Introduction to letter writing

In the FCE examination students are asked to write one letter or an email message in the first part;
this task is compulsory - many times there is the option of another informal or formal letter in the
second part. Clearly, it is very important to master the techniques of writing letters if you want to
maximize your chances of going through the examination successfully.

The history of writing letters

Up until the introduction of cheap phone calls to other cities and abroad, millions of people wrote letters
to their friends, family members and loved ones in an attempt to keep in touch.
This practice however was stopped in the late 70s as more and more people found that telephoning
was a much better way to be in touch as it involves immediate response.

Letter writing remained the standard form of correspondence in the field of business mainly because a
letter is a legal document which can be used as evidence in court in the case of a dispute.

Business letters and the letters we still must write to people we do not
know in order to complete a transaction are quite formal.
How formal they are depends on the receiver and our relationship with
him or her. In any case, all letters keep to a basic format which is
outlined below.

PARTS of a letter
1. Opening (reference to PAST communication)
2. Main Message (presentation of the PRESENT situation and request for action)
3. Close (reference to FUTURE communication)

Modern formal letters tend to be short and to the point, rather than lengthy reports using very formal
language.
However, there are some simple rules that apply to all types of letters nowadays.

1. The layout: BLOCK style vs. traditional forms

Although some people still use indented paragraphing (old-fashioned type of companies/the Greek
Civil Service), the introduction of word processors in the work place in the 80s has changed the
style of letter writing.

Nowadays most formal letters are typed and so…

they use double space to indicate a change in the paragraph. Also…

the close remains on the left hand side of the page.
There are, of course, exceptions to the rules i.e. American vs. British English but on the whole, the
main idea is the one of opening/main message/close .

 The main message, which is the REASON FOR WRITING should not be too lengthy.
 Different paragraphs are used to show different subjects.
 The language used should be as clear as possible.
EXAM TIP: Although it is quite OK to use the old style of paragraphing in the FCE
exam, you must take into consideration the fact that you are your letter and that
your handwriting may not be the best one or the easiest in the world to read (!!!)…. so, it
might be a better approach to use block style as it makes your letter look neat.
FORMAL LETTERS page 1 © Panayota Lioupi
This is an actual BUSINESS letter. Look how it looks when it’s HAND-written in block style:


FORMAL LETTERS page 2 © Panayota Lioupi

Now look at the same letter HAND-written in the old style of paragraphing:

Block style
helps us create neater,
prettier, easier to read
letters!

FORMAL LETTERS page 3 © Panayota Lioupi

2. Conventions: Before you start writing

a The date
In Britain and most of Europe 06/09/09 means the sixth of September 2009 …BUT… in the United
States the same thing (06/09/09) means the ninth of June 2009!

Because you can't be certain how the person you're corresponding with will read the
date, it is better to write... 6 September 2009 ...
….and there will be no misunderstandings!

* Most computers record the date the American way (month-day-year). Check that you have the correct
date when you have received e-mail messages or copied something out of web pages!

b Subject Heading
This is a very clear way of showing what the letter is about. The use, or not, of subject headings in real
life usually depends on a company’s or an organisation’s standard practice.

Usually, subject headings help the person who receives the letter if the letter is about a particular
order/invoice.

You do not need to use a subject heading in the FCE exam unless you are writing a letter of complaint
for faulty goods or bad service, in which case, it is considered a plus.

If you would like to use a subject heading make sure that it goes before the opening salutation, in
the centre of the page and is underlined.

C Planning the paragraphs

An FCE task is typically a page with the situation e.g. you have received a letter and are required to
answer it (you must decide what kind of letter is required and to whom) and some notes that you have
made on that with the things you shouldn’t forget to include in your task.

What you need to do first of all, is:

1. Look at the task carefully and number the points you must cover on the exam paper.

2. Make a rough draft on your notebook/rough paper with what each paragraph should contain
and the order in which it should go.

At this stage you must be careful to include all the points asked by the task and in the correct
order (just group the points and use common sense!)

3. Check that you know what action you are going to ask people to take as a result of your letter.

FORMAL LETTERS page 4 © Panayota Lioupi

3. Conventions: The opening and the close
A. The OPENING SALUTATION:
This may depend on the relationship between the two people involved as this often
changes the tone of the letter/email to a more personal one.

