WRITING FORMAL LETTER

Dear Mr/Ms (surname), Dear Sir/Madam/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

(If Dear surname) Yours sincerely, (If Dear Sir/Madam) Yours faithfully, Yours,
First name + surname

 Remember that in formal letters we use

Formal vocabulary, usually not using phrasal verbs

(Tolerate instead of put up with)

More complex sentence structure

(Knowing what a good reputation the restaurant has, I was disappointed with the service)

Punctuation using semi-colons

The library offers no facilities for borrowing videos; this is because of the high cost involved

 Look at this task. You are attending a course in London. Last week, because the

trains were delayed by bad weather, you were late for college every day. On the worst day, the train was 1 hour 20 minutes late and you missed two classes. This is an extract from an information leaflet you have picked up at the station.
We hope you have a pleasant journey with Capital Rail, but

if you have any comments or complaints about our services, please write to the Customer Care Manager at the address below. What we promise to do when things go wrong: If you are delayed for more than one hour you may claim rail vouchers to the value of 50% of the journey made.

 Write a letter to the Customer Care Manager at Capital

Rail complaining about the poor service you have experienced and asking for compensation. Use your own words as far as possible. Write about 250 words. You do not need to include addresses.

Read the instructions carefully and highlight the key

points. Ask yourself:

What is the purpose of your letter? What do you want it to achieve?

 Content Your letter should include the following points. Why you are writing Which of your journeys were delayed

How long the delays were

What happened as a result of the travel delays What compensation you require

 Organisation
Decide how you will organise these points into about four

paragraphs. What kind of things can you say in each paragraph?

Style and register Thinking about what you want the letter to achieve, consider

these questions:

Should the letter be formal or informal? What tone is appropriate, eg angry, humorous, sarcastic, cool and

factual?

Layout of a formal letter This is how we organise a formal letter, although in the CAE exam it is not necessary to write addresses. 22 York Street Bridewell BR8 450 The Principal 24 November 2006 Clifton College Clifton CL5 2RE Dear Sir, I am interested in applying for a place on a computer course at your college and I would be grateful if you could send me full details of the courses you offer and the fees, together with an application form. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours faithfully S. M. Gilchrist S. M. Gilchrist (Ms)

 Letter of complaint

In the first paragraph explain the reason for writing. In the second paragraph explain exactly what the problem is. Give all the necessary details about where and when it happened and who was involved. Give other relevant information in further paragraphs if necessary. In the final paragraph explain what action you want to be taken.

Useful language I am writing to complain about to express my concern about the fact that to express my annoyance at . I must insist that you . I must urge you to . I feel I am entitled to a refund. I feel I am entitled to some compensation for the inconvenience I have suffered. I hope you will consider the points I have raised very carefully. I shall expect a written apology at your earliest convenience.

 Endings
It is usual to end letters which expect a reply with a

sentence on a separate line. The most common ending is: I look forward to hearing from you.