How to Write an Apology Letter?
Question structure
All questions for IELTS letters have the same structure. They are made up of 3 parts.
Part 1 – The topic.
Part 2 – The person you must write to.
Part 3 – What you should write about (listed as 3 bullet points).
Here is a sample question for a letter of apology with the 3 parts illustrated.
You missed an important meeting at work. Write a letter to your manager. In the letter: – Apologize for not going – Explain why you were not there – Say how you will make up for it |
Understanding this will help you to quickly analyze the question and plan your answer. To help you plan, use the letter structure below.
Letter structure
The layout of IELTS letters should follow the structure of the question and consist of four paragraphs with a greeting at the beginning and signoff at the end.
Use this easy to remember 6 part structure.
1) Dear …..
2) Paragraph 1: Purpose – why you are writing
3) Paragraph 2: Write about 1st bullet point
4) Paragraph 3: Write about 2nd bullet point
5) Paragraph 4: Write about 3rd bullet point
6) Signoff
All you need to do to create your plan is to add in the details from the question, like this:
1) Dear ….. (neighbour)
2) Paragraph 1: Purpose – to apologise for the noise
3) Paragraph 2: explain the reason for the noise (bullet point 1)
4) Paragraph 3: offer your neighbour an apology (bullet point 2)
5) Paragraph 4: tell them what action you will take (bullet point 3)
6) Signoff
Formal & Informal IELTS Letters
IELTS letters must be written in the appropriate tone and style. There are two options:
- Formal – to someone you don’t know or don’t know well.
- Informal – to a friend.
It is essential that you are able to identify what type of question you’re required to write.
Follow this rule:
- If the question includes the word ‘friend’, use informal language.
- If the question does not include the word ‘friend’, use formal language.
The only exception is if the letter is to a close family member when you would also use an informal tone.
One situation that can be confusing is where the person you have to write to is a neighbour, as in our sample question. Assume that you do not know them very well and keep the letter formal.
This leads us on to the opening of your letter – the greeting.
The Greeting & Signoff
The Greeting
It is most likely that you would know the name of your neighbour so make one up, e.g. Mrs Dixon.
If you did not know their name you would write, ‘Dear Sir / Madam’.
If you were writing an informal letter to a friend, you would use their first name, e.g. ‘Dear John’.
The greeting you use will determine how you sign off your letter.
The Signoff
For a formal letter, there are two main options. The correct one will depend on who you are addressing:
- Dear Mrs Dixon (name known) – Yours sincerely
- Dear Sir/Madam (name unknown) – Yours faithfully
You could also use ‘Kind regards’. This is formal but friendly and is appropriate for most situations. It is particularly useful if you struggle to remember how to spell ‘sincerely’ and ‘faithfully’.
Always sign off a formal letter with your full name, e.g.
Yours sincerely,
Jacky Spear
For an informal letter to a friend, use one of these phrases followed by your first name:
- All the best
- See you soon
- Keep in touch
For example,
Keep in touch,
Jacky
For our sample letter, we will use this greeting and signoff:
Dear Mrs Dixon…
….Yours sincerely,
Jacky Spear
We are now ready to think up some ideas to write about. We have the guidelines of the 3 bullet points to help us so this won’t be difficult.
How To Generate Ideas for IELTS Letters
With only 150 words to write, you won’t need many ideas. Just make sure that you write about each bullet point and develop each idea fully.
They don’t have to be the best ideas you can possibly think of. Go with your first thoughts and don’t waste time trying to think of better ideas. Just make sure that they are directly related to the bullet points.
Note your ideas beside each bullet point on the exam paper, like this:
Your neighbour has written to you to complain about the noise from your flat.
Write a letter to your neighbour. In your letter:
- explain the reason for the noise
Having the flat rewired
- offer your neighbour an apology
Sorry the noise has disturbed them
- tell them what action you will take.
Ask electrician to be as quiet as possible. Pay for additional electrician so job finished sooner.
That’s our planning complete. Once you’ve had some practice, you’ll be able to do this in just a few minutes. Taking time to plan makes writing IELTS letters far quicker and easier than if you don’t do this step. You will also write a better letter and get higher marks.
So, let’s write our letter.
Writing the Letter
Here’s our plan again with all our notes added in.
1) Dear ….. (neighbour)
2) Paragraph 1: Purpose – to apologise for the noise
3) Paragraph 2: explain the reason for the noise (bullet point 1)
Having the flat rewired
4) Paragraph 3: offer your neighbour an apology (bullet point 2)
Sorry the noise has disturbed them
5) Paragraph 4: tell them what action you will take (bullet point 3)
Ask electrician to be as quiet as possible. Pay for additional electrician so job finished sooner.
