Late coursework explained

Dear Mr Barker,

I am writing to explain why I handed in my environmental science coursework two days after the deadline. I know that deadlines are important, and I am sorry for any inconvenience this has caused you.

The reason was that I had serious computer problems. On Tuesday evening, three days before the deadline, my laptop crashed, and I lost the file containing most of the report. I could not recover it, so I had to rewrite nearly half the work from my notes. I had not saved a copy elsewhere, which was a mistake.

At the same time, I was also working extra shifts at my part-time job, and this made it difficult for me to catch up in time. I should have contacted you straight away, rather than waiting until I had finished, and I regret that I did not.

I realise that I might lose marks for the delay, but I would be very grateful if my coursework could still be marked.

Yours sincerely,
Nadia Haddad