Use the greeting, sign-off and paragraph plan below for this semi-formal letter, write it on a 20-minute timer, then compare it with a band-8 model letter.
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
You were invited to dinner by a colleague and his wife but had to cancel at the last minute.
Write a letter to your colleague, Mr Jensen. In your letter
Write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Mr Jensen,
GoPrep wrote this practice question in the style of the exam. It is not an official IELTS question.
A letter to someone you know but not closely can end Kind regards or Best wishes as well as Yours sincerely, followed by your name.
Spend the first few minutes planning, then write.
0 words of 150 minimum
Your answer stays on this page only. Copy it before you leave.
Write your own answer first, then compare: how it answers the exact question, what each paragraph does, and which phrases you could borrow.
Dear Mr Jensen,
I am writing to say how sorry I am for cancelling our dinner at the last minute. I know you must have spent a lot of time preparing the meal, and I feel awful about it.
As I explained briefly on the phone, I received an urgent message from my mother that afternoon, saying that my father had been taken to hospital after feeling unwell. I left work immediately and only had time to call you on the way. He is now recovering and should go home next week.
Please pass on my apologies to your wife as well, and thank her for her kind invitation. I was very much looking forward to meeting her and to trying her cooking.
I would love to arrange another evening, if you are still willing to have us. Would Saturday 23 November suit you? If not, any other weekend in the next month would be fine for me.
Kind regards,
Samuel Okafor
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| I'm writing to say how sorry I am about | open an apology politely |
| I feel terrible about | express guilt |
| Please accept my apologies for | polite apology |
| I should have let you know earlier. | admit a mistake |
| I'd like to make it up to you by | offer to repair the situation |
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