6) Signoff
We’ve already decided on the greeting so we’ll start with paragraph 1.
Paragraph 1
In the first paragraph, you must state the reason for writing the letter, that is, its purpose.
Paragraph 1: Purpose – to apologise for the noise
Many students make the mistake of missing this purpose sentence out but it’s very important. Including it will gain you marks.
It only requires one sentence. He’s an example appropriate to our letter of apology.
I am writing to apologise for all the noise coming from my flat over the past few days.
Top vocabulary tip: Do not use contractions in formal letters. They are informal language.
For a letter of apology to a friend, it would be appropriate to write, I’m writing to apologise / to say sorry for…
Paragraph 2
In the second paragraph, you write about bullet point 1.
Paragraph 2: explain the reason for the noise (bullet point 1)
Having the flat rewired
Remember to keep the language formal for this question. Aim for around 50 words for paragraph 2, 3 and 4. You could write something like this.
I am having the whole place rewired at the moment as I was experiencing some electrical faults that could not be repaired. The old wiring had been in since the flat was built and needed replacing so I had no choice but to undertake this necessary work.
Paragraph 3
The third paragraph should cover the second bullet point.
Paragraph 3: offer your neighbor an apology (bullet point 2)
Sorry the noise has disturbed them
I do appreciate that there has been a lot of banging going on during the day. I sincerely apologize for this and regret that you have been disturbed. I was hoping that most of the work would be done while you were out at work but I admit that it did continue into the evening the other day.
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4 addresses the third bullet point.
Paragraph 4: tell them what action you will take (bullet point 3)
Ask electrician to be as quiet as possible. Pay for additional electrician so job finished sooner.
To get the job finished as quickly as possible, I will employ an additional electrician. Although there will inevitably still be some noise, I will ask them to be as quiet as possible and be sure to finish by 5 p.m. when I believe that you usually get home.
Now we just need to add the signoff we decided on earlier and our letter is complete.
Informal Letter
A foreign friend of yours plans to visit your place and stay with you, but you do not have time on that date. Give your friend another alternate date to come.
In your letter, you should:
- apology for it
- explain what you will busy for on that date
- suggest to him/her an alternate time to come.
Sample Answer:
Dear Sansa,
I hope this letter finds you in good health. I am happy to know that you have plans to visit my place and how excited you are to stay with me from 04/05/2021 to 21/05/2021. But I’m sorry to inform you that I will not be able to be with you on the given dates, as I have to travel to Kolkata for some work.
I hope you believe me when I say how sorry and guilty I feel about it. I will be busy during the entire month, but I have an amazing idea. You can plan your stay after 01/06/2021, and we would invite some more friends and spend time together, and I will take you on a short city tour as well. I hope this alternative idea sounds good to you and you forgive me for the inconvenience.
I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Warm Wishes
Kirti
Semi-Formal Letter
You missed an important meeting at work. Write a letter to your manager.
In this letter
- Apologise for not attending
- Explain why you did not attend
- Say what you will do to make up for it.
Sample Answer:
Dear Ms Rose,
I am writing to sincerely apologise for not attending the financial year-end meeting yesterday morning. I know such meetings are important, especially when we allocate funds to different departments of the company. Unfortunately, my child’s poor health stopped me from attending the meeting.
My child was suffering from a high fever, and I was required to take him to the hospital. Since nobody in my family knows how to drive, it left me with no option but to drop the meeting. I have followed up to make sure that I have all the information that was discussed yesterday. Sussi is going to provide me with all the necessary paperwork, and I will update you about the details required from my side by the end of this day. Once again, I sincerely apologise for not being able to attend the meeting and hope you understand my circumstances that led to my absence.
Yours Faithfully
Philip Den
Formal Letter
You have been invited to attend an interview for a place studying a course at a college. Unfortunately, because of a previous appointment, you cannot come at the time they wish.
Write a letter to the admission tutor. In your letter,
- explain your position
- apologise and offer to come on another day or later the same day
- also, ask how long the interview will be, and whether there will be any tests during it
Sample Answer:
Dear Sir/Ma’am
I am Kathreena Joseph. I was expected to join the public relations program in the upcoming semester at your university. I am writing this letter to apologize for not being able to attend the interview scheduled on 1st September’ 2021. Unfortunately, I am in a very perplexing situation.
I work in an organization, and they have scheduled an urgent meeting on the same date. Since many colleagues are travelling from different cities for this meeting, it is not likely to get postponed. I understand the importance of this interview in order for you to finalise my candidature for admission. I hope you would allow me to alter the interview date from 1st September 2021 to 2nd September 2021.
I sincerely apologise for the inconvenience, and I request you to accept my request and reschedule my interview date. Also, please let me know if I need to appear for any test as part of the interview process and how long the interview process might take.
