Requesting a Training Course at Work: Band 6 Sample Letter

All three bullet points are addressed, and the purpose is clear from the opening sentence. The course is described with useful facts (name, dates, content), and the second bullet gives a relevant benefit linked to the writer's actual job. However, the support requested is covered only briefly — the fee and time off are stated, but there is no suggestion of how her work would be covered while she is away, which a manager would expect. The tone is mostly polite and semi-formal, but it slips with "It would be really great if you say yes!", which sounds too casual for a request to a manager. Adequate but uneven coverage with an inconsistent tone is Band 6.

The letter is clearly organised, with one paragraph for each bullet point and a short closing, so there is a clear overall progression. Within paragraphs, however, the linking is basic and mechanical: sentences are joined mainly with "and", "so" and "Also", and the second paragraph is a series of short statements rather than a connected argument. Referencing is sometimes unclear — "it take a lot of time" does not make clear whether "it" is the report or the manual work. This is typical Band 6 cohesion.

Lexical Resource is the weakest criterion. There is some relevant work vocabulary ("pivot tables", "the monthly sales report", "pay the fee"), but the range is limited and "do" is over-used ("I do many things", "If I do this course", "do the report"). Errors in word form and spelling are frequent: "for analyse data" (for analysing data), "more quick" (more quickly), "less mistakes" (fewer mistakes), "departement" (department) and "collegues" (colleagues). The collocation "three days free from work" should be three days' leave. Individually these do not block meaning, but together they make the reader work harder, which places vocabulary at Band 5.

There is a mix of simple and complex forms, including a conditional ("If I do this course, I can…") and a non-defining relative clause ("which is 450 pounds"). There are, however, several errors: the passive is incorrectly formed in "it is organise" (it is organised), the article is missing in "It is three days course" (a three-day course) and "when they have problem", and there are agreement errors in "it teach" and "it take". These errors are noticeable but rarely reduce communication, so grammar is rated Band 6.