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General Training Task 1 — apology letter: Apologising to your manager for a mistake at work. This page gives the exam question and a band 9 model answer, with the tone, opening and closing lines that suit the letter. Aim for at least 150 words in about 20 minutes.
You work in a supermarket and recently made a mistake at work. Write a letter to your manager.
In the letter, you should include:
• Explain what the mistake was
• Say why the mistake happened
• Suggest how you plan to fix the problem
| Letter type | Apology |
| Tone | Semi-Formal |
| Opening | Dear Mr. / Ms. [Surname], |
| Closing | Yours sincerely, / Kind regards, |
Dear Mr. Clarke,
I am writing to offer my sincere and unreserved apology for an error I made during my shift on Monday evening, for which I take full responsibility.
The mistake occurred when I scanned a delivery of premium organic vegetables at the incorrect price, charging customers the standard rate rather than the higher promotional price listed on the supplier invoice. As a result, the store incurred a loss on approximately forty units before the discrepancy was identified during the end-of-day stock reconciliation.
This happened because I was assisting a customer with a refund at the same time as processing the delivery, and I failed to cross-check the invoice against the shelf labels. I should have asked a colleague to cover the till or paused until I could give it my full attention.
To resolve the issue, I have corrected the pricing in the inventory system and prepared a checklist for processing future deliveries during busy periods. I assure you that I will take greater care to avoid a repeat of this situation.
Yours sincerely,
Strategy
Professional apology: acknowledge → explain (without making excuses) → resolve. The key is bullet 3 — examiners want a
SPECIFIC plan, not just "I will be more careful."
Common trap
Do not over-explain the reason (bullet 2) at the expense of the solution (bullet 3). A long excuse and a short
solution reads as deflecting responsibility.
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