Inquiring About a Work-Related Seminar Abroad

  • Professional training
  • Events
  • Travel
  • Request

You would like to participate in a work-related seminar in another country. Write a letter to the person in charge of the seminar. In your letter: - ask for information about the seminar dates - ask for details of the programme - ask about accommodation - ask about the cost

Annotated response

2 correction notes

Dear Sir or Madam, I am Aguinaldo Silva, working as a researcher at the University of São Paulo, Brazil for over a decade. I have read in a newspaper that you are going to organise a seminar on 'Automated Neural Networks' and I think it would be helpful for my current research. As I could not find much information online, I would request further details. I learned that the seminar will be held next November in San Francisco, California, USA. Now, I need to know the exact date and schedule of the seminar. Another important piece of information that I need in order to plan my trip is the exact location of the event. Since such seminars are usually very intensive, I want to know if there will be any special conditions for reservations in the nearby hotels. Has Kevin Boban really confirmed his participation as a guest speaker? If it is true, that would be great news for me since my research is being driven mainly by one of his recent discoveries. Will we have a specific day to network and exchange knowledge with other participants of the event? Last year I went to the Artificial Intelligence seminar in and I felt really comfortable having an exclusive day for networking with other professionals instead of having short sessions throughout the whole event. Last but not least, I need some information about the cost and methods of payment to participate in the seminar. Hope to hear from you soon. Yours faithfully, Aguinaldo Silva

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 7.0

The letter addresses the dates, programme, accommodation and costs in a clear, polite enquiry. The speaker and networking questions provide relevant programme detail. Its principal weakness is the absence of paragraph divisions, while the description of a previous networking experience could be more concise.

IELTS criteria

How each score was decided

Task Achievement

7.5

All four requested areas are addressed with a clear purpose. Questions about the guest speaker and a networking day are relevant requests for programme details. The personal explanation of the previous seminar could be shorter, but the programme enquiry is explicit and developed.

Coherence and Cohesion

5.5

The sequence of enquiries can be followed, but the entire letter, including the opening and closing, is one continuous paragraph. Separate groups for the schedule, programme and practical arrangements would make the organisation much clearer.

Lexical Resource

7.0

The response shows good flexibility and some precision in word choice, including phrases such as 'special conditions for reservations' and 'exclusive day for networking', with only occasional lapses like 'Genebra' for Geneva.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

7.0

A variety of complex structures, including relative clauses and conditionals, are used with generally good control, and errors are minor and rarely impede communication.

More responses with feedback

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