When you open... Dear Sirs/Sir/Madam Dear Mr./Mrs./Ms Spock

you should close ... Yours faithfully Yours sincerely

When you open... Dear Ben,

you should close ... Best wishes/Best regards/Kind regards

This is how you decide which OPENING SALUTATION you are to use:
Dear Sirs, - to a company (you don't know anybody's name- first contact)
Dear Sir, - to a man if you don't know his name
Dear Madam, - to a woman if you don't know her name
Dear Mr. Anderson, - to a man
Dear Ms Rush, - to a woman (it is preferred nowadays unless a woman asks to be called otherwise)
Dear Mrs. Delande, - to a married woman who’s using her husband’s surname
Dear Miss Coath, - to a young unmarried girl
Dear Don, - to a friend or somebody you know well/ have been doing business with

BUT: you can not start a letter with

"Dear Mr. David", or
"Dear Mr. David Evans" !!

B. The 1st sentence of paragraph 1: ALWAYS start with

one of the following
The opening of a formal letter depends on
phrases…..

 whether you are asking or giving information…

I am writing to enquire about your letter of 15 May regarding….

 whether you had previous contact with the person you are writing to….

I am writing in connection with your email message of today concerning…

I am writing with reference to our telephone conversation of 10 June about…

With reference to your letter of 6 June

the advertisement which appeared…
In connection with … our telephone conversation earlier today

FORMAL LETTERS page 5 © Panayota Lioupi

 whether this is an answer letter….
Thank you for your letter (enquiring) about...
phone call of 10 May concerning...
fax asking if...
e-mail message enclosing...

C. The 2nd sentence of paragraph 1:

You have now set the tone of your letter. Now continue …

I am interested in .... and I would like to know ....

We are a school of … we are examining the possibility …
We are in the process of buying… are thinking of (…-ing)
I would like to receive/book/order/apply …

C. The close
The way you close a formal letter depends on the way you open it. Below, there are
some examples of different ways to close a letter.

If you gave information at the letter you can close:

I hope that the information will help you.

...and add...
Please, do not hesitate to contact me if you need any further
information.
or
Please, feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

There should always be reference to future communication…

I look forward to receiving your reply/order (FORMAL)
to hearing from you
to meeting you on Thursday

(I’m) looking forward to hearing from you soon (INFORMAL)

You will do the same things in a formal

email message; The ONLY thing that’ll
change is the fact that you MUST use a
subject heading in the header!

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Practice: Write the first and the last paragraph of the following letters.
You don’t need to use the addresses.

A You saw this TV commercial on CNN about a new printer (HP 3500L), that has not been
imported to Greece yet. Write to the company in the UK. ([email protected])

B Write to World Expeditions (76 Piccadilly E1 45F, London). You want to know if they are
organizing a trekking holiday in Tibet next Easter.

C You go to school in the American college in Athens. You heard about this company (Syriani
Catering Ltd., 112 Kifissias Ave., 124 62, Halandri) that does catering for several companies.
Write to the owner about the next school party (the only thing you know is that the manager is a
woman).

D You received a letter from an old professor of yours asking if you plan to go to a conference he
is to give a speech. His name is Humphrey Loser (24 Beck Rd, Oxford OX34FL).

E Write to MEGA Channel ([email protected]), to Ms I.M Bemba at the Media

Planning Department, asking for the price of TV commercials (weekends/before the 8 o’clock
news).

* Note that even though no addresses are necessary in the examination you should
remember that they are vital in real life!

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D. The main message.
The main message deals with all the above reasons for writing but it should be, as we mentioned
before, as brief and accurate as possible.

Never write a letter that is longer

than one page!
Here are some standard ways of SAYING THINGS in modern correspondence:

1. Giving good news

When the news is good, here's how you could give it:
I am happy to tell you
I am delighted to inform you that...
I am pleased to announce

2. Giving bad news

Sometimes, the news is bad! Then here's how you could give it politely!
I am sorry to tell
I regret to inform you that...

