The Formal Letter
Writing, Part 2
● How many words am I supposed to write?
○ 140–190 words
● How much time do I have?
○ 40-45 minutes
● What style should I write in?
○ Formal
● Who do I write the letter/email for?
○ A potential employer, a magazine editor, a college principal, the owner of a restaurant
● How to structure my time at the exam?
○ Identify the type of letter and plan your answer ~ 5 minutes;
○ Make a draft ~ 15 minutes;
○ Write the formal letter/email~ 20 minutes
○ Check your grammar and spelling ~ 5 minutes
● What does the input for the formal letter part look like?
○ an opening rubric to set the scene;
○ formal letter question
opening rubric
еmail question
Types of formal letters
● At the exam you will NEVER be told “write a formal letter” or “write an
informal letter”. It’s up to you to identify the type of writing you are
expected to come up with
● When you see this is a formal letter, go on further deciding if this is:
○ A letter of complaint (you complain about the service in the hotel)
○ A letter of application (you apply for a job or for a scholarship)
Formal Letter - General Structure
Where to start from?
BEFORE you start writing, spend 5 minutes to:
● Identify the type of letter you need to write;
● Identify the person you are writing to;
● Think if you are aware of topic vocabulary
Read the exam question carefully and UNDERLINE the key words
Make a draft
The draft paper
● Structure the whole relevant information you have in your exam question;
● Write ideas for examples you come up with as bullets
● Think for appropriate topic vocabulary
Beginning and ending of the letter
Dear Sir/Madam*, Dear Mr. Smith/ Ms.* Smith,
*When you don’t know the name of the person *When you refer to a woman, do use the neutral
you are writing to, refer to them as “Sir/Madam”. “Ms.”, instead of “Miss” or “Mrs.” You know the
The ending in this case is always: name of the person you are writing to, so end
with:
Yours faithfully,
Yours sincerely,
FirstName SecondName
FirstName SecondName
Opening and closing paragraphs
● In the opening part, you need to introduce the reason you are writing the
letter
● The expected result from your letter (to get a refund, to get a job, to receive
a scholarship) is summarized in the closing part
Letter of application
Identify the type of letter and who the target reader is
Letter of
application
Target reader
Underline the key words
Lifeguard assistants wanted
We are looking for someone in August to assist our lifeguards, provide
supervision during beach activities and observe swimmers.
Write to the Lifeguard Manager, saying what your experience and qualifications
are and stating the reasons why you are suitable for the job
The draft paper - key points
● When? - in August (my summer holiday)
● What will I be asked to do?
○ 1) to assist lifeguards;
○ 2) to supervise during beach activities;
○ 3) to observe swimmers
● What do they require from me?
○ 1) experience (refer to some/ make it up)
○ 2) qualifications (refer to some/ make them up)
NB: The experience and qualifications you refer to have to be relevant to the
requirements.
How to structure the letter
● Greeting
● Paragraph 1 - Opening section (reason for writing)
The structure of your writing’s
● Paragraph 2 - experience and qualifications body depends on the
question. Refer to it as a
● Paragraph 3 - why you are suitable PLAN to follow
● Paragraph 4 - Closing section
(expected result - to be hired)
● Greeting
● Name and surname
Dear Mr. Smith,
Opening part
How your Experience and qualifications
formal letter
should
visually look
Why I to be hired
like:
Closing part
Yours sincerely,
Vyara Georgieva
Useful vocabulary - opening part
● I am writing with regard to … / with reference to...
● I would like to apply for one of the scholarships I saw advertised in your
prospectus…..
● I am looking for an outdoor work during the __________ and I would like to
apply for the position of ___________ which I saw advertised in my
university's student newspaper.
● I have seen your advertisement for the post / vacancy / job of… advertised in
the local newspaper on ______. I am writing because I would like to apply for
the job.
Useful vocabulary - experience and qualifications
● At present I am …. ( working for.../ a student at ..)
● I have a reasonable command of …. ( English)
● I have a good knowledge of …..
