Motivation letter
Motivation letter for a master’s in computer engineering in Italy
Nour Abed graduated in computer engineering in Gaza in 2025 and has spent 18 months as a remote firmware developer. She is applying for an MSc in Turin.
Read a great one, then write your own
- 56 examples
- 49 templates
- Notes in English and Arabic
Scholarships & university admissions
Motivation letters, statements of purpose, recommendation requests and the emails around an application.
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Motivation letter
Motivation letter for a public health scholarship
Tarig Osman is a pharmacist from Sudan who ran the medicine supply of a malaria programme for four years. He is applying for a DAAD scholarship for a master’s in international health.
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Statement of purpose
Statement of purpose for a master’s in speech and language processing
Omar Fathy graduated in computer science in Cairo and builds voice ordering for pharmacies. He is applying for an MSc at the University of Edinburgh.
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Statement of purpose
Statement of purpose for a PhD in civil engineering
Duaa Shaheen holds an MSc in structural engineering from Gaza and has assessed some 600 damaged buildings. She is applying for a PhD on concrete made from recycled rubble.
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Personal statement
Personal statement for a master’s in food technology
Rawan Al-Zoubi is a chemist from Irbid whose family runs a small olive press. She works in quality control at a dairy and is applying for an MSc in Wageningen.
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Personal statement
Leadership essay for a scholarship application
Khaled Nassar, an electrical engineering student from Gaza, set up a repair and charging point for students in a school shelter. He is applying for a UK scholarship.
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Research proposal summary
Research proposal summary: heat stress among construction workers
Mustafa Jasim is a public health officer in Basra with an MSc in occupational health. He is applying for a funded PhD and must summarise his proposal in one page.
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Recommendation request to a professor
Email asking a professor for a recommendation letter
Maya Khoury graduated in computer science in Beirut and works as a data analyst. She asks the professor who supervised her senior project for a letter for a master’s in Milan.
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Follow-up to an admissions office
Follow-up email to an admissions office about pre-enrolment
Ammar Al-Sabri, a Yemeni graduate living in Cairo, was admitted to a master’s in Bologna. His pre-enrolment still shows “awaiting validation” two months before his visa appointment.
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Student visa cover letter
Cover letter for an Italian student visa
Leen Haddadin, a site engineer in Amman, was admitted to a master’s at Sapienza University of Rome with a regional scholarship. She writes to the Italian embassy in Amman.
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Accept or thank for a scholarship
Email accepting a scholarship offer
Karwan Aziz, a software developer from Erbil, has been offered a full scholarship for a master’s at the University of Pisa. He replies to the international students office.
Research & academia
Supervisor emails, research statements, responses to reviewers, journal cover letters, abstracts and recommendation letters.
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Email to a potential supervisor
Email to a potential PhD supervisor in water engineering
Rami Odeh is finishing an MSc in water engineering at Birzeit University. He writes to a professor in Delft whose paper raised a question his thesis can test.
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Email to a potential supervisor
Email to a professor about an advertised master’s thesis topic
Yara Saad, from Damascus, is a second-year MSc student in computer engineering in Milan. A professor in her department has posted a thesis topic she wants.
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Research statement
Research statement for a PhD in education
Sarah Benali taught Arabic in a primary school in Blida for three years and holds an MA in applied linguistics. She is applying for a PhD in education in London.
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Research statement
Research statement for a lecturer post in bioinformatics
Dr Hadeel Barakat, a Palestinian microbiologist with a PhD from Manchester, has spent three years as a postdoc on antibiotic resistance. She is applying for a lecturer post.
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Response to reviewers
Response to reviewers after a major revision
Dr Rana Fakhoury, a family physician and researcher in Beirut, leads a study of antibiotic prescribing. Her team’s paper came back with a major revision and four comments.
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Cover letter to a journal editor
Cover letter to a journal editor for a research article
Dr Heba Ragab, a public health lecturer in Assiut, is submitting her team’s study of smartphone use and sleep among 1,240 university students.