3. Requesting action (always in the last paragraph of the main message!!!)

When you want information you can write ...
Please could you give me some further details about ...
I would be grateful if you could let me know about/if ...
I would appreciate it if you could (possibly) inform me about…
I would like to know if

Could you inform me about

Could you fax/email me the price for …

When you ask people to do something for you, you can write...
Please could you ...
I would be grateful if you could...
I would appreciate it if you could…
…and add…
…as soon as possible
…without delay (…if it's URGENT!)
…immediately

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4. Giving the reason
Good or bad news, you've got to give the reason(s):
This has been/is because of ...
as a result of ...
due to ... (the fact that) ...
owing to* ... (* FOR BAD NEWS ONLY!!!)

And when you don't really want to tell the reason …

This has been due to unforeseen circumstances.

Practice
What would you write in the following situations? Choose a standard phrase. Work
with a partner and write the opening and the main message.

1 You have seen a large UK department store's (Dixon’s electronics) advertisement for their new
catalogue on the web. Write an email to ask for it to be sent to your home in Greece.

2 You need to find out if your father’s company will fund your English summer course in London.
Write to the Human Resources Manager.

3 Write to somebody who applied for a job at your father’s company (the name of the person is
Mr. Sotiris Hassouras) informing him that his application has not been successful.

4 Write to a travel agent, asking for the new brochures for Caribbean cruises to be sent to your
home. You want to leave in 15 days time and need to book as soon as possible.

5. Answer the letter of the Englishwoman who will be putting you up while you are doing a
summer course in London, telling her what your allergies and food preferences are.

FORMAL LETTERS page 9 © Panayota Lioupi

FORMAL LETTERS page 10 © Panayota Lioupi
 Letters of Complaint
Below are some guidelines to follow and some points to bear in mind if you are
required to write a letter of complaint.

The aim of a letter of complaint is:

to inform the other party of an unsatisfactory situation

to put an end to this situation by requesting a specific action which will satisfy
you

Be careful!!! The aim is NOT to threaten! Always be aware of the fact that you are
writing to a person of a different culture who might be offended by the
tone/content of your letter!
Style:
If the aims above are kept in mind then the style should be polite, concise, informative,
impersonal and objective (and of course formal!).
If the aims are not kept in mind your style might easily become , , ,
- , and !

1 When you want someone to take note of something you could write...

I should like to draw your attention to ... (the fact that..) ...
I should like to point out that ....
2 Sometimes you are a little angry. Then, you could write...

I should like to remind you that....

I hope that it is not necessary to remind you that....

A letter of complaint is not different from other letters in that certain information must
be included and some must be left out.
LETTER PLAN
1. Refer back to previous situation/event and give brief details such as times, dates and
ref./order numbers
2. say clearly what the problem is
e.g. Unfortunately, we have not yet received order no. 2465/a.

3. draw attention to any relevant information which will support your case (your arguments)
4. politely request a specific action
e.g. Please could you
We would appreciate it if you could… …deliver the order soon
We would be grateful if you could
5. make some specific reference to future communication (deadline)

6. close the letter (politely!)

EXAM TIP:

Do NOT start with "I am writing to complain about…".

 Better to start by referring back to an event/situation and add….

 Unfortunately, there were several problems with….

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Here are some phrases you could use:
 …unfortunately, the books have not arrived yet.

 Further to your article in … (date)… regarding our college and its activities

 Last week we accepted delivery of twenty bookcases for our school …

 It appears/seems that …

 … we regret to inform you that several of the CD players were found damaged on arrival.

 We are sorry to have to inform you that the problem has not been resolved.

 I should like to point out that this is the second service visit I’ve had to request in one month.

 I should like to remind you that…

 I should like to draw your attention to the fact that…

 I hope it is not necessary to remind you that/of …

 Therefore, we would like to receive our order as soon as possible.

 We would like/expect to receive a full refund immediately.

 We really must insist that the faulty goods are replaced immediately.

When you are making a complaint...

a say politely what the problem is

b explain why you are dissatisfied with the situation
c request action and give a deadline

GIVING A WARNING
You use a warning ONLY WHEN everything else has failed (it is extremely rare to have
to use it in the FCE exam)!!!

In a warning, the tone is still polite but you should

a ask for immediate action and

b give a deadline.

Unless we receive refund by …..(date) we will be forced to take legal action.

we will be forced to consult our solicitors.

If you do not (ACTION) … by …(date) we will consult our solicitors.

