Apologies and Sensitive Messages

B1 · Intermediate1 hr 6 minBusiness EnglishLesson 7 of 8 · Outline

Aims

Goal: write a complete apology email with the ACE framework — specific, responsible and forward-looking — that rebuilds trust after a real mistake.

The lesson, stage by stage

  1. Warm up5 min

    Warm-up: The apology that rebuilds trust

    2 warm-up questions

  1. Reading10 min

    Reading: Writing Apologies That Work

    Read a 236-word text about Writing Apologies That Work

  2. Vocabulary8 min

    Vocabulary: Apology and Sensitivity Vocabulary

    7 items

  3. Framework6 min

    Framework: The ACE Apology Framework

    ACE: Acknowledge-Correct-Ensure, 3 steps

  4. Reading10 min

    Reading: Three model apologies

    Read a 374-word text about Three model apologies

  5. Practice7 min

    Practice: Complete the Apology Phrases

    Gap-fill exercise, 6 items

  6. Dialogue10 min

    Dialogue: Writing an Apology Email

    Role-play: You need to apologize to a client for a significant error. Use the ACE framework to structure your response. (3 lines)

  7. Discussion10 min

    Discussion: Your mission: your real apology

    3 discussion questions

Open the full lesson

The remaining 7 stages of this lesson, with the procedure, the examples and the exercises, are included with Starter, along with the interactive version you can teach from. Lesson 1 of this course is free: the full plan is on this site, and a free account opens it in the interactive player.

Target vocabulary

In a Tuton account these words become your student's vocabulary deck, so they come back in practice between lessons.

sincerely apologizerectifyoversightinconveniencegoodwillcompensatereassure

This plan comes from the Professional Email Writing course in the Tuton library. Browse all free lesson plans.