STANAG 6001 writing tasks, ESPECIALLY LEVEL 3, may include elements of a letter of apology. As this is the last type of formal letters I describe in MY BOOK, I will also like to remind you all important information about formal writing for STANAG exams in 5 steps.
5 IMPORTANT STEPS TO SUCCESSFUL WRITING
1. TASK/INSTRUCTION and PLANNING
Analyse your task/instruction and make a plan of your text. I wrote about planning here: HOW AND WHY TO PLAN YOUR WRITING
2. FORM AND STRUCTURE
Remember to use the right form and structure of your letter or email. Read more about the letter structure and greetings here: WRITING FORMAL LETTERS AND E-MAILS
3. LANGUAGE
Make sure you use appropriate register. In level 3 writing formal language is required in all written tasks. I wrote more about formal language requirements here: FORMAL LANGUAGE
4. FUNCTIONS
It’s important to demonstrate the knowledge of language functions and expressions used to introduce them.
Examples can be found here:
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Expressions used to ask for information can be found here: ASKING FOR INFORMATION
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Expressions used to suggest and recommend can be found here: GIVING ADVICE
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Expressions used to complain: COMPLAINING
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Expressions used in letters of invitation: INVITING
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Expressions used in letters of application: APPLYING FOR A JOB/COURSE/PLACE
5. EDITING
Edit your text. Read it carefully after you have finished writing to look for possible mistakes.
Here are some tips on how you can edit your own writing: SELF-EDITING
And now, coming back to inviting, here is an example letter containing elements of apology. The paragraph containing apology has been written in bold for you.
LETTER OF APOLOGY – EXAMPLE
Dear Maj Jones,
I am writing in connection with the training event related to the new equipment we are to receive.
First of all, I must inform you of the alterations we had to make in the schedule of the event. As you know the exercise was going to be carried out in November. However, due to an unexpected inspection of our base we have been forced to postpone our exercise until December.
Therefore, I must apologise profusely for the inconvenience this change must have caused. I hope this will not have a negative impact on our future cooperation. In addition, I would like to compensate you for this difficulty by inviting you to a study visit of our facilities at your earliest convenience.
Moreover, I would like to ask you to confirm your arrival to the exercise on the new date as soon as possible. If you decide to honour us with your presence in December, we would be pleased to arrange accommodation and full board for you.
Once again, I hope my apologies will be accepted and I am looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Your sincerely,
XYZ
And here are some useful expressions to be used when apologising.
APOLOGISING – USEFUL PHRASES
Opening statement
I am writing to apologise for
I must apologise for …
Please accept my sincerest apologies for… I cannot apologise enough for…
I must apologise profusely for…
Closing paragraph
Once again, sincerest apologies for…
I hope you will accept my apologies.
I hope my apologies will be/are accepted.
TASK
Here is a task for you. If you want to practise writing letters of apology, do the following task. The first three people who will send their letters to my email address: info@stanagexpert.com will receive free feedback. Please pay attention that the following letter requires you not only to apologise but also to ask for and offer advice (OFFERING AND REQUESTING ADVICE)
You have been tasked with organising the psychological training for your soldiers. Write a letter to the instructors who are going to run the course 1) asking them for advice about the programme of the course, 2) apologising for the change of the date and place of the training and giving justification, 3) offering some advice on the best accommodation option for the instructors. Write at least 120 words.
IT’S TIME TO WRITE SOME LETTERS!
Please share any ideas or questions you might have in a comment below the post.
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Can you please have a look at my letter for the above mentioned task?
Dear Sirs,
I am writing in connection with the psychological training of our soldiers.
First of all, I need to sincerely apologize for changing its date and the location. I can only imagine how problematic it was for you to change your arrangements. In our defence we need to highlight that the decision was not made by us: an order had been received from our superiors. No justification had been provided.
I would be grateful if you could offer your advice on the programme of the course. Are soldiers expected to have their own equipment? If so, what exactly is going to be needed? Will you please be so kind and indicate if there are any specific areas the soldiers should focus on?
In terms of accommodation I would suggest the Garnizon’s hostel. It is affordable and located only ten minutes walk from the training centre. The variety of food is also worth mentioning: cuisines from all over the world can be found at their restaurant.
I look forward to receiving your advice on the training programme,
Yours faithfully,
XYZ.
Good job, Olga!