By EmailBetter · · Updated · 4 min read
Professional writingPractice professional email writing with eight workplace exercises. Compare your draft with sample answers for requests, reminders, apologies, and difficult replies.
Use these exercises to practice making a request clear without sounding abrupt. Write your answer before reading the sample, and give yourself a few minutes for each situation.
The samples are possible answers, not a marking scheme. Your wording can differ as long as the facts are accurate and the reader can tell what to do next.
Your colleague Noor agreed to send a budget spreadsheet yesterday. You need it for a review tomorrow. Ask for the file and explain the timing without accusing Noor of ignoring you.
Hi Noor, could you send the budget spreadsheet by 2 p.m. today? I need to check the totals before tomorrow’s review. If it isn’t ready, please let me know when I can expect it. Thanks, Alex.
Check your draft for a file name and a useful deadline. “Whenever you can” doesn’t tell Noor that tomorrow’s review depends on it.
You’ve been invited to a review outside your area of work, and you have a conflicting deadline. You can read the notes but can’t attend.
Hi Sam, thanks for including me. I won’t be able to join the review because I’m finishing the customer report that afternoon. Please send me the notes afterward, and I’ll add any comments relevant to support. Best, Lee.
You don’t need to apologize repeatedly for being unavailable. Make sure any alternative you offer is something you will actually do.
A client says a draft “needs to be more professional.” Ask a question that will help you revise it.
Hello Amira, could you point me to a paragraph that feels too informal? It would also help to know whether you’d prefer a more formal greeting, less conversational wording, or a shorter message overall. I’ll use that direction to revise the draft. Kind regards, Casey.
Your aim is to turn a broad judgment into something you can edit. You can suggest possibilities without assuming you know the client’s concern.
You told a group that a workshop starts at 10 a.m., but it starts at 11 a.m. Everything else is unchanged.
Hello everyone, a correction to my earlier message: the workshop starts at 11 a.m., not 10 a.m. The date and room are unchanged. I’ve updated the calendar invitation. Sorry for the error. Best, Morgan.
The corrected time belongs near the beginning. A long explanation can make the important detail harder to find.
You need two extra days to finish a report because new data arrived. The summary is ready on the original date.
Hi Priya, could I send the full report on Thursday instead of Tuesday? The new data changes the regional comparisons, and I need time to check them. I can send the completed summary on Tuesday if that helps your meeting. Please let me know which option works. Thanks, Jamie.
Check that you’ve proposed a new date instead of simply asking for “more time.”
A teammate wants to remove a setup step from an onboarding guide. You think that would leave customers unable to connect their accounts.
Hi Jo, I’m concerned that removing the connection step would leave new customers without instructions for linking their accounts. Could we keep that step and shorten the background section instead? That would reduce the guide’s length while preserving the setup instructions. Thanks, Riley.
Describe the consequence of the change. Comments about the teammate’s competence don’t help decide what belongs in the guide.
The recruiter said they expected an update last Friday. It is now Wednesday. Ask about the timeline.
Hello Taylor, I’m following up on the analyst interview last week. You mentioned that an update might be available by Friday, so I wanted to ask whether the timeline has changed. I’m still interested in the role and would appreciate any update you can share. Best regards, Quinn.
The question is about next steps. There is no need to repeat your full application or apologize for asking.
Rewrite exercise 1 for a client you have never met. Keep the task and deadline, but add enough context for the client to recognize the work.
Hello Ms. Rivera, I’m preparing the budget review for tomorrow’s project meeting. Could you send the latest budget spreadsheet by 2 p.m. London time today so I can check the totals beforehand? If another person manages that file, please let me know whom to contact. Kind regards, Alex Chen.
Compare the two versions. The second has more context, but its request is still visible. Read the tone guide if your formal version becomes so indirect that the task disappears.
To keep practicing, save one draft and revise it the next day. Look for an unclear request, an unnecessary sentence, or a missing date. EmailBetter can also send a workplace scenario to your inbox and provide AI feedback on your reply, so you can practice with a different situation each time.
EmailBetter sends you a workplace scenario. Reply from your usual email app and get AI feedback on your wording, with a suggested rewrite you can learn from. The free plan includes one practice email per month.
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