I am looking forward to hearing a positive response from you.
Yours Sincerely
Dinesh Sharma
Prefabricated Sentence Structure:-
Writing a purpose
- I am writing to apologise for my absence…
- I’m writing with regards to the meeting…
- I just received your email about the meeting…
- Many thanks for your invitation to…
- Just got your text about the party…
Introducing the Apology
- Unfortunately I will be unable to attend…
- I’m afraid I won’t be able to attend…
- I’m really sorry but I have already made other arrangements…
- What a pity! I can’t make it that day…
Asking Apology:-
- Please accept my sincerest apologies for my absence.
- I would like to apologise for missing the meeting.
- I’m (ever so) sorry I couldn’t make it to your party last weekend.
Giving Explanation:-
- I fully understand how important this meeting is/ was but…
- I know how much the party means to you, but…
Making Amendments:-
- (I assure you that) I will do everything possible to avoid this happening again.
- I promise it won’t happen again.
- I’ll make it up to you, I promise!
Expressing Regrets
should/shouldn’t + have + Past Participle
- I shouldn’t have left it so late to book the tickets
- I should have booked the tickets earlier
wish + had + Past Participle
- I wish I’d known about this earlier.
- I wish I hadn’t said yes.
could/would + have + Past Participle
- I could have/would have done something about it (if I’d known about it earlier)
Closing:-
- Once again, I sincerely regret missing the activities and hope you understand the unavoidable circumstances that led to my absence.
- I hope that this will not cause too much inconvenience and would be very grateful if you could keep me up to speed with any developments.
- I hope the meeting goes well and look forward to hearing about the plans as soon as possible.
- I really hope you will accept my sincerest apologies.
- Please let me know if you have any further issues
- Hope you have a great time at your party!
Informal Letter
A foreign friend of yours plans to visit your place and stay with you, but you do not have time on that date. Give your friend another alternate date to come.
In your letter, you should:
- apology for it
- explain what you will busy for on that date
- suggest to him/her an alternate time to come.
Sample Answer:
Dear Sansa,
I hope this letter finds you in good health. I am happy to know that you have plans to visit my place and how excited you are to stay with me from 04/05/2021 to 21/05/2021. But I’m sorry to inform you that I will not be able to be with you on the given dates, as I have to travel to Kolkata for some work.
I hope you believe me when I say how sorry and guilty I feel about it. I will be busy during the entire month, but I have an amazing idea. You can plan your stay after 01/06/2021, and we would invite some more friends and spend time together, and I will take you on a short city tour as well. I hope this alternative idea sounds good to you and you forgive me for the inconvenience.
I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Warm Wishes
Kirti
Semi-Formal Letter
You missed an important meeting at work. Write a letter to your manager.
In this letter
- Apologise for not attending
- Explain why you did not attend
- Say what you will do to make up for it.
Sample Answer:
Dear Ms Rose,
I am writing to sincerely apologise for not attending the financial year-end meeting yesterday morning. I know such meetings are important, especially when we allocate funds to different departments of the company. Unfortunately, my child’s poor health stopped me from attending the meeting.
My child was suffering from a high fever, and I was required to take him to the hospital. Since nobody in my family knows how to drive, it left me with no option but to drop the meeting. I have followed up to make sure that I have all the information that was discussed yesterday. Sussi is going to provide me with all the necessary paperwork, and I will update you about the details required from my side by the end of this day. Once again, I sincerely apologise for not being able to attend the meeting and hope you understand my circumstances that led to my absence.
Yours Faithfully
Philip Den
Formal Letter
You have been invited to attend an interview for a place studying a course at a college. Unfortunately, because of a previous appointment, you cannot come at the time they wish.
Write a letter to the admission tutor. In your letter,
- explain your position
- apologise and offer to come on another day or later the same day
- also, ask how long the interview will be, and whether there will be any tests during it
Sample Answer:
Dear Sir/Ma’am
I am Kathreena Joseph. I was expected to join the public relations program in the upcoming semester at your university. I am writing this letter to apologize for not being able to attend the interview scheduled on 1st September’ 2021. Unfortunately, I am in a very perplexing situation.
I work in an organization, and they have scheduled an urgent meeting on the same date. Since many colleagues are travelling from different cities for this meeting, it is not likely to get postponed. I understand the importance of this interview in order for you to finalise my candidature for admission. I hope you would allow me to alter the interview date from 1st September 2021 to 2nd September 2021.
I sincerely apologise for the inconvenience, and I request you to accept my request and reschedule my interview date. Also, please let me know if I need to appear for any test as part of the interview process and how long the interview process might take.
I am looking forward to hearing a positive response from you.
Yours Sincerely
Dinesh Sharma