Writing a formal letter

SPM ENGLISH
By JUGDEEP KAUR GILL
WRITING a formal letter can be difficult for some students but with the right
guidance and some practice it can be made easy.
When writing a formal letter, you must pay attention to the format/layout of the
letter. Besides, you must also keep it short and to the point.
Also, make sure your points or ideas are well-presented. Most importantly, pay
attention to the tone and language. A formal letter must be polite.
There is no need to be rude even if you are expressing your unhappiness or
dissatisfaction. Remember, you should not use informal language or contractions in
a letter of this nature.
These days there are several formats available for writing formal letters but we will
only look at the format which is used in Malaysian government departments and
taught in the Malaysian school system.
Guidelines for Writing a Formal Letter
1. Your address

Your address should appear on the

left-hand corner.

2. A horizontal line across the page sepa rates your address from the
recipients address.
3. Address of the person to whom you are writing

The recipients address should be

below your address.

The postcode and name of the town should be underlined.

4. Date

The date is written on the right along the same line as the last line of the
recipients address.

The month should be spelt out (i.e. it should be in words, not numbers). It
must be written in full (do not use abbreviations such as Sept) and in capital
letters.

5. Salutation/Greeting

If you know the name of the recipient, then do use his surname (Dear Mr Tan)

If you do not know the name of the person to whom you are writing, then use
Dear Sir or Madam

6. Subject heading

The subject heading gives the reader an idea what the letter is about.

Write the subject heading directly below the salutation and it should be
underlined

7. The body of the letter

The body of the letter refers to the contents of your letter.

It should be divided into short and clear paragraphs.

All paragraphs should be numbered except for the first and last paragraphs.

a. In the first paragraph, you should state the reason for writing (whether it is to
inform, to complain, to invite etc).
b. From the second paragraph onwards, you should include information that is
deemed necessary, depending on what you are writing about.
The number of paragraphs depends on what you are writing.
c. In the last paragraph, state what you expect from the recipient. This is usually in
the form of an action or response. It is a common practice to end a formal letter
with phrases such as I look forward to hearing from you or I hope prompt action will
be taken to solve this problem.
A note of thanks is usually included

Remember to organise the information in a clear and logical manner.

Also, do not write lengthy paragraphs.

8. Ending

You can end the letter by writing Yours faithfully.

In practice, we usually use Yours

sincerely, if we know the recipient but for exam purposes I would advise you
to use only Yours faithfully.

9. Signature
Do not forget to sign the letter and write your name below it in capital letters
with in brackets.

Above is a letter of job

application. The numbers refer to the notes above.
Read the sample question below
You are the Secretary of the Residents Association in your housing estate. Write a
letter to the director of the local municipal council to complain about the problems
you and the other residents are facing.
In your letter, include the details below:
rubbish not collected

causes terrible stench

stray cats and dogs scatter rubbish

clogged drains

breeding ground for mosquitoes

increase in cases of dengue fever

 street lights not working

cause accidents at night

increase in crime

playground not well- maintained

overgrown grass

playground equipment damaged

When writing your letter, you should remember to:

set it out in the correct format

include all the points given

address the letter to the director of the local municipal council

Rajvind Gill,
10, Jalan Jujur,
Taman Jayadiri,
68000 Ampang,
Selangor
The Director,
Ampang Jaya Municipal Council,
Bangunan Mentari,
Ampang Jaya,
68000
SELANGOR.
15 SEPTEMBER 2009
Dear Sir,
Poor Maintenance of Taman Jayadiri
I am writing this letter on behalf of the residents of Taman Jayadiri to complain
about the dismal conditions we have been putting up with for the past three
months.

2. One of the main grouses of the residents concerns uncollected rubbish (point
1). Initially, rubbish was collected three times a week. However, since June this year
the garbage collectors have only been coming once a week. Our litter bins are
always filled to the brim and we have no choice but to leave our bags of rubbish
next to the bins. The rotting waste causes a terrible stench (point 2). Worse
still, stray cats and dogs scatter the rubbish (point 3) while looking for food.
This is not only unpleasant but also unhealthy.
3. Most of the drains in Taman Jayadiri are clogged (point 4) with rubbish
resulting in the water becoming stagnant. It is not uncommon to see plastic bags,
bottles and dry leaves in these drains. There is an urgent need to clear these drains
as the stagnant water is an idealbreeding ground for mosquitoes (point 5). The
residents are worried as there has been a sharp increase in dengue cases (point
6) in the last two months.
4. The street lights along several roads are also not working (point 7). This has
caused several accidents at night (point 8), mostly involving motorcyclists as
they are unable to see in the dark. Unfortunately, the dark streets have also led to
another problem an increase in crime (point 9). Several residents, especially
women, have fallen victim to snatch thieves.
5. The one and only playground in our area is also not well-maintained (point
10). The grass is overgrown (point 11) as it has not been cut for almost three
months. Besides, the playground equipment is damaged (point 12). Many of
the see-saws and swings have been spoiled by vandals.
I hope the council will look into our complaints and take prompt action to solve our
problems.
Thank you.
Yours faithfully,
RajvindGill
(RAJVIND GILL)

Writing informal letters

SPM SERIES: ENGLISH
By JUGDEEP KAUR
LETTER writing is an important aspect of any writing course. This is because letter
writing is a very important activity in our daily lives, be it for business or personal
purposes.
In the Malaysian secondary school system, students are taught to write two types of
letters formal letters and informal letters although the latter is a dying art in this
age of e-mails and text messages.
Informal letters are easier to write in terms of format, language and tone. These
letters are sometimes called social or friendly letters. Examples of informal letters
include letters to family members and friends.
Lets look at some important aspects of an informal letter.

