Agentic WeeklyGet the weekly

Writing prompt w03: one sentence apologising for a delay, answered by fifteen AI models

Prompt w03 (one-sentence) was answered 3 times by each of 15 models. This page lists every output, the rater's rubric scores and whether each output passed the format rule (exactly 1 sentence). Best mean rubric score on this prompt: Gemma 2 2B.

By Agentic Weekly, operated independently from Texas, US · Last updated (America/Chicago) · How we work

Tested by us on 2026-10-26 (America/Chicago): open-weight models run locally on a CPU-only machine, outputs rated by a separate model (Mistral 7B Instruct v0.3) that is not a writer in this test. Indicative results, not a benchmark, and not a statement about any vendor's hosted models.

Summary

The prompt, sent unchanged to every model as the only message
Write exactly one sentence apologising to a customer for a delayed shipment, without making excuses.

Format rule checked by code: exactly 1 sentence.

Per-model summary for w03 (3 runs each)
ModelMean rubric score (1 to 5)Format rule passed
Llama 3.2 1B4.203 of 3
Phi-3.5 mini4.133 of 3
Llama 3.2 3B3.333 of 3
Gemma 2 2B4.403 of 3
Gemma 3 1B4.073 of 3
SmolLM2 1.7B4.332 of 3
Qwen2.5 7B4.073 of 3
Qwen2.5 3B4.403 of 3
Qwen2.5 1.5B4.071 of 3
Qwen3 0.6B (non-thinking)3.871 of 3
Qwen2.5 0.5B3.132 of 3
Falcon3 3B4.402 of 3
Granite 3.3 2B4.003 of 3
Qwen3 1.7B (non-thinking)4.333 of 3
TinyLlama 1.1B Chat2.400 of 3

Llama 3.2 1B: all 3 outputs

Run 1: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 5, Tone 4, Originality 3. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
"I apologize for the delay in your shipment and appreciate your patience as we work to resolve the issue."
Run 2: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 3, Tone 4, Originality 3. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
I want to apologize for the delayed shipment of your order, and I appreciate your patience as we work to get it to you as soon as possible.
Run 3: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 4, Tone 4, Originality 3. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
"We apologize for the delay in your shipment, which has caused inconvenience and we will expedite the process to ensure you receive your order as soon as possible."

Phi-3.5 mini: all 3 outputs

Run 1: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 4, Tone 5, Originality 3. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
I sincerely apologize for the delay in your shipment and understand the inconvenience it may have caused; we are actively working to resolve this promptly.
Run 2: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 3, Tone 4, Originality 3. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
I sincerely apologize for the delay in your shipment and understand the inconvenience this has caused; we are working diligently to ensure your package arrives as soon as possible.
Run 3: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 3, Tone 4, Originality 3. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
I sincerely apologize for the delay in your shipment and understand the inconvenience this has caused, and I assure you we are working diligently to deliver your package as soon as possible.

Llama 3.2 3B: all 3 outputs

Run 1: Clarity 3, Accuracy to the prompt 2, Concision 2, Tone 3, Originality 2. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
We apologize for the delay in your shipment, and we appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to get your order to you as soon as possible.
Run 2: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 3, Tone 4, Originality 2. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
We apologize for the delay in shipping your order and appreciate your patience as we work to get it to you as soon as possible.
Run 3: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 3, Tone 4, Originality 2. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
We apologize for the delay in your shipment and appreciate your patience as we work to get your order to you as soon as possible.

Gemma 2 2B: all 3 outputs

Run 1: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 4, Tone 5, Originality 3. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
I sincerely apologize for the delay in your shipment and understand your patience is appreciated.
Run 2: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 4, Tone 5, Originality 3. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
I sincerely apologize for the delay in your shipment, and I'm working hard to get it to you as soon as possible.
Run 3: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 4, Tone 5, Originality 3. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
I sincerely apologize for the delay in your shipment and understand your patience is valuable.

Gemma 3 1B: all 3 outputs

Run 1: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 4, Concision 3, Tone 4, Originality 3. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
We sincerely apologize for the delay in your shipment and are working diligently to get it to you as quickly as possible.
Run 2: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 4, Tone 5, Originality 3. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
We sincerely apologize for the delay in your shipment; we are currently experiencing an unexpected backlog and will provide you with tracking information as soon as possible.
Run 3: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 3, Tone 4, Originality 3. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
We sincerely apologize for the delay in the shipment of your order and are working diligently to get it to you as quickly as possible.

SmolLM2 1.7B: all 3 outputs

Run 1: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 5, Tone 4, Originality 3. Format: 2 sentences (wanted 1)
"I apologize for the delay in your order. I will ensure that this is resolved as soon as possible."
Run 2: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 5, Tone 4, Originality 3. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
I apologize for the delay in delivery of your order.
Run 3: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 4, Tone 4, Originality 3. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
I apologize for the delay in your shipment and assure you that we are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

Qwen2.5 7B: all 3 outputs

Run 1: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 3, Tone 4, Originality 3. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
We apologize for the delay in your shipment and understand this has caused inconvenience, for which we are truly sorry.
Run 2: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 4, Tone 4, Originality 3. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
We apologize for the delay in your shipment and appreciate your patience and understanding.
Run 3: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 3, Tone 4, Originality 3. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
We apologize for the delay in your shipment and understand this has caused inconvenience, for which we are truly sorry.

