every day over the past week.

This situation arose due to an urgent domestic crisis involving a major plumbing failure in my home. A significant pipe burst on Monday morning, causing extensive water damage that required immediate professional intervention. Coordinating with emergency repair services and ensuring the safety of my property necessitated my presence at home during the early morning hours throughout the week, which unfortunately delayed my commute significantly.

Please accept my sincerest apologies for these disruptions. I understand the importance of punctuality and regret any inconvenience my late arrivals have caused you and the rest of the team during this busy period.

I have now resolved the situation with the contractors, and the repairs are complete. I can assure you that my home circumstances are back to normal, and I will be arriving on time consistently from tomorrow onwards. Thank you for your patience and understanding regarding this unexpected personal matter.

Yours sincerely,

James 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 logical flow and maintains a consistent, professional tone throughout. A common Band 6 mistake is failing to provide a specific, plausible reason for the lateness, instead offering only vague or repetitive excuses.

→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

attendance record
a log of when an employee arrives and leaves
domestic crisis
a serious or urgent problem within one's home
immediate professional intervention
hiring experts to fix a problem right away
necessitated
made something necessary or unavoidable
disruptions
events that interrupt the normal process of work
consistently
acting in the same way over a period

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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