You recently decided to apply for a place on a university course, and you need an academic reference. Write a letter to a teacher who taught you in the past, asking them to provide one.
This letter asks you to reconnect with a former teacher after time has passed and request something that takes real effort on their part.
The question
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
You recently decided to apply for a place on a university course, and you need an academic reference. Write a letter to a teacher who taught you in the past, asking them to provide one.
In your letter,
explain what you are applying for and why you need a reference
remind them who you are, referring to when they taught you
explain what you would like the reference to cover, and the deadline
You do not need to write your own address. Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Mr Bradley,
Write at least 150 words.
What this letter needs
The tricky part of this letter is pitching the familiarity correctly: you need to remind a teacher who taught you years ago exactly who you were, without writing a life story, while still sounding grateful rather than presumptuous about asking them for a favour that takes up their time. The strongest letters balance a warm, personal opening with a clear, practical middle section that tells the teacher precisely what the reference needs to cover and by when, so the request is easy for a busy person to act on.
Structure
Salutation — Dear Mr/Ms [Surname], — because this is a teacher you already know but haven't spoken to in some time, not a stranger.
Opening — Open by asking how they are and stating clearly who you are and when they taught you, so they don't have to guess.
Body 1 — Explain what you are applying for and why an academic reference is required.
Body 2 — Give one or two specific, memorable details from your time in their class to help them place you.
Body 3 — State exactly what the reference should cover and give the submission deadline clearly.
Closing — Thank them for considering the request and offer to send any extra information they might need.
Model answers
Band 6.0 model answer
170 words
Dear Mr Bradley,
I hope this letter finds you well. My name is [Your Name], and I was a student in your Year 12 Business Studies class at Greenfield College between 2019 and 2020.
I am now applying for a place on a Business Management degree at Manchester University, and the application requires an academic reference. I am writing to ask if you would be able to write one for me.
You might remember me best because I represented the school in the regional business competition, and I always got good marks in your class tests.
It would be great if the reference could mention my analytical skills and my ability to work well in a team, since these are important for the course. The university needs the reference by 15 November, so I would be very grateful if you could send it before that date.
Thank you very much for considering my request, and please let me know if you need anything else from me.
Yours sincerely, [Your Name]
Why this is Band 6.0
Addresses all three bullet points but simply — the request is stated in one plain sentence, 'I am writing to ask if you would be able to write one for me.'
Vocabulary stays basic and repeats simple intensifiers like 'would be great' and 'very grateful' rather than varying them.
Sentences are mostly short and joined with 'and' rather than more varied connectors, e.g. 'I always got good marks in your class tests.'
The content is adequate but underdeveloped — the reminder of who the writer is gets only one sentence, 'You might remember me best because I represented the school in the regional business competition.'
Band 7.0 model answer
189 words
Dear Mr Bradley,
I hope you have been keeping well since I left Greenfield College. My name is [Your Name], and I was a student in your Year 12 Business Studies class from 2019 to 2020.
I am currently applying for a place on a Business Management degree at Manchester University, and the application process requires an academic reference from a teacher who knows my work. As you had such a strong influence on my interest in this subject, I would be extremely grateful if you were able to provide one.
To help jog your memory, I was the student who represented the school at the regional business competition and who regularly asked far too many questions during your case-study lessons. Your feedback on my coursework was genuinely one of the reasons I decided to pursue this field further.
If possible, it would be helpful if the reference could focus on my analytical ability and my capacity to work effectively within a group, both of which the course places considerable emphasis on. The university has set a deadline of 15 November for all supporting documents.
Yours sincerely, [Your Name]
Why this is Band 7.0
Content is fully covered and logically grouped, with a whole paragraph dedicated just to reminding the teacher who the writer is: 'To help jog your memory, I was the student who represented the school...'
Uses less common vocabulary accurately, such as 'strong influence' and 'considerable emphasis', without it sounding forced.
Mixes simple and complex sentences, e.g. 'As you had such a strong influence on my interest in this subject, I would be extremely grateful if you were able to provide one' combines a subordinate clause with the main request.
Register stays consistently semi-formal throughout, from 'I hope you have been keeping well' to the specific, businesslike deadline in the final paragraph.
Band 8.5 model answer
207 words
Dear Mr Bradley,
I hope this letter finds you well and that life at Greenfield College is treating you kindly. I imagine you have taught a great many students since I left in 2020, so allow me to reintroduce myself: I was the slightly over-enthusiastic student in your Year 12 Business Studies class who represented the school at the regional business competition and who, if memory serves, rarely let a lesson pass without a follow-up question.
I am writing because I am now applying for a place on a Business Management degree at Manchester University, and the admissions process calls for an academic reference. Given how formative your teaching was in shaping my interest in this field, you were the first person I thought to ask.
If you are able to help, it would mean a great deal if the reference touched on my analytical thinking and my willingness to contribute within a group, as both are qualities the course explicitly looks for. The university's deadline for supporting documents is 15 November, though I am happy to provide my personal statement or transcript beforehand if that would make the task easier.
Whatever you decide, thank you for everything you taught me back then.
Yours sincerely, [Your Name]
Why this is Band 8.5
Content is covered with real precision and appropriate emphasis — the reminder of who the writer is gets the most development, including the self-deprecating detail 'if memory serves, rarely let a lesson pass without a follow-up question.'
Natural, idiomatic phrasing throughout, such as 'you were the first person I thought to ask', reads as something a fluent writer would actually say.
Handles complex grammar with no strain, e.g. the long opening sentence balancing a colon, a relative clause and a parenthetical aside without losing control.
Vocabulary is precise and varied without padding — 'formative', 'admissions process' and 'explicitly looks for' are all used accurately and naturally.
Ends on a warm, well-judged personal note, 'thank you for everything you taught me back then', which shows register control right to the final line.
Model answers written and reviewed by The English All-in-One IELTS team. They are teaching models showing what each band looks like, not real candidate scripts.
This is a semi-formal letter question. The answers above show you what each band looks like when it is finished. What they cannot show you is how to get there from a blank page in twenty minutes.
That is what our Writing Study Library is for: the structure we teach for this exact question type, the paragraph pattern that goes with it, and the sentence openers for each stage — so the letter is planned before you start writing rather than assembled as you go.
Answers checked here may be published on this page, without your name, to help other learners. Nothing else about you is stored.
Common questions
How do I remind a teacher who I am without the letter sounding like a memoir?
Keep it to one or two concrete details — a class, a year, an achievement or a habit they might remember, like the writer's mention of representing the school 'at the regional business competition'. One vivid detail does more work than several vague ones.
What if I genuinely don't remember exactly which year or class the teacher taught me?
Give the closest approximate detail you can (the subject, the rough year, the school) rather than inventing false precision — examiners are assessing your English, not verifying facts, but the letter should still read as plausible and consistent.
Should I explain why I haven't been in touch for so long?
No — a line like 'I hope you have been keeping well since I left' acknowledges the gap naturally without you needing to justify it directly; dwelling on the silence takes space away from the actual request.
Is it acceptable to mention a deadline, or does that sound too demanding for a favour?
It's expected, not demanding — a specific date such as 'a deadline of 15 November' actually makes it easier for a busy teacher to help you, as long as it's phrased as information rather than an instruction.