Qwen2.5 3B: all 3 outputs

Run 1: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 4, Tone 5, Originality 3. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
I sincerely apologize for the delay in your shipment and appreciate your patience and understanding.
Run 2: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 4, Tone 5, Originality 3. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
I sincerely apologize for the delay in your shipment and appreciate your patience and understanding.
Run 3: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 4, Tone 5, Originality 3. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
I sincerely apologize for the delay in your shipment and appreciate your understanding and patience.

Qwen2.5 1.5B: all 3 outputs

Run 1: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 4, Tone 4, Originality 3. Format: 2 sentences (wanted 1)
I apologize for any inconvenience caused by the delay in your shipment. Please allow me to rectify this as soon as possible.
Run 2: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 4, Tone 4, Originality 3. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
I apologize for the delay in the shipment and thank you for your understanding.
Run 3: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 3, Tone 4, Originality 2. Format: 2 sentences (wanted 1)
I apologize for the delay in your shipment. I appreciate your patience and understanding.

Qwen3 0.6B (non-thinking): all 3 outputs

Run 1: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 5, Tone 4, Originality 3. Format: 2 sentences (wanted 1)
I apologize for the delayed shipment. Let me know if there's anything else I can assist with.
Run 2: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 4, Tone 4, Originality 3. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
I apologize for the delayed shipment, but I'm sorry if it affects your order.
Run 3: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 3, Concision 2, Tone 3, Originality 2. Format: 2 sentences (wanted 1)
I apologize for the delayed shipment. I will be updating the delivery status soon and will be contacting you at the earliest possible time.

Qwen2.5 0.5B: all 3 outputs

Run 1: Clarity 3, Accuracy to the prompt 2, Concision 2, Tone 2, Originality 1. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
I am deeply sorry for the inconvenience caused, as delays in shipment are typically due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control.
Run 2: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 4, Concision 3, Tone 4, Originality 2. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
I am truly sorry for any inconvenience caused and have taken immediate action to ensure this does not happen again.
Run 3: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 3, Tone 4, Originality 2. Format: 2 sentences (wanted 1)
I am truly sorry for any inconvenience caused by the delay in your order. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.

Falcon3 3B: all 3 outputs

Run 1: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 5, Tone 4, Originality 3. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
I'm sincerely sorry for the inconvenience caused by the delayed shipment.
Run 2: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 5, Tone 4, Originality 3. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused by the delayed shipment.
Run 3: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 5, Tone 4, Originality 3. Format: 2 sentences (wanted 1)
I'm truly sorry for the inconvenience caused by the delayed shipment. We are committed to resolving this issue promptly.

Granite 3.3 2B: all 3 outputs

Run 1: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 4, Tone 5, Originality 3. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
"I sincerely apologize for the delay in your shipment; we understand this is frustrating, and we're working diligently to get your order to you as quickly as possible."
Run 2: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 3, Concision 2, Tone 4, Originality 2. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
I sincerely apologize for the delay in your shipment; we understand this is frustrating, and we're working diligently to get your order to you as soon as possible.
Run 3: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 4, Tone 5, Originality 3. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
"I sincerely apologize for the delay in your shipment; we understand this inconvenience and are working diligently to ensure your order reaches you as swiftly as possible."

Qwen3 1.7B (non-thinking): all 3 outputs

Run 1: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 5, Tone 4, Originality 3. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
I apologize for the delay in shipment and appreciate your understanding.
Run 2: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 5, Tone 4, Originality 3. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
I apologize for the delay in shipping, and I appreciate your patience.
Run 3: Clarity 5, Accuracy to the prompt 5, Concision 4, Tone 4, Originality 3. Format: 1 sentence (wanted 1)
I apologize for the delay in the shipment and appreciate your understanding.

TinyLlama 1.1B Chat: all 3 outputs

Run 1: Clarity 3, Accuracy to the prompt 4, Concision 2, Tone 4, Originality 2. Format: 9 sentences (wanted 1)
We apologize for the delayed shipment of your order. Please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience this may have caused you. We assure you that we will do everything in our power to ensure that this issue does not occur again in the future. Our team is working hard to ensure that your order reaches you as soon as possible. We take our customers' satisfaction and the delivery of their orders very seriously, and we aim to deliver them on time. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you and we promise to make it right in the future. We value our relationships with our customers and we are committed to delivering quality products and services. Thank you for your understanding.

Sincerely,

[Your Company Name]
Run 2: Clarity 3, Accuracy to the prompt 2, Concision 2, Tone 4, Originality 2. Format: 7 sentences (wanted 1)
In the event of a delayed shipment, we apologize sincerely for any inconvenience it may cause you. We take responsibility for our error, and we are committed to ensuring that your product arrives promptly. Please know that our top priority is to deliver your order as soon as possible. We apologize for any delay caused by our lack of proper preparation and management. Our team is working diligently to ensure that your order is delivered as soon as possible. We sincerely hope that this issue will not affect your purchasing decision in the future. Thank you for choosing our company, and please be assured that we will do everything in our power to ensure that your order is delivered promptly.
Run 3: Clarity 2, Accuracy to the prompt 1, Concision 1, Tone 3, Originality 1. Format: 8 sentences (wanted 1)
Dear valued customer,

We understand that you are experiencing some delays in receiving your order due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you, and we assure you that we will do everything possible to restore the timely delivery of your order.

We are confident that we will deliver your order as soon as possible, but please be patient with us as we work to resolve this issue. We are committed to ensuring that your order is delivered promptly and without any further delays.

Once again, we deeply apologize for any inconvenience caused. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this difficult time.

We appreciate your business and look forward to serving you in the future.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]
[Your Company Name]
[Contact Information]

Markdown version for agents: /tests/writing-prompt-w03.md