
Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and tips and do the exercises.
Dear Ms Leitman,
I am writing to request your help following a change in my circumstances.
As you know, I am enrolled on the Basic Spanish course at your college, which starts in September. However, due to unforeseen family events, I have had to leave the country for a while to assist my parents in Hong Kong.
At present it is not clear when I will be able to return and unfortunately I will not be able to start the course as planned.
I would like to request a refund for the course fees already paid. I apologise for the short notice and for any inconvenience caused. In the event that a refund is not possible, I would be grateful if you could postpone my enrolment until my return.
Thank you in advance for your help and I hope to be able to update you on the situation soon.
Yours sincerely,
Honor Singh
Tips
- Organise the letter clearly into:
- The reason for writing
- The nature of the problem
- The outcome you'd like
- An apology for the inconvenience
- Don't go into too much personal detail when explaining the problem, as this is a formal situation with a person you don't know well.
- To make polite requests use the phrase I would be grateful if you could …
- Using nouns instead of verbs can make your writing sound more formal. (For example, instead of My circumstances have changed, say There has been a change in my circumstances.)
- Sign off Yours sincerely, if you know the person's name and Yours faithfully, if you don't.
When was the last time you had to cancel something because of an unforeseen situation?
On one occasion I had to cancel a dress that I would wear for my graduation at the last minute because it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last month I accidentally made an order in some shop twice. It was some problem with connections so it looked like my first order wasn't completed and I had to do it again. But soon I've got two messages from my bank about two payments. I verified this situation through online banking and after I assured in double payment I wrote the letter to shop's customer service.
I explained my situation and asked if I could get my money back. They verified all the financial movements that took place and gave me feedback.
It was a surprise to me, that when you pay online the seller doesn't get your money instantly, the required amount is blocked on your account and remained in this condition till you get your ordered stuff.
So I wrote an application request, scanned it, and sent it to the seller via Viber.
After several days I've got a confirmation that my request was approved and I can wait for my money back.
And guess what? I've got my money after a week.
Dear Rose,
There has been a change in my circumstances and I wont to be able to enrol in January, due to that I would like to request a refund.
My apologies for the inconvenience caused.
Your sincerely
Nelma S.
Hello Rocket,
'enrolment' is the most common spelling in British English and 'enrollment' is more common in American English. Since our site is in British English, we've used the British spelling in the text and the exercise. But I've added 'enrollment' as an alternative correct answer for Task 3 question 4.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team