CONTENTS:

1. Useful phrases and sentences ................. 1

2. Email, Postcard ................. 7
3. Informal letter ................. 8
4. Invitation card, Leaflet ................. 9
5. Formal letter / Information request ................. 10
6. Formal letter / Complaint ................. 11
7. Formal letter, Job application ................. 12
8. Discursive essay ................. 14
9. Argumentative essay /for and against/ .............. 15
10. Report ................. 16
11. Book review ................. 18
12. Film review ................. 19
13. Narration/ Story ................. 20

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 USEFUL PHRASES AND SENTENCES

INFORMAL LETTER

Dear (first name),

Thank you/Many thanks for your (recent/last) letter/postcard.
It was good/nice to hear from you recently.
Beginnings I’m sorry I haven’t written/been in touch for such a long time.
It’s ages since I’ve heard from you. I hope you’re/you and your family are
well.
Hi! How are the things? How are you? How’s it going?
Asking
Referring to
Great news about … Glad to hear that … Sorry to hear about …
their news
Listen, did I tell you about … You’ll never believe what …
Oh, and another thing … This is just to let you know that …
Giving news
I thought you might be interested to hear about/know that …
By the way, have you heard about/did you know that …
I’m writing to apologise for missing your party but I’m afraid I was with flu.
I’m really sorry that I forgot to send you a birthday card but I was busy
with my new job.
Apologies If you let me know where you bought it/how much it cost I’ll gladly pay for
it/replace it.
Please let me know how much the bill is and I’ll gladly pay it.

I’m/We’re having a party on Friday 19th and I/we hope you’ll be able to
come.
Would you like to come/go to see ‘Room With a View’ with me at the
weekend.
Invitations I was wondering if you’d like to go to the theatre/come on holiday with us?
Could you let me/us know if you can come/you’d like to join us?
Thank you very much for your invitation. I’d love to come.
Thank you for asking/inviting me to … but I’m afraid I won’t be able to …

I’m writing to ask for your help/you (if you could do me) a favour.
I wonder if/I was wondering if you could help me/do me a favour.
Requests I hope you don’t mind me asking but could you (possibly) …?
I’d be very/really/terribly grateful if you could …

I’m writing to thank you for your hospitality/the wonderful present.

It was so kind of you to invite me to stay with you.
I really appreciated all your help/advice.
Thank you Congratulations on passing your exams/your excellent exam results!
Congratulations I wish you good luck/Good luck in/with your exams/your driving test/your
Good Luck interview.
Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll do well/pass.
Do be on time, won’t you, and don’t forget to …

2
 Why don’t you …? Maybe you could …? How about …?
Making
You can’t leave New York without doing sth
suggestions
I’m sure you will enjoy doing sth If you like, we can …
and
Do visit somewhere Don’t forget to do sth (Imperative -> Strong
recommend.
Recommendation)
I’m told that … People say that … (If you heard sth is good)

Give my love/regards to … Say hello to … Hope to hear from you soon.

Endings
See you soon! Write soon. Once again, thank you for all your
help.
Love,
Lots of love,
Signing off Yours,
Best wishes,
(First name)

FORMAL LETTER

Dear Mr/Ms (surname), Dear Sir/Madam/Sir or Madam,

I am writing to …
Reason for I am writing with regard to …
writing I am writing on behalf of …

I would be grateful if …
I wonder if you could …
Asking Could you …? Could you tell me something about …?
questions I would particularly like to know …
I would be interested in having more details about …

As you started in your letter, …

Referring to
Regarding … Concerning … With regard to …
their letter
I am writing to complain about …
You said … but in fact what happened …
Complaining We were supposed to stay with British families whereas we actually stayed in
a guest house.

If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Closing
Please contact me if you have any further questions.

(If Dear surname) Yours sincerely,

Signing off (If Dear Sir/Madam) Yours faithfully,
Yours,
First name + surname

3
 LETTER OF APPLICATION / Cover letter
Dear Mr/Ms (surname), Dear Sir/Madam/Sir or Madam,

I am writing to apply for the post/position of …

… as advertised in …
I am writing with reference/in response to your advertisement, which I saw …
Reason for
I am writing in connection with your advertisement in the Daily Star on May
writing
11th …
With reference to your advertisement …

I gained some experience while …

I am currently working as …
I have been working for … for the last four years.
I worked part-time for three years as …
Experience At the moment I am employed by …
Qualifications My qualifications include …
CV I have a diploma in …
I graduated from Barcelona University last year with a degree in …
Please find attached my CV
As you can see from the attached CV …

Please do not hesitate to contact me if/should you require further

information.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Endings
I am available for interview at your convenience.
I shall be available for interview any day apart from Wednesdays.