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FORMAL LETTERS page 13 © Panayota Lioupi
 Letters of apology
If you are required to write a letter of apology the following guidelines might be helpful.

As with any letter, you must ask yourself what the purpose of the letter is. In this
case, the purpose is:
to show people that you are aware of a problem, that you understand the difficulties they have
experienced as a result and that you genuinely regret this
to explain how and why the problem came about - i.e. giving a plausible reason - or if the
reason is as yet unknown, to let the other party know that you are trying to find out the reason
and, obviously, you want to continue the relationship and to repair any damage to your image

Style: If the above purposes are kept in mind, the style and tone should be:

factual concise formal helpful constructive

LETTER PLAN
1 open by referring back to a previous communication, e.g. letter, call, fax etc.
2 state your apology
3 explain how/why the problem was caused or say you are trying find out the causes
4 state what action you intend to take
5 close with a reference to the future and a SECOND apology
Language:
A. REFERRING BACK

Following your email of 4 July in which you informed us that,...

We have received your letter of 10 April and are sorry that you are not satisfied with the printer.
Further to your telephone call of this morning regarding the missing boxes of books, ...
B. FIRST APOLOGY

Please accept our apologies for the delay and inconvenience caused.
We would like to apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused.
We regret any inconvenience this may have caused.
We are extremely sorry that you have not yet received the present.

C. EXPLANATION

This was due to a staff shortage.

Owing to a general strike at the Post office, we did not have the goods ourselves until …
D. ACTION

We will of course refund the amount in full.

I will of course make every effort to find the cause of the problem.
We are currently investigating the matter and will let you know as soon as we have discovered the
reasons for the mix-up.
E. THE FUTURE

I hope that this has not caused you much inconvenience.

We hope that you will continue to use our services./I will make every effort to ensure that this does not
happen again.

F. SECOND APOLOGY

Please accept our apologies once again.

With apologies once again

FORMAL LETTERS page 14 © Panayota Lioupi

 Letters of application
1. Would you include, and if so where would you place, the following in a formal
letter of application?
the sender's name the recipient's name
the sender's address the recipient's address
the date Dear Sir/Madam,
Dear Mike, Dear Ms Jones,
Yours, Yours faithfully,
Yours sincerely, Love,
2. Look at the following letter of application. The sentences are jumbled up. Put
them in the correct order and decide where the letter should be divided into
paragraphs.
a. My responsibilities have included all types of secretarial work, arranging and attending
presentations, working with clients and solving problems that arise. I believe that I have
excellent communication skills and I am eager to explore my possibilities for further professional
development.

b. If you consider that my qualifications and experience are suitable, I should be available for
interview at any time.

c. Yours sincerely,

d. I noted with interest your advertisement in today's Guardian.

e. You will see from the enclosed curriculum vitae that I have five years experience as a P.A.,
three of which have been in the field of marketing and public relations.

f. Dear Mr Brown,

3. Find the examples of formal language in the letter above, which have, more or
less, the same meaning as the following more informal phrases:
a. I get on well with.......
b. I can come for an interview......
c. I think I can do more.......
d. I don't think I can get promoted.....
e. I saw and liked......

4. Match the following informal phrases (a-g) with their more formal equivalent (i-
vii):
a. Write back soon i. If you consider that my experience and
qualifications are suitable
b. I'd love to come to talk to you
ii. I would be grateful if you could inform me
c. My C.V. is inside the letter
iii. I look forward to hearing from you
d. If you think I'm OK for the job
iv. I have enclosed my curriculum vitae
e. I want to apply
v. I am keen to extend my range
f. Let me know please
vi. I should be very pleased to attend an
g. I want to do different things interview
vii. I wish to apply
FORMAL LETTERS page 15 © Panayota Lioupi
5. Give one of these titles to each of the paragraphs in the letter:

i. Reason for applying for the job.

ii. Reason for writing the letter.
iii. Experience.
iv. Invitation to contact.

WRITING TASK: CLASS WORK

You are 16 years old. You have read an advertisement in last Sunday's "Kathimerini" about a
summer job at the Mykonos Sports Centre.

SUMMER JOB. If you are willing to work

hard and earn a lot of money this summer
then perhaps you should apply to us for a
job! We need young hard-working people
with a friendly attitude who are fluent in
English to work as admin assistants for 3
months in the summer. Accommodation and
full board provided.

