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General Training Task 1 · Letters by purpose

IELTS apology letters: say sorry, explain briefly, put it right

An IELTS apology letter apologises near the start, explains briefly what happened without making excuses, takes responsibility and offers a concrete way to put things right. The tone depends on who you are writing to.

The official General Training format asks for a letter of at least 150 words. The model answer and tasks below are original teaching material, not official IELTS questions or examiner-scored responses.

A four-paragraph plan for an apology letter

  1. Apologise and say what for. Identify the situation so the reader knows immediately what the letter is about.
  2. Explain what happened. Keep it short and factual. An explanation is not the same as an excuse.
  3. Take responsibility. Show that you understand the effect on the reader.
  4. Offer to put it right. Pay, replace, rearrange or change what you do, and say how.

Follow the order of the bullet points unless another order is clearer for the reader. Every bullet needs its own developed point, not a single line that repeats the question.

Choose the tone for the reader

Who you are writing to, the tone to use, and a suitable greeting and closing
ReaderToneGreetingClosing
A hotel, company or organisationFormalDear Sir or MadamYours faithfully
A colleague, coordinator or neighbourSemi-formalDear Ms RossiYours sincerely or Kind regards
A friendInformalDear SamLove or See you soon

A formal apology is precise and restrained. To a friend, a warmer apology with a suggestion to meet works better than formal phrases such as “Please accept my apologies.” Our guides to formal, semi-formal and informal letters go further into register.

Model answer

Original practice task

During a recent stay at a hotel, you accidentally broke a lamp in your room and left without reporting it. Write a letter to the hotel manager. In your letter:

  • explain what happened
  • apologise for not reporting it
  • offer to pay for the damage

Dear Sir or Madam,

I stayed in room 214 at your hotel from 14 to 16 September, and I am writing to apologise for some damage that I caused during my stay.

On my last evening, I knocked the bedside lamp off the table while I was moving my suitcase, and the glass shade broke. I picked up the pieces and put them in the bin, but I did not tell anyone at reception.

I should have reported the accident before I checked out, and I am sorry that I did not. I was rushing to catch an early train, but that is no excuse, and I realise that your housekeeping staff must have found the broken lamp without any explanation.

I would like to pay for a replacement shade or, if necessary, a new lamp. Please let me know the cost, and I will pay it by bank transfer or by card over the phone, whichever is easier for you.

Once again, please accept my apologies for the trouble this has caused.

Yours faithfully,

Priya Nair

174 words, counted the way our writing workspace counts them. Names and details are fictional.

Why it works

  • Identify the stay: The room number and dates let the manager match the letter to the hotel's records.
  • Facts, not excuses: The second paragraph says what happened without blaming the furniture or the staff.
  • Ownership: “That is no excuse” takes responsibility for the real problem: not reporting it.
  • A concrete offer: What the writer will pay for, and two ways to pay, complete the third bullet.

Useful phrases

Use these to start a sentence, then finish it with details from your own task. Examiners look for memorised language, and a memorised paragraph does not answer your bullet points.

Opening

  • I am writing to apologise for…
  • I am very sorry that I…
  • Please accept my apologies for…

Explaining

  • What happened was that…
  • Unfortunately, I…
  • I should have… but…

Putting it right

  • I would like to make up for this by…
  • I will make sure that this does not happen again by…
  • Please let me know how I can…

Closing

  • Once again, I am sorry for any inconvenience.
  • Informal: I really am sorry, and I hope we can meet up soon.

Mistakes to avoid

A long excuse

Three sentences about traffic make the letter sound defensive. Explain in one or two sentences, then move to responsibility.

Sorry, but no offer

If the task asks what you will do, a vague “It won't happen again” is not enough. Say how you will put it right.

The wrong tone

“So sorry, my bad!” to a hotel manager, or “Please accept my sincere apologies” to a close friend, shows the tone does not suit the reader.

Practise with original questions

A semi-formal apology to a club coordinator and an informal apology to a friend. Each has planning notes and an annotated answer.

Questions about IELTS apology letters

How do you start an apology letter in IELTS?

Apologise in the first sentence and say what for, for example: “I am writing to apologise for some damage that I caused during my stay.” To a friend, start more warmly: “I'm really sorry I missed your party.”

What should an IELTS apology letter include?

Whatever the three bullet points ask for, which is usually an apology, a short explanation and a way to put things right. Take responsibility rather than blaming others.

How long should an IELTS apology letter be?

The task asks for at least 150 words, and the question suggests spending about 20 minutes on it. Keep the explanation short so you have room for the apology and the offer.

Write your apology letter and check it

Write for 20 minutes, then get an estimated band for each criterion, a checklist of the bullet points you covered and what to revise first. Your first check needs no account.

Write an apology letter →What the Task 1 checker looks for →Compare free and Pro →

More letters by purpose: Complaint letters · Request letters · Invitation letters · Thank-you letters. Or start from the General Training Task 1 guide.