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

3 correction notes

Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing this letter in relation to the upcoming seminar on “Testing Automation - Industry you are going to organise in Toronto, Canada in August 2025. I need some details and I am hoping that you will provide those to me. I am currently employed as a Software QA Manager in a software development company in Turkey. I am keen to learn about testing automation tools and use automated testing, in addition to manual testing, to increase my scope of software quality assurance. I learned about the automation testing workshop while it was broadcasted on a local radio station. As the advertisement was being announced while I was driving and I was unable to catch most of the information like the date and venue as well as the accommodation arrangement and cost. I will be highly obliged if you can write back about the program schedule of the symposium along with the dates and venue details. Also, I would like to know how the visa and accommodation arrangements will be done along with the total cost. Awaiting your quick response. Yours faithfully, Larissa Beilby

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 6.5

The letter addresses the four requested areas and gives relevant professional context. However, the entire text is one paragraph, and the sentence explaining why information was missed is an incomplete causal construction. Clearer grouping and more direct phrasing would improve the enquiry.

IELTS criteria

How each score was decided

Task Achievement

7.0

The letter covers all four bullet points from the prompt, states a clear purpose, and develops relevant detail through the writer's professional background, though the accommodation and cost points are merged and some phrasing is slightly indirect.

Coherence and Cohesion

5.5

The movement from background to requests is understandable, but the whole letter is presented as one continuous paragraph. The introduction, explanation and enquiries need separate grouping.

Lexical Resource

7.0

There is sufficient workplace vocabulary, but the repeated seminar, workshop and symposium wording is not always economical. Expressions such as how the arrangements will be done and I will be highly obliged are understandable but less natural for a concise enquiry.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

6.5

Several complex structures communicate the purpose clearly. However, the sentence beginning As the advertisement was being announced continues with and I was unable and never supplies a main clause. The comma before the restrictive clause that you are going to organise is also unnecessary.

More responses with feedback

View all 14 responses (5.0–7.5)