Apply to:

MYKONOS SPORTS SENTRE,

The Manager,
PO Box 41237
Mykonos Greece

or [email protected]

As you feel rather bored with your present occupation as a student and fed up with living at home,
you decide that a summer job in a new place would be ideal for you!

Look at the advertisement and the notes you have made and write the letter. Write a letter or an
email message of between 120 to 150 words. Do not use any addresses.
WORK WITH A PARTNER!

FORMAL LETTERS page 16 © Panayota Lioupi

 Part 1

You must answer this question.

1 You are a student at a language school in Britain. You have seen an advertisement
for a summer job which you are interested in. Read the advertisement and the notes
you have made and write a letter to Ms McDonald.

Sales Assistants Required for the Summer

Due to our recent expansion programme we now have branches in several

European countries, including Greece, Portugal and Spain.
We are looking for energetic young sales staff to work in our stores from July
to September. We offer

when?
howmuch?
A good basic salary
howmany hours a Bonuses and overtime
excellent working conditions
week? generous discounts for staff

what dothey sell?

If you are interested, write to Ms Fiona McDonald, giving details of your
previous work experience, languages spoken and reasons why we should
employ you.

Marks and Spencer, Ramille House, Ramille Street, London W1V2E

[email protected]
What for?

Write an email of between 120 and 150 words in an appropriate style. Do not write
any addresses.

FORMAL LETTERS page 17 © Panayota Lioupi

 APPENDIX: Model letters
1. Opening and close (page 7)
A You saw this TV commercial on CNN about a new printer (HP 3500L), that has not been
imported to Greece yet. Write to the company in the UK. ([email protected])

……

B Write to World Expeditions (76 Piccadilly E1 45F, London). You want to know if they are
organizing a trekking holiday in Tibet next Easter.

……

C You go to school in the American college in Athens. You heard about this company (Syriani
Catering Ltd., 112 Kifissias Ave., 124 62, Halandri) that does catering for several
companies. Write to the owner about the next school party (the only thing you know is that
the manager is a woman).

……

D You received a letter from an old professor of yours asking if you plan to go to a conference
he is to give a speech. His name is Humphrey Loser (24 Beck Rd, Oxford OX34FL).

……

FORMAL LETTERS page 18 © Panayota Lioupi

E Write to MEGA Channel ([email protected]), to Ms I.M Bemba at the Media
Planning Department, asking for the price of TV commercials (weekends/before the 8
o’clock news).

……

2. Main message (page 9)

1 You have seen a large UK department store's (Dixon’s electronics) advertisement for their
new catalogue on the web. Write an email to ask for it to be sent to your home in Greece.

2 You need to find out if your father’s company will fund your English summer course in
London. Write to the Human Resources Manager.

3 Write to somebody who applied for a job at your father’s company (Mr. Sotiris Hassouras)
informing him that his application has not been successful.

4 Write to a travel agent, asking for the new brochures for Caribbean cruises to be sent to
your home. You want to leave in 15 days time and need to book as soon as possible.

’
5. Answer the letter of the Englishwoman who will be putting you up while you are doing a
summer course in London, telling her what your allergies and food preferences are.

FORMAL LETTERS page 19 © Panayota Lioupi

3. Royal School (page 10)

149

FORMAL LETTERS page 20 © Panayota Lioupi

4. Letters of complaint (page 13)

147

FORMAL LETTERS page 21 © Panayota Lioupi

5. Letters of application (page 17)

Minas Mantas <[email protected]>

[email protected]

Letter of application

Dear Ms McDonald

I am writing with reference to your advertisement of 10 March in Timeout magazine about

the sales summer job as I would like to apply for the post.

I am 17 years old from Athens, Greece. I am currently a student of English at the Bell school
in London and I would like to work for your shop in Athens next summer. I have always
been very interested in fashion and I am also sociable and enjoy being in contact with
people.

Please inform me which products you sell and what my duties and working times will be.
Also, I would like to know the salary and what bonuses are based on. Finally, please let me
know how much overtime is required.

If you are interested in my application I am available for an interview at any time.

I look forward to hearing from you

Yours sincerely 150

Minas Mantas

FORMAL LETTERS page 22 © Panayota Lioupi