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Conference abstract
Conference abstract for work in progress
Nadine Saab, an environmental health researcher in Beirut, runs a network of low-cost air sensors. She submits early results to an urban air quality conference.
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Recommendation letter for a student
Recommendation letter from a professor for a master’s applicant
Dr Samer Khalil teaches statistics in Amman. He recommends a former student and research assistant for a master’s in statistics and data science in Leuven.
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Thesis acknowledgements
Acknowledgements for a master’s thesis in engineering
Kawtar El Idrissi, from Fès, is finishing an MSc in mechatronics engineering in Trento. Her thesis built a low-cost glove for hand rehabilitation after a stroke.
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Academic abstract
Academic abstract for a public health study
Reem Alotaibi, a master’s student in public health in Riyadh, measured vitamin D in 312 female university students. She needs an abstract for her thesis and a journal.
Jobs & careers
CV achievement bullets, spoken interview answers, salary negotiation, offer replies, resignation letters and recruiter messages.
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CV achievement bullets
CV achievement bullets for a customer service team leader
Mohamed Saeed led a team of 14 agents in a Cairo call centre for four years. He is applying for operations analyst roles at logistics companies.
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CV achievement bullets
CV bullets for a civil site engineer, from duties written in Arabic
Anas Barghouti has been a site engineer in Ramallah for six years. He wrote his duties in Arabic and wants English bullets for project engineer jobs in the Gulf.
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Interview answers
“Tell me about yourself”: an answer for a junior product manager interview
Zainab Hussein, a QA engineer at a fintech in Baghdad, is interviewing for a junior product manager role at a food delivery app.
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Follow-up after an interview
Thank-you email after a job interview
Youssef Trabelsi, a data analyst in Tunis, had a video interview with the head of data at a delivery company. He writes the next morning.
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Salary and offer negotiation
Email negotiating the salary in a job offer
Dana Qutob, an accountant with five years’ experience, was offered a senior accountant job at a food company in Amman. The salary is below the market rate.
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Accept or decline a job offer
Letter declining a job offer politely
Hany Mostafa, a mechanical engineer in Alexandria, had two offers. He accepted the one in his field and declines the other.
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Reference request to a former manager
Email asking a former manager to be a reference
Shatha Kamal worked three years at a youth centre in Hebron and now lives in Amman. She asks her former manager to be a reference for an NGO job.
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Resignation letter
Resignation letter with thanks and a handover plan
Salma Bennani has been front office supervisor at a hotel in Marrakech for four years. She is leaving on good terms and gives a month’s notice.
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Message to a recruiter on LinkedIn
First LinkedIn message to a recruiter about a role
Fadi Haj Ali, from Aleppo, is a data engineer at an e-commerce start-up in Berlin. He writes to a recruiter about an open role at a logistics company.
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Cover letter
Cover letter for a junior developer job, from a fresh graduate
Zaid Obeidat graduated in software engineering in Irbid in 2025 after a bank internship. He applies for a junior backend role at a payments start-up in Amman.
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Cover letter
Cover letter for a career change, from teaching to learning design
Ruba Hamdan has taught English in Ramallah for seven years and rebuilt her course online. She applies for a learning experience designer role at an ed-tech company.
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CV or LinkedIn summary
LinkedIn and CV summary for an ICU nurse
Asma Khatib has worked six years in an adult intensive care unit in Amman. She is updating her LinkedIn profile and CV to look for ICU work in the UK.
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LinkedIn post
LinkedIn post: what changed after failing IELTS writing twice
Huda Elmabrouk, a pharmacist from Tripoli, needed IELTS 6.5 for a master’s in Glasgow. She shares what finally worked.
Freelancing
Proposals, gig descriptions and every message to a client, from the first hello to the review request.
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Upwork proposal
Upwork proposal for a small business website
Yazan Shurrab is a web developer in Gaza who works with clients abroad. A bakery owner in Lyon has posted a job for a bilingual website with pickup orders.
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Fiverr gig description
Fiverr gig description for Arabic calligraphy logos
Rasha Kayali, a calligrapher from Aleppo living in Istanbul, draws Arabic logos by hand. She rewrites her Fiverr gig so buyers understand it in seconds.
