Informal Letters
Last month, you travelled to another city. You told a friend who lives in the
city that you would meet them, but you did not. Write a letter to this friend. In
your letter
apologise for not meeting him/her
explain why you did not contact him/her earlier
suggest a time and place to meet in the future
Your friend is about to move into a new house. Write a letter to this friend. In
your letter
offer to help him/her to move
explain how exactly you can help
ask him/her some questions about the new house
You are getting married later this year. You want to invite your friend to the
wedding. Write a letter to this friend. In your letter
tell your friend that you are getting married
tell them when and where the wedding will take place
ask them to help you prepare for the wedding in some way
You are starting a new business and need to build a website. You have a
friend who works for an IT company who you want to help you. Write a letter
to this friend. In your letter
describe your new business
ask your friend to help you build the website
say how you will thank your friend for his/her help
You recently borrowed something from a friend. Unfortunately, the item has
become damaged. Write a letter to this friend. In your letter
remind your friend that you borrowed something from him/her
explain how the item became damaged
suggest how you can resolve the issue of the damaged item
An English-speaking friend has written to ask you for help in arranging
accommodation in your town / city when they visit next month. Write a letter to
this friend. In your letter
give details of some accommodation you think is suitable for him/her
suggest what your friend should bring with them
recommend some places for him/her to visit on the trip
An English-speaking friend would like to visit your town / city and has written to
you to ask for some advice. Write a letter to this friend. In your letter
say when the best time to visit your town/city is
tell your friend what the most interesting places are
suggest where they can find cheap accommodation
One of your friends lives in another country. You want to spend some time
working in that country. Write a letter to your friend.
In your letter, you should:
describe why you want to work in that country
tell him/her about your skills and experience
ask some questions related to work (e.g. wage/salary)
You stayed at your friends’ house when you participated in a business
seminar in Australia. You left a file with important documents in your room.
Write a letter to your friend, describing the file and ask him/her to return it to you
by post.
You should write at least 150 words.
You are going away to travel for the summer. A friend will be looking after
your house while you are away. Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:
say where you are going
describe your house
explain some of the things your friend must do to look after your house.
You should write at least 150 words.
A family member is coming to stay with you. He/she will be arriving by train
in the morning, but you won’t be home until the evening. Write a letter to your
relative. In your letter:
explain the arrangements you have made for them to get keys and enter the
house
tell your relative how to get from the train station to your house
say when you will be home and suggest what you could do together that
evening
You should write at least 150 words.
Semi-Formal Letters
You drive to work, but have recently had a problem parking your car at the
office.
Write a letter to your manager. In your letter
describe the problem with the parking
explain how this is affecting you
suggest what should be done about the problem
You have been invited to give a talk at a local community college in America
about your home country. Write a letter to the secretary of the college. In your
letter
accept the invitation and offer a possible date for the talk
summarise what information you will include in the talk
say what equipment you will need the college to arrange for you to give the
talk
You work for an international company and need to take some time off work
to celebrate a family event. Write a letter to your manager. In your letter
give details of the family event and why it is important you attend
say how much time you will need away from the office
suggest how your work could be covered while you are away
A neighbour recently invited you to a special party. You intended to go, but at
the last minute were unable to attend. Write a letter to your neighbour. In your
letter
apologise for not going to the party
explain why you didn’t go
suggest a way to make up for missing the party
You recently gave a successful presentation at work. You borrowed a book
from a colleague, which helped prepare for the presentation. Write a letter to
your colleague. In your letter
say what the presentation was about
explain why the presentation was important
describe how the book helped you prepare for the presentation
You recently completed a course. You borrowed a book from your teacher
while on the course but were unable to return it to him/her before the course
ended. You would like to return the book now. Write a letter to your teacher. In
your letter
say what the book was and explain why it was helpful for you
explain why you didn’t return the book before the end of the course
suggest a way that you can return the book
You have a meeting with your manager the next day. Write a letter telling
him/her what you are going to discuss in the meeting.
In your letter, you should tell:
what you have done for the company in the year you worked there
what changes you would like to recommend
what training you require
Write a letter to a teacher asking for a reference letter for a job and explain:
Why you have chosen him to write the reference letter
What kind of job you are applying for
Why you think you are suitable for this job
You should write at least 150 words.
You are not happy with the course you are doing at college and would like to
change to a different course. Write a letter to the college director requesting to
change your course. You should include details about:
what course are you doing now
why you are not satisfied with that course
what course would you like to change to
You should write at least 150 words.
Your neighbours have a dog that is noisy at night. You can’t sleep. Write a
letter to your neighbours. In your letter:
describe the problem with the dog
explain why it is important for you to sleep
outline what your neighbours could do about the situation.
You should write at least 150 words.
Write a letter to your manager about your work from the last year. Include
What you did
What you think you could improve
A training request
You should write at least 150 words.
Formal Letters
You recently visited a local restaurant with your family and had a very good
meal.
Write a letter to the editor of a local newspaper. In your letter
explain where the restaurant is
describe what you ate in the restaurant
say why you would recommend the restaurant to others
You read in a newspaper that a company is going to renovate some school
buildings in your local area that are in a poor condition. You would like to
offer your help. Write a letter to the charity paying for the renovation. In your
letter
explain why you want to help with the renovations
suggest what you can do to help
say when you are available to start work
You live close to a restaurant and have recently been disturbed by the noise
coming from the restaurant in the evenings. Write a letter to owner of the
restaurant. In your letter
explain why you find the noise disturbing
suggest a way to solve the problem
explain what you will do if the problem is not solved
You have recently accepted a job in an English-speaking country. When you
move to the new country, your children will need to attend school. Write a
letter to the headteacher of your children’s new school. In your letter
explain that you are moving from another country
describe your children and their educational needs
ask for some information about the school
You recently went on a trip and thought that the tour guide was particularly
helpful. Now you would like to show him/ her your appreciation. Write a letter
to the manager of the tour company. In your letter
describe the tour
explain why you liked the tour guide
say what you would like the manager to do to reward the tour guide
You recently travelled by plane. While you were at the airport, a member of
staff helped you with a problem, and now you would like to show him/her
your appreciation. Write a letter to the manager of the airport. In your letter
explain what the problem was
say how the member of staff helped you
say what you would like the manager to do to reward the member of staff
You and your family are planning to spend a weekend at a seaside hotel. Write
a letter to the hotel making the arrangements. Let them know
when you will be arriving and leaving,
what type of rooms you would like
and ask them how much the weekend will cost
also enquire about activities and places of interest near the hotel.
You should write at least 150 words.
You have recently ordered an item through the Internet, but are not happy
with the purchase. Write to the company. In your letter:
describe what you purchased,
explain why you are not happy with the purchase,
tell them what you would like them to do about the situation.
You should write at least 150 words.
Write a letter to the manager of your local bus service. They have recently
made some changes to the bus services which created inconveniences for you.
In your letter, explain:
what are the changes
what are the problems you are facing
what part of the service would you like to change
You should write at least 150 words.
Write a letter to a hotel manager in another city to ask about a 2 day business trip
for yourself and your colleagues. Include
An introduction to your office
Information about the business trip
Other requests
Write a letter to a friend telling them about an interesting website you found. Tell
your friend
How you found it
How it can help
How you use it