● I regret I have had no experience of…. ( this kind of work)
● For the last (two) years I have been… (studying/ working..)
● When I was at .. I…
● I do enjoy .. (working with people/travelling)
Useful vocabulary - why I to be hired
● I feel I would be suitable for …
● I think I would be suitable candidate for… because..
● The job would give me the opportunity to… ( get work experience during the
summer)
● I have always been interested in …
● One of the main reasons I am applying for this job is that….
● I have a lot of experience of (dealing with/ working as)....
Useful vocabulary - closing paragraph
● If you require/Should you need further information, please do not hesitate to
contact me/feel free to contact me
● I look forward to hearing from you soon / I look forward to receiving your reply
● In light of the above...
Exercise: more example questions
Questions to answer for each of the examples:
Who is the target reader?
What position are you applying for?
Describe the job you are applying for
What qualities and experience is expected from you? (think for relevant
adjectives)
Why are you to be hired?
Sample Application Letters
Task
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am looking for outdoor work during the summer holidays and I would like to apply for the position of lifeguard
assistant, which I saw advertised in my university's student newspaper.
I am 20 years old and at present I am studying Physical Education. I am a strong swimmer and have recently had first
aid training. I very much enjoy working with people and for the last two summers I have benn working as an assitant
ranger in a National Park, where I had to provide information to the public about using the park and provide
emergency assistance to park users. Now I am looking for something different.
I think I would be a suitable candidate for the position because I have been described as calm in a crisis and someone
who works well with others.
I am available for the whole of August and would be happy to attend an interview at any time. I look forward to
hearing from you at any time in the near future.
Yours faithfully,
Ivan Ivienen
Source: http://www.rubenvalero.com/english/content/fce-formal-letter-or-email
Task
Dear Sir/ Madam,
I would like to apply for one of the scholarships I saw advertised in your prospectus.
At present I am training to be a secondary school teacher of English and I finish my course at the end of
June. However, I feel I still have a lot to learn about the language and culture of the English-speaking world
and would benefit considerably from a course in an English-speaking country.
The reason I am applying for a scholarship is that I cannot afford the cost of studying abroad. I have no
income except for my student grant, so if I am fortunate enough to be given a scholarship, I would have to
work part-time to save some personal spending money. My parents will borrow some money for my airfare if I
am successful. Knowing my family is going to support me gives me even more confidence and enthusiasm that I
would be a suitable candidate for this position because I would be able to commit myself fully to the course
you offer.
I am available for interview at any time. I can be contacted on 07935033195 after 6pm every evening.
I would appreciate being given the opportunity to study at your college and would be very grateful if you would
consider my application.
Yours sincerely,
Paul Brown
Source: http://englishexamhelp.com/how-to-write-formal-letter-for-new-fce-exam/
Letter of complaint
Identify the type of letter and who the target reader is:
Target reader
You recently had a short holiday organized by TravelWise.
The manager of the company sent you a letter asking to state
the problems which had occurred during your vacation. Write
a letter to the manager, explaining what the problems were
Letter of
and telling them what you want them to do.
complaint
Write your letter. Don’t include any postal addresses. Write
your answer in 140- 190 words in an appropriate style on the
separate answer sheet
Underline the key words
You recently had a short holiday organized by TravelWise. The manager of the
company sent you a letter asking to state the problems which had occurred
during your vacation.
Write a letter to the manager, explaining what the problems were and telling
them what you want them to do.
The draft paper - key points
Where were you? - on holiday, organized by an agency
What problems were there? - make them up
Hot water shortage
Dirty rooms
No view from the balcony (though promised in the brochure)
What do you expect?
Compensation/
Reduced-price voucher (for another excursion, organized by the agency)
How to structure the letter
● Greeting
● Paragraph 1 - Opening section (reason for writing)
The structure of your writing’s
● Paragraph 2 - problems body depends on the
question. Refer to it as a
● Paragraph 3 - expected reaction PLAN to follow
● Paragraph 4 - Closing section
(expected result - to receive refund/ voucher)
● Greeting
● Name and surname
Dear Mr. Smith,
Opening part
How your Problems
formal letter
should
visually look
Expected actions
like:
Closing part
Yours sincerely,
Vyara Georgieva
Useful vocabulary - opening: reason for writing
● I am writing to complain about...
