Informal and Formal Letters

British & IGCSE › Checkpoint 8 English (Cambridge Lower Secondary 0861)

1. What is a letter, and where does it appear?

A letter is a piece of writing addressed to one reader (or one organisation) and sent by post. It always has a recognisable layout: a greeting at the start, a sign-off at the end, and – depending on the type – addresses and a date at the top. In the Checkpoint 8 exam you meet letters in Paper 1 (Non-fiction), Section B Writing, worth 25 marks with about 35 minutes suggested. There are two kinds, and you must decide which one the task needs before you write a word.

2. How a letter is marked (out of 25)

Your letter is marked with the same five categories as every Checkpoint writing task. Here is what each band asks for, in simple words, and what it means for a letter.

3. Features of letters

Learn the layout features first – they are the easiest marks to protect – then the language features.

4. How to structure a letter

Both types follow the same skeleton; only the tone and the content change. Each bullet point in the task normally becomes one body paragraph.

1. Read the task and decide: Do I know this person well? → informal. Is it an official person or organisation? → formal.
2. Underline every bullet point. Each becomes a paragraph.
3. Decide the greeting and the matching sign-off before you start, so you do not forget.
4. Write the layout first (address, date, greeting), then the opening paragraph.
5. Develop each body paragraph with at least three sentences: the point, the detail, the example or feeling.
6. Finish with a closing paragraph and the correct sign-off.

5. How to start and how to end

6. Useful phrases and strong vocabulary

7. Timing in the exam

8. Strong sample 1 – informal letter

9. Strong sample 2 – formal letter

10. Common mistakes

11. Checklist before you hand in

• I chose the right type (formal/informal) for the reader named in the task.
• Address and date are top right; for a formal letter, the recipient's address is on the left.
• Greeting + comma on its own line. Sign-off + comma on its own line, with my name below it.
• Sir or Madam → Yours faithfully. A named person → Yours sincerely.
• Every bullet point has its own developed paragraph.
• The register is the same from the first line to the last.
• I used at least three sentence types (simple, compound, complex).
• I used at least one of: a semicolon joining two related sentences, a colon, a pair of dashes, brackets.
• I checked the spelling of sincerely, faithfully, grateful and every ambitious word.

12. Practice tasks

1. Task A (informal): Your best friend has just moved to a new school in another city. Write a letter to your friend. You should: • tell them your news from your class • ask about their new school • suggest a plan for the next holiday. Write a quick plan.

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   Plan – Layout: address + date top right, Dear Karim, → Lots of love, / Best wishes, + first name. P1: How are you? Sorry for not writing sooner (football tournament). Writing because I miss you. P2: class news – new science teacher, the class trip to the Fayoum desert, a funny moment. P3: questions about the new school – friends, teachers, is the food better than ours? P4: holiday plan – you stay with us for a week in the mid-year break, with cycling in the park, a football match. P5: write back soon, regards to your parents. Words to use: hilarious, unforgettable, I can't wait. Punctuation: brackets for an aside, a semicolon joining two related sentences.

2. Task B (formal): Your town council plans to turn the only public park in your area into a car park. Write a letter to the head of the council, Mr Tarek Shawky. You should: • explain why the park matters to local people • describe what would be lost • suggest an alternative. Which greeting and sign-off do you use, and what goes in each paragraph?

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   Greeting: Dear Mr Shawky, → Yours sincerely, (the name is known), then your full name. Layout: your address and date top right. Mr Tarek Shawky, Head of … Council, address on the left. Re: Proposed car park on … Park. P1: I am writing, as a resident of …, to express my concern about… P2: why it matters – the only green space, children, elderly people walking, clean air. P3: what would be lost – trees, the playground, community events, plus one number for evidence. P4: alternatives – a multi-storey car park on the empty land near the market, or better bus services. P5: I would be grateful if you could reconsider… I look forward to hearing from you.

3. Correct the layout errors: "Hi Omar, how are you? … Love Youssef Ahmed."

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   Hi Omar, (or Dear Omar,) on its own line, then How are you? on the next line. The ending should be: Love, (with a comma, on its own line) and then Youssef on the line below – first name only in an informal letter.

4. A student writes: "Dear Sir or Madam, I'm writing cos the pool is closed and it's so unfair!!! Yours sincerely, Karim." Give four corrections.

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   1) I'm → I am, and cos → because (formal register, no contractions or slang). 2) so unfair!!! → one polite, precise statement, e.g. I believe this decision is unfair to junior members. (no multiple exclamation marks). 3) Yours sincerely → Yours faithfully, because the letter starts Dear Sir or Madam. 4) Karim → full name, Karim Adel, on the line below the sign-off.