In the accepted format, candidates must

indent paragraphs
use proper punctuation
use capitalisation where necessary
For example, the month of the date (10 January 2009), the salutation (Dear Maria)
Under normal circumstances, it is perfectly acceptable to use informal language
(e.g. stuff, jam-packed) and contractions (Ill, wont) in an informal letter, but this is
usually not acceptable in the local examination system.
1. Some useful expressions on how to begin an informal letter
Thank you for your letter which I received yesterday.
I was pleasantly surprised to hear from you.

 It was wonderful to hear from you after so long.

Thank you for your letter. I was pleased to hear that you are in good health.
It was really nice hearing from you. I am glad that you like your new school.
I hope this letter finds you in the pink (of health).
Thank you for the lovely birthday card.
2. Some useful expressions on how to end an informal letter
I promise to write to you soon.
I hope you will reply soon.
Give my best wishes to your parents.
I am looking forward to seeing you.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Do write and tell me how you are progressing.
Do write soon.
Let us take a look at a sample question. The question below is similar to the
question in the previous weeks article in terms of content points. Only the text-type
differs.

Dear Raihan,
It was a lovely surprise to hear from you after such a long time. I know I lost a
good friend when you moved to another town but I understand you had no choice
as your father had to take up the new posting.
In your letter you asked me for some advice on what you should do to become
a successful student. If you want to be successful, you must set goals. People who
set goals accomplish more than those who do not. Write these goals on a piece of
paper and put it up on the wall near your study table. This way, you will be
reminded of your goals every day.Moreover, you must be motivated. When you
are motivated you will have a strong desire to do well and to achieve your goals. I
have put up some inspiring motivational posters on the walls in my room. In
addition,you must pay attention in class. Listen actively and focus on what the
teacher is teaching. If you have disruptive classmates, sit in front of the classroom,
away from them. Always ask questions if you do not understand. Seek
clarifications from your teachers or your friends if you are shy to approach the
former.
Another important tip to being a successful student is to be organised. You
can use a planner or notebook to write down all your assignments when they are
given. This way you will not forget your homework, dates of tests or projects.
Remember, if you are organised, you will be well- prepared and you will have less
stress. You must alsocomplete your homework on time. Homework helps
reinforce what you have learnt. It helps you understand and remember the
information your teachers have conveyed in their lessons.
To be a successful student you must prepare well for exams. A successful
student is one who prepares for exams well in advance, and not at the eleventh
hour. You must have diverse interests if you want to be an outstanding student. You
should take part in co-curricular activities in order to become a well-rounded
person. These activities help develop leadership skills and teamwork besides
instilling values like cooperation and tolerance. Discipline is an important aspect of
our lives. No matter where you go or what you do, you will be subjected to rules and
regulations. Hence, it is crucial that you obey the school rules. Besides, you
must respect everyone. You must respect your parents, your teachers, the school
staff and also your friends. You must respect other peoples feelings and opinions.

There are also several things you must avoid if you want to be a successful
student. You must avoid wasting time. These days many teenagers spend hours
chatting online on social networks such as Facebook or playing computer games.
These are a waste of time and will not benefit you in any way. Remember, Time and
tide wait for no man. Also, avoid skipping school. Some students feel that school
is a waste of time as they can learn better from their tuition teachers. This is not
true. Your teachers are experienced and well qualified. They are also experienced
examiners and they know how to impart knowledge effectively
I have to stop here. I hope the above tips will come in handy. Till I hear from
you, take care.

Dear Raihan,
It was lovely to hear from you after such a long time.
In your letter you asked me for some advice on how to become a successful
student. If you want to be successful, you must set goals.Moreover, you must be
motivated. Motivation makes you work hard. This will help you to achieve your
goals. In addition, you must pay attention in class. Focus on what the teacher is
teaching. You mustalways ask questions if you do not understand. You can ask
your teachers to explain things to you.
To be a successful student you must be organised. Use a notebook to write
down all your homework. This way you will not forget to do your homework. You
must also complete your homework on time. Homework helps you to understand
and remember what the teachers have taught. Besides, you must prepare well
for exams. You must not study at the eleventh hour. You should also take part
in co-curricular activities. These activities help you becaome a better person. You
learn leadership skills and values like cooperation and tolerance. Discipline is
important in our lives. Hence, it is important thatyou obey the school rules.
Lastly, you must respect everyone. You must respect your parents, your
teachers, the school staff and also your friends.

There are also several things you must avoid if you want to be a successful
student. You must avoid wasting time. Do not waste time on Facebook. Also, do
not play computer games all the time. It will not help you in any way. Avoid
skipping school. If you skip school, you will miss out on important lessons and you
will find it difficult to catch up with your other classmates.
I have to stop here. I hope you find the above tips useful. Till I hear from you,
take care.

The sample above is meant to show weak students how they can get marks for
format and content. Most of the sentences are simple sentences and the
elaborations are simple.
Remember when you write an informal letter:
Do not use slang words
Do not use words which are in a language other than English. This means you
cannot write Dear Abah, or Dear Amma even if that is how you address your
parents.
Do not sign off with Love and Kisses. Keep that for your personal letters.