O-Level Situational Writing Practice 2: The Cancelled Workshop
This page gives you one complete situational writing task. You paid for a workshop, and it was cancelled at short notice. Your email must stay calm and still get what you want.
The situation
You booked a batik painting workshop at your community centre. Three days before it, the centre sent you this email.
From: Aster Community Centre ([email protected]) To: you Subject: Cancellation: Batik Painting Workshop on Saturday 13 June
Dear member,
We are sorry to tell you that the batik painting workshop this Saturday has been cancelled. Our instructor is unwell, and no replacement is available.
The fee was $60 per person. You may choose a full refund or a free place in the next workshop on 26 September.
Please reply to this email by 20 June to tell us your choice.
Your task
You are Marcus Tan, and you paid for two places, for yourself and your grandmother. You had promised her the outing for her birthday. Write an email to the centre manager, Ms Delia Wong.
Visual source: the image shows the room set up and left unused. Use the email above for the exact booking details and options.
Your email must include:
- which workshop you booked, and when you received the cancellation
- how the cancellation affected you and your grandmother
- what you want, and why
- one suggestion to help the centre avoid this in future
- a polite close that asks for a reply
Check your plan
Which sentence states your request in the right tone?
Show answer & explanation
Answer: (B) 'I would like to request a full refund of $120 for our two places.'
The correct answer is (B). It states the request once, clearly and without anger. A manager can read it and act on it the same day. (A) attacks the reader, and an angry email makes people defensive. (C) gives the request away, so the centre keeps the fee. (D) buries the request under so much hedging that the reader may miss it. Firm and polite beats both shouting and whispering.
Write your email
The real paper asks for 250 to 350 words. This practice trims the length so you can focus on the points. Every other rule stays the same.
✍️ Your turn
Write an email of about 150 to 200 words to Ms Delia Wong. Cover all 5 points in the task list. State your request in one clear sentence. Keep the tone firm but polite, and ask for a reply at the end.
A complaint is strongest when it is calm. Give the reader one sentence they can act on.
The model
Reveal the model answer
To: [email protected] Subject: Refund request for the cancelled batik workshop on 13 June
Dear Ms Wong,
I am Marcus Tan, and I booked two places for the batik painting workshop on Saturday 13 June.
Your email reached me on Wednesday, three days before the workshop. My grandmother and I had already planned our morning around it. I had promised her the outing for her birthday, so we were both very disappointed.
The next workshop on 26 September falls during her trip to Kuala Lumpur. I would therefore like to request a full refund of $120 for our two places.
May I also suggest calling members when a workshop is cancelled at short notice? An email alone is easy to miss.
I hope to hear from you soon. Thank you for your help.
Yours sincerely, Marcus Tan
Why this scores
- Each of the five points gets its own paragraph, in the order the task lists them.
- The dates and the fee come from the email, and the model works out the $120 total.
- The request is stated once, clearly, and without anger.
- The suggestion about phone calls shows the writer wants a fix, not a fight.
- The greeting and sign-off match a named manager, and the close asks for a reply.
Back to O-Level situational writing · Next: Practice 3