● I am writing (in order) to complain about _____________. Having just played
the game, I realise that the advertisement is misleading.
● I would like to complain about + noun or -ing
● ... is not what I expected / was expecting
Useful vocabulary - introducing the complaint
● Firstly…
● In the first place...
● My first complaint is…
● The first problem is...
● The first thing I would like to draw your attention to is....
● My first concern is...
Useful vocabulary - further complaints
● Secondly…
● In the second place...
● Not only …….but also...
● In addition …
● In addition to this ...
● Added to this …….was also unacceptable
Useful vocabulary - demanding action
● I suggest that you replace the item
● I therefore suggest that I be given a full refund
● I would be grateful if my money was refunded
● I would be grateful if you could give me a full refund
Useful vocabulary - ending the letter
● I look forward to hearing from you
● I look forward to receiving a full refund
● I look forward to receiving a replacement
● I look forward to receiving your explanation
Exercise: more example questions
Questions to answer for each of the examples:
Who is the target reader?
What are the problems you experienced?
What measure would you want to be taken?
You ordered and paid for a Samsung Galaxy phone from an online shop three
weeks ago on 20th September.
The website gave you a booking reference.
You did not receive any email confirmation.
The product has not been delivered yet.
You want to find out what has happened to your order.
NB! Think over
this exam
question
carefully
Sample Letters of Complaint
Task
You recently had a short holiday organized by TravelWise. The
manager of the company sent you a letter asking to state the problems
which had occurred during your vacation. Write a letter to the
manager, explaining what the problems were and telling them what you
want them to do.
Write your letter. Don’t include any postal addresses. Write your
answer in 140- 190 words in an appropriate style on the separate
answer sheet
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing with reference to your letter, where you politely requested a feedback
of my recent vacation organized by TravelWise. As you already know I was
displeased with numerous points.
Firstly, the hotel I stayed was located in a run-down and dangerous
neighbourhood, on few occasions I was approached by a drug dealer and a
beggar. When it comes to the room it was completely different from what had
been presented in your brochure. Dirt, darkness and rats were my company
throughout the stay, I actually changed rooms few times, however it seemed all
the rooms were in similar condition.
One of the reasons I had chosen your company was the free of charge spa and
trips organized by your staff. It turned out that I had to pay extra for all of these
services. And although it might be true that the water sports provided were
amazing it does not change the fact my holiday was ruined by the above
problems.
I must ask you to refund all the costs of my vacation including extra charge for spa
and trips please.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Yours faithfully,
Sam Smith
Source: http://englishexamhelp.com/fce-writing-part-complaint-letter/
Task You and a friend had dinner in an expensive restaurant last
night. The waiter was incompetent and the food was not
good.
Write a letter to the restaurant manager and describe what
happened. Ask for your money back.
Source: http://www.ieltsbuddy.com/ielts-letter-restaurant-complaint.html
Dear Sir/Madam,
I would want to let you know about my not-comfortable experience in your restaurant last night.
Your restaurant is one of the best ranked restaurants in this city, according to Tripadvisor, so I expected to have the best
dinner and service of my life. I had planned a memorable dinner with a friend I had not seen for years, so I decided to make
a reservation with you.
Our reservation was supposedly made for 2 persons at 8:00pm, but even though we arrived 10 minutes before, the lady at
the main entrance made us wait for an available table for more than 45 minutes. The waiter served my friend some wine
and spilled some wine-drops on her dress. The food, after 30 minutes waiting, arrived cold and tasted like frozen food you
can buy in a market.
That experience is unacceptable in a high rated restaurant like yours.
So the purpose of this letter is to let you know this terrible experience and ask you for my money back as compensation,
otherwise I will have to rank your restaurant with a low score and post my experience on the Internet.
Sincerely yours,
Erick Smith
