IELTS Reading GT – Format, Tips, and Practice for General Training IELTS Mock Tests – Intermediate

IELTS READING – Section 2: How to Resign / Our New Punctuality Policy (Intermediate Mock 5 GT P2)

12 Nov 2026

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IELTS Reading Section 2: How to Resign / Our New Punctuality Policy reading practice test – Passage 2 of Intermediate Mock Test 5 (General Training)

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ADVICE ON HOW TO RESIGN

Employees in this country terminate their contract by resigning. Employees should make it clear that they are formally resigning and it would be best to do this in writing giving the correct amount of notice. It might be good to have an informal conversation with your boss before out of politeness, as this can cause good will, but you are not obliged to provide a reason for your resignation. You must tell your employer 1 week in advance if you want to leave your job if you’ve worked for them for 1 month or more, unless it says differently in your contract. You’re usually due the normal pay and things like sick leave before you leave. The time before you leave usually runs from the start of the day after you gave in your resignation.

If you write a resignation letter (and you should), there are certain things you should include. Your letter should include the position you’re resigning from and the date you intend to leave. Although not essential, you might want to thank your employer for the opportunities you’ve been given and offer your willingness to ensure a smooth handover. Although you don’t need to give details at this point, it might be a good idea to let your company know if there is any outstanding business you’re dealing with that might be affected by your leaving.

If you’re a good employee and you’ve done a good job, the chances are your boss won’t want to see you go. The most likely way an employer will try and make you stay is by proposing a pay rise either equal to or above what you’ve been offered in your new job and/or by suggesting promotion and/or added benefits. Make sure you understand the counter offer and avoid making a knee jerk decision. While the promise of promotion, increased responsibility and extra money may sound tempting, will it really make you want to stay for the next few years? Think carefully about what’s been suggested, but don’t forget that you’ll be working in the same organisation, with the same people and probably under the same boss. Don’t be persuaded into staying simply because you’re scared of change. It can be tempting to accept because you’re comfortable where you are.

If you resign in the ‘heat of the moment’ (e.g. during an argument) and you change your mind, you should tell your employer immediately. They can choose if they want to accept your resignation or not.

Once you resign, your employer can ask you to leave immediately. In this case they’ll probably offer you a one-off payment in lieu, instead of allowing you to work out your time. This amount can be negotiated with your employer. You can also be made to work from home (or another location) until you leave.

Your contract may include a restrictive covenant, which is a period of time that your employer wants to stop you from working for a competitor, or having contact with customers, once you’ve left the company. You can be taken to court if you break a restrictive covenant.

Try and leave your job on a suitable footing with people. Firstly, any new employer may want a reference from your old employer. While your old employer is not allowed to say bad things about you, they can refuse to issue a reference, which is a very bad sign for a new employer. Secondly, you may find that, in the future, you will work with some of your ex-colleagues and it would be bad to have poor relationships still existing.

Don’t expect everyone to be glad about your leaving. Some people might take it personally and it might mean that some of your co-workers have to take on the responsibilities that you are leaving.

OUR NEW PUNCTUALITY POLICY

As the company management has recently noticed a number of employees arriving late to work, the company has decided to implement a punctuality policy. The policy will be created in liaison with all our employees, so that everyone knows where they stand and that they will be treated fairly.

Punctuality is always a difficult thing for managers to enforce, as there are often reasons for lateness. No supervisor likes to be heavy-handed and antagonise people. On the other hand, other employees may feel frustrated by colleagues who routinely show up late. If the issue isn’t addressed by management, a sense of preferential treatment may occur because a colleague is getting away with unprofessional behaviour. The policy will therefore help support the supervisors as well as make things clear for all employees.

Lateness affects employee productivity. The late employee cannot complete tasks, is not there to take part in teams and will need to be covered by colleagues, which stops the colleagues from fulfilling their own responsibilities. This can be very demotivating for the late workers’ colleagues.

Next week at 10 a.m., we will be holding a mandatory meeting for all staff, where the draft policy will be discussed. All employees will be allowed to ask questions and make their points of view known. Notes will be taken of the meeting and shared by email, so that everyone can see how all viewpoints will be taken note of. If any employee cannot make this meeting due to work responsibilities, they should communicate with their line manager so that they have the chance to ask questions and make their opinions known.

Our policy will define "punctual" for all our employees. This should include employees being at the work stations and ready to work no later than the shift starting time. The policy should also include the consequences for showing up late or not being prepared to work. This may range from light punishment such as a verbal warning to severe punishment such as termination. A termination would typically occur after several incidents of being late, which should be clearly defined in the policy. This allows all employees to know exactly what will happen and when if they continue showing up late.

After next week’s meeting, a draft punctuality policy will be drawn up by the Human Resources Department. The draft will be first reviewed by senior management, who will recommend changes as they see fit. When the next draft is ready, the policy will be shared with all employees and everyone will be given the chance to give feedback and voice concerns. After all the feedback has been collected and assessed, the final policy will be published.

When the policy is ready, all employees will be asked to add their signature to it to show they have read and understood everything in it. It’s important to highlight that after this the policy will be put into action straight away, and management will be sure to follow through with the consequences, so that the employees who are abusing the current system don’t try to get away with continued tardiness.

Any employee with a disability will have no reason to worry, as the policy will reflect the extra difficulties that these employees face. For example, if an employee relies on public transportation or is otherwise unable to arrive to work at a specified time due to his/her disability, flexibility in the punctuality policy is a possible accommodation.

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