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[WRITING – WS003]

Confidential | Intellectual property of AMA 1

PAPER 2, Part 2 (You must write one of the following: an article, essay, letter, report, review or story)

How to Write a Formal Letter or Email

Look at the various parts of a formal letter:

Dear Mr/Ms (surname) - Dear Sir/Madam - Dear Sir or Madam, Reason for writing

I am writing to …

I am writing with regard to …

I am writing on behalf of …

Asking questions

I would be grateful if …

I wonder if you could …

Could you …? Could you tell me something about …?

I would particularly like to know …

I would be interested in having more details about …

Referring to their letter

As you started in your letter, …

Regarding … Concerning … With regard to …

Complaining

I am writing to complain about …

You said … but in fact what happened …

We were supposed to stay with British families whereas we actually stayed in a guest house.

Closing

If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Please contact me if you have any further questions.

Signing off

Yours sincerely, ( If Dear surname is used)

Yours faithfully, ( If Dear Sir/Madam is used)

Regards, First name + surname

Family name

What is the purpose

of your letter?

Use this if you don’t

know their name.

Perhaps you need to

get information.

Are you responding to a

question?

Perhaps you are

unsatisfied with a

company or person.

You could tell them when

you are available or how to

contact you.

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In most Formal letters you may have these parts: Reason for writing, Closing, and Signing off. You will need to determine which other parts you need by looking at the task or topic that the FCE provides. Here is an example:

You are reading an English language magazine and you see details of a language school that you are interested in.

LEARN ENGLISH AT YOUR OWN PACE! If you would like to study English on a course that has been specially designed to meet your needs and interests, then contact the Principal of the Effective Learning School giving details of your:

Motivation for studying English; length of time studying English; strengths and weaknesses in the language

Preferred start date and length of course

Hobbies and interests

We will contact you once we have received your details in order to arrange a programme of study for you.

Referring to letter #1



This is where you found

out about the

advertisement. You will

include this in your

Reason for writing.

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Exercise 1: Write your letter in 120-180 words to the Principal of the school. You must use grammatically correct sentences with accurate spelling and punctuation in a style appropriate for the situation. Do not write any addresses. Allotted time: 30-40 minutes Things to remember:

Use formal vocabulary and avoid using phrasal verbs.

Create an outline first.

Once your outline is complete, you are ready to write. Sample outline:

Reason for writing:

Eng. Language magazine learn English.

Referring to letter #1:

Live abroad Australia

10 years

Strength = grammar, weakness = listening Referring to letter #2: 2 weeks summer holiday, 2 hours each morning-MWF 2months Referring to letter #3: Football play w/ friends, keep fit + enjoy environment

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Sample Formal Letter:

Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing with regard to your advertisement in the Thanh Nien Magazine, where you offer an English course. I believe this course could meet all my expectations. I am currently 20 years old and plan on moving to Australia permanently next year; therefore, it is essential to master English. I have been studying English for 10 years; however, I still struggle with listening as I do not have much experience with speaking or listening at school or home. On the other hand, my grammar is quite good. Concerning the start date and length, I would prefer we start in two weeks since my summer holiday will begin leaving me with plenty of time. I could reserve each morning from 8:00 to 10:00AM. In addition, I believe Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the next two months may be the best opportunity for me to study. Regarding hobbies, I am passionate about football. I often play with my friends each day. I believe that playing sports is the perfect opportunity to maintain my health and enjoy the natural surroundings. look forward to hearing from you soon. Yours sincerely, Jon Snow

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You and four of your classmates hired a car for seven days to travel around England after your course at a school. The school that you attended recommended the company whose advertisement is below but you were not happy with the company. Using the notes you have made, write to the school suggesting that they do not recommend the company again.

Exercise 2: Write your letter in 120-180 words. You must use grammatically correct sentences with accurate spelling and punctuation in a style appropriate for the situation. Do not write any addresses. Time allotted: 30-40 minutes. Things to remember:

Use formal vocabulary and avoid using phrasal verbs.

Use the linking or transitional words in the box to help you go from one paragraph to another.

Create an outline first.

Once your outline is complete, you are ready to write.

HIRACAR Hire the Drive of your Life

Competitive all-Inclusive rates

Full insurance

Business or private user

Roof box hire

Flexible rates (daily, weekly, weekend rates)

Didn’t mention

mileage charge or

cleaning charge First $50 not

covered by

insurance

Very expensive

No discount for six-day trip

Not flexible with means of

payment

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Sample outline:

Reason for writing:

Complaint #1:

Complaint #2:

Complaint #3:

Complaint #4: Closing:

Your Outline:

In addition,

Then,

Also,

Next,

Concerning

Regarding,

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Sample Formal Letter:

Dear Sir, I am now writing to you to suggest that you do not recommend ‘Hiracar’ in the future. Firstly, all the rates were not included as was mentioned in the advertisement. In fact, we had to pay for the mileage as well as for the cleaning of the car. Then, unfortunately we had one of our car windows broken. The first £50 of the repair was not covered by the insurance although ‘Full insurance’ is advertised. We also hired a roof box for our bags and it cost us £100 for just a week, which was very expensive. I was disappointed not to get a discount for more than six days, and we could not pay by credit card. Despite these problems we had a good time but I think it is important for your school to recommend more reliable companies. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Regards, Abby Smith

[WRITING – WS003]


You are helping to organise a visit to an English Language Academy in Manchester. You have received a letter from John Webster, the director of the Academy. Read the letter and the notes you have made. Then write a letter to Mr. Webster using all your notes.

I am very glad to see that you are coming to our academy in July. I am sure you will all have a very enjoyable time and that you will learn a lot of English. You can either stay all together in a youth hostel, or individually with local families. Please tell me which you would prefer. Tell me something about your group so that I can organise interesting spare time activities. What sort of things do they like doing? Please ask if you need any further information. Yours sincerely,

John Webster

Your notes: Paragraph 1 – learning a lot of English is very important because …..

Paragraph 2 – say which you prefer, and why.

Ask what the weather's like in Manchester and what clothes you will need.

Exercise 3: Write your letter in 120-180 words. You must use grammatically correct sentences with accurate spelling and punctuation in a style appropriate for the situation. Do not write any addresses. Allotted time: 30-40 minutes Create an outline first.

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You have just returned from a trip to Canada. You flew there and back with Maple Air. You decide to write to the airline to complain about your flight and ask for some money back. Read the advertisement and the notes you made and then, using the information, write a letter to the airline. You may add other relevant points of your own.

FLY MAPLE AIR TO CANADA We offer:

3 flights a day

wide, comfortable seats

friendly, well-trained staff

a good choice of food – special diets no problem

the latest in-flight entertainment Phone 0179 765893 now or see your travel agent for more details.

Your notes:

Late boarding

Staff quite rude

No vegetarian food for me

Old film

Create an outline. Exercise 4: Write your letter in 120-180 words. You must use grammatically correct sentences with accurate spelling and punctuation in a style appropriate for the situation. Do not write any addresses. Allotted time: 30-40 minutes

[WRITING – WS003]



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how to write a formal letter or email - anh ngữ amadownload.ama.edu.vn/fce/fce write ws003.pdfhow...

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