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First message to a new client
First message to a new freelance client
The Lyon bakery owner accepted Yazan Shurrab’s proposal yesterday. Before he starts, he needs her files, prices and access.
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Scope and price negotiation
Message answering a client who wants more work for the same price
Imane Berrada, a UX designer in Casablanca, agreed to design 12 app screens. The client now wants six more and a dark mode for the same budget.
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Project update
Weekly project update to a client, with one blocker
Two weeks into the Lyon bakery website, Yazan Shurrab is on track, but he still needs the Christmas prices from the client.
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Polite payment reminder
Second reminder for an unpaid invoice
Karim Aoun, an illustrator in Beirut, delivered a book cover on 1 October. The invoice was due on 15 October, and a first reminder brought no reply.
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Review request
Message asking a client for a review
The Lyon bakery website launched on time, and 64 orders came through it in two weeks. Yazan Shurrab has closed the contract and asks for a review.
NGOs & grants
Proposal sections, donor reports, dignified stories and outreach emails for local organisations.
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Grant proposal executive summary
Grant proposal executive summary for a women’s cooperative
Zahrat Al-Sahl, a cooperative of 38 women in Jenin, makes maftoul and dried herbs. It is asking a foundation to fund the kitchen upgrade and certification it needs to sell to supermarkets.
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Project description
Project description for a youth digital skills programme
Sanad Youth Centre in Zarqa wants to train 60 young people to earn from digital work. This is the project description section of its grant proposal.
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Needs statement
Needs statement for an accessible transport project
Masar, a network of disabled people’s groups in Irbid, surveyed wheelchair users about transport. It wants to fund an accessible minibus service for medical appointments.
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Donor progress report
Quarterly progress report to a donor
Safha runs a mobile library that visits villages in Akkar, in north Lebanon. Three months into a one-year grant, it reports to its donor.
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Beneficiary success story
Beneficiary story for a donor report: a tailor’s workshop
A livelihoods programme in the Bekaa Valley writes about one grant recipient for its newsletter. He agreed to the story with his name changed.
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Partner outreach email
Email to a possible partner organisation proposing a pilot
Mai Abdelrahman coordinates four village libraries in Minya, in Upper Egypt. She writes to an international book charity to propose a small pilot.
Fundraising campaigns
An honest campaign story, regular updates, thank-yous and a short message to share.
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Campaign story
GoFundMe campaign story for a family in Gaza
Mariam Saleh, a nurse in Berlin, is raising money for her uncle’s family of five in Gaza, who have moved four times since losing their home.
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Campaign update
Fundraising campaign update with what the money paid for
Three weeks into the campaign for her uncle’s family, Mariam Saleh has news: a new flat and Samir’s first tools. She posts an update with receipts.
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Thank-you to donors
Thank-you message to donors when a campaign reaches its goal
The campaign for Samir and Huda’s family reached its goal. Mariam Saleh thanks everyone who gave or shared, on the campaign page and on WhatsApp.
Everyday writing
Work emails, replies, requests and the short notes that keep things moving.
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Professional email
Professional email asking a supplier for a revised quotation
Tala Hijazi coordinates the move to a new office for a consulting firm in Amman. The furniture quote she received would arrive too late for the opening.
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Reply to a customer
Reply to a customer whose parcel is late
Dina Barakeh runs a small online shop in Ramallah selling hand-embroidered goods. A customer in Canada writes that her gift has not moved for nine days.
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Apology or delay message
Email apologising for a delay and giving a new date
Elie Nassif leads a small software team in Beirut building an appointment app for a chain of clinics. Two days before release, his team finds a bug.
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Request a meeting
Email requesting a short meeting with a university office
Lama Darwish, a Syrian MSc student in Padua, must renew her residence permit by 1 December. She asks the international office to check her documents first.
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Thank-you note
Thank-you note to a professor after an admission
Ibrahim Jaber, an architecture graduate from Amman, has been admitted to a master’s in Delft. He writes to the professor who wrote his recommendation and reviewed his portfolio.