# Letter explaining a child's school absence: IELTS Writing Task 1 samples

Writing Task 1 - General Training - Education

Your child will be absent from school for several days.

Write a letter to your child's teacher. In your letter

Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses. Begin your letter as follows: Dear Ms Clarke,

You should say:
- explain the reason for the absence
- describe any concerns your child has about missing school
- ask for advice on how your child can keep up with schoolwork

Source: Sample answers and examiner notes are written by Testmigo.

## Band 7 sample

Dear Ms Clarke,

I am writing to let you know that my daughter Mia will not be able to come to school next week.

Unfortunately, Mia broke her ankle while she was playing football on Saturday. The doctor said she must rest at home for at least five days with her leg raised, and she will need to use crutches for a while after that.

Mia is quite worried about missing her lessons, especially because she has a history test on Wednesday that she prepared for it a lot. She is also sad that she will miss the class concert, as she was going to play the piano in front of the whole school.

I would really appreciate if you could tell me what topics the class will study next week, so that Mia can read about them at home and not fall behind. Also, would it be possible for her to take the history test when she comes back?

Thank you very much for your help and understanding.

Yours sincerely,

Elena Petrova

**Examiner notes.** This Band 7 letter covers the three bullets clearly and gives relevant details, such as the history test and the piano performance. The tone is polite and suitably personal for a teacher. The request is sensible, although it could be more specific about the kind of help needed. Errors such as "prepared for it a lot" and "appreciate if" are noticeable but do not affect meaning. A Band 8 letter would offer practical options and phrase requests with greater precision.

The Band 8 sample is free with an account on the [topic page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/writing/topics/task-1/letter-to-teacher-explaining-childs-absence).

## Common questions

### How many words should I write?

At least 150 words for Task 1 and 250 for Task 2. Writing a little more is fine; an answer under the minimum loses marks.

### Can I use these sample answers in my test?

No. Memorised material is marked down and you will not get this exact question. Use the samples to see what each band does with the same task.