(If Dear surname) Yours sincerely,

Signing off (If Dear Sir/Madam) Yours faithfully,
Yours,
First name + surname

ARTICLE
Freezing! (dramatic)
My Lone Walk to the North Pole (a summary)
Rescue from the rapids (a summary)
Heading What’s the big idea? (a question)
Seven banks a day are robbed in LA (a surprising)
You’re already well equipped to prevent crime (a surprising)

Did you know …?

Opening What would you do if …?

Give your article a heading or headline which makes the subject clear and
also catches the reader’s attention.
General
Divide the article into paragraphs to help the reader follow the argument.
Structure
Begin with an interesting introduction – an example, perhaps, or a question.
End with an overall comment or concluding.

4
 ARGUMENTATIVE / DISCURSIVE ESSAY

Many people feel that ...

First and foremost, ...
It is widely believed that ...
It would be ideal if ...
Making points Another argument in favour is ...
It is clear from the facts that ...
The benefits of ... outweigh the disadvantages.
On the whole, I think ...

On the one hand… On the other hand ...

Contrasting Other people think ...
points An opposing argument is ...

I personally feel that ...

I find it hard to see why ...
Giving I certainly don't believe that ...
opinions It is difficult to believe that ...
I object to the cloning of animals.

First of all, … Secondly, … In addition, …

Moreover, … Furthermore, …
Organising So … As a result, … Therefore, …
and linking However, … On the one hand … on the other hand …
your ideas On the whole … It is true to say …
Finally, … To summarise, … In conclusion

REPORT
To:
Initial From:
information Subject: or Re:
Date:
As requested, I did/have done sth
Introduction I summarise below/Below is a summary of the most important relevant
points as well as some recommendations.
Findings 1. …
or 2. …
Import. points 3. …
In relation to …
In contrast with …
Useful phrases As far as … is concerned …
In spite of …
In an attempt to …
Having considered the options, …
Conclusion or I would like to suggest/recommend …
recommend. I therefore suggest/recommend …
You may wish to consider …

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 STORY

A narrative needs an interesting beginning to catch the reader’s attention

and encourage him or her to read on, and a clear ending to round the story
Beginnings
off satisfactorily. A weak beginning or ending can spoil the effect of the story,
and endings
so it’s worth spending time working out how to start and finish.

We use:
The simple past to describe the main events:
I ran to answer the phone but it stopped ringing as I picked up the
receiver.
The past continuous to set the scene:
It was raining heavily as we set off.
The past perfect to describe events which happened before the main events:
Verb tenses When I got on the bus all the seats had been taken.
Preset participles to show two actions which are linked:
Noticing that she looked lost, I asked if I could help.
Perfect participles to show that one action was complete before another
started:
Having reported my stolen passport to the police, I returned sadly to
the hotel.

before …. then … at first, … next

later … during … after that … afterwards …
Time Links when … finally, … as soon as … eventually, …
immediately … in the end, … once …
A few days earlier … Just after that … Some time later …
Following the accident … Later on …
Try to use different adjectives to convey the atmosphere. For example, if you
want to convey the idea of fear, you could use frightened, terrified, scared.
Adding variety
Varying the length of sentences can be effective.
and interest
Use direct speech occasionally for dramatic effect (remember to use inverted
commas correctly: “No,” he yelled, “don’t touch that switch!”)

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 B1 – B2 Writing Resources

Email

Postcard

7
Informal letter

8
Invitation Card

Leaflet

9
Formal letter / Information request/

10
Formal letter / Complaint /

11
Formal letter / Job application / Cover letter /

12
Formal letter / Job application / Cover letter /

13
Discursive essay on a given topic
/ Student magazine article

14
Argumentative essay / For and against essay/

15
Report

16
17
Book review

18
Film review

19
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