Your learning plan · Continue · Review →
Writing: change a plan politely
IntroducedYour saved position stays in this browser. Resuming does not complete the lesson or answer its questions.
Help someone change their plan
-
A friend has arranged to meet you. Something changes. Your reader needs the old plan, the reason and a new choice.
-
Check: can you write I can't meet on Friday and Can we meet on Saturday? Review future plans if you need the forms.
Give the useful details and a clear next action. A long apology cannot replace a new plan.
Follow the decisions in an email
Hi Maya, I'm sorry, but I can't meet at the pool on Friday at 5. My class now finishes at 6. Could we meet there on Saturday at 10 instead? Please let me know if that works. Thanks, Dan.
- The first sentence identifies the affected arrangement. The next explains the change. The question offers a specific alternative. The last request lets Maya accept or suggest another time.
Why can Dan not meet on Friday at 5?
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
The email explicitly gives the new class finishing time. The pool and Maya are not given as causes.
A polite sentence can still be unhelpful
- Compare: Sorry! Something happened. Maybe another day?
Maya still does not know which arrangement has changed or when Dan is free. Politeness and completeness are different checks.
- Repair: I can't meet on Friday at 5 because my class finishes at 6. Could we meet on Saturday at 10? An alternative is Would Sunday afternoon work for you? if you do not yet know an exact time.
Which sentence proposes a time without assuming agreement?
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
Could we asks for agreement. The other two announce or demand an arrangement.
Practise with a small frame
-
Use I'm sorry, but ... → because ... → Could we ... instead? → Please let me know ....
-
Use on with days and at with clock times. Keep the reason brief. A friend usually needs enough information to understand, not your entire calendar.
What is missing from “I have an appointment on Tuesday. Can I help at 3 instead?” for Ben?
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
The prompt requires an address check as well as a new time. Both other details are already included.
Independent email
-
Fresh situation: You agreed to help Ben move on Tuesday morning. You have a dentist appointment then. Offer Tuesday afternoon at 3, and ask Ben to confirm the address.
-
Write before opening the model. Include both the new time and the address question; one does not replace the other.
Fresh situation: You agreed to help Ben move on Tuesday morning. You have a dentist appointment then. Offer Tuesday afternoon at 3, and ask Ben to confirm the address.
Write before opening the model. Include both the new time and the address question; one does not replace the other.
Write your response, then compare with the model and checklist.
Compare meaning, completeness and tone. Several answers can meet these criteria; this is a self-review, not an automatic score.
Revise the part that blocks action
-
Compare your first draft with the checklist. Find the most consequential gap: an unclear time, a missing request or an abrupt tone.
-
Revise that one part. Then reread the whole message: is Tuesday afternoon still consistent everywhere? Keep drafts in your own notes if you want a lasting comparison.
Transfer from a friend to a service
-
New situation: Your bicycle repair appointment is Wednesday at 2. You will be at work. Email the shop: explain the problem, ask whether Thursday at 9 is available, and ask when you can collect the bike.
-
Use a courteous opening for a shop you do not know. You are proposing a time, so do not state that the shop has already agreed.
New situation: Your bicycle repair appointment is Wednesday at 2. You will be at work. Email the shop: explain the problem, ask whether Thursday at 9 is available, and ask when you can collect the bike.
Use a courteous opening for a shop you do not know. You are proposing a time, so do not state that the shop has already agreed.
Write your response, then compare with the model and checklist.
Compare meaning, completeness and tone. Several answers can meet these criteria; this is a self-review, not an automatic score.
Come back without the model
-
Tomorrow, write a different change-of-plan message from memory. Check purpose, reason, alternative and reply request afterward.
-
Next, read how other writers organise arrangements in A2 emails and notices, or practise a fuller problem-and-solution email in B1 writing.
Without looking back, name one useful revision you made and explain why it helps your reader. Tomorrow, try the fresh situation described in the last step.
A useful reflection connects a concrete change with its purpose. It does not establish delayed recall until you return and attempt the work later.