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A GUIDE TO COMPOSITION AND LETTER WRITING FOR ANGLIA EXAMINATIONS

Liz Bangs Jones

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WRITING LETTERS IN THE ADVANCED AND PROFICIENCY EXAMINATIONS

These days, when so much communication takes place by email and phone, some might question the need to test letter-writing skills in an examination, and indeed, Anglia will keep this under review. For now and the foreseeable future however, there are good reasons why the letter-writing element of the exams is still valuable. Firstly, writing is not just ‘writing’; it comes in various forms and for various purposes. At these two levels we expect the candidates to show that they have enough written language to vary not only what they write about and but also how they write about it. Secondly, it is a requirement of the CEFR that at the higher levels, candidates are able to distinguish between formal and informal language and discourse. Letter writing is an obvious context in which to make that distinction. Thirdly, letters are still widely used and are also still widely seen by the people who receive them as a strong indicator of a sender’s level of literacy and competence in the language they are using. Letter-writing is, in other words, still a very valuable skill to acquire. Formal and informal letters: what’s the difference? The basic difference between a formal and informal letter is that you write an informal letter to someone you either know personally or might want to get to know personally and you write a formal letter to someone you don’t know personally or, for the purposes of the letter at least, won’t ever need to know personally. Within this broad definition, it is important to say that there is no black and white distinction between ‘formal’ and ‘informal’. The table on the next page shows how different recipients may require more or less formal letters on a scale rather than a strict division, with (1), (2) and (3) being generally informal and (4), (5) and (6) being generally formal. It also shows that the decision about the level of formality required is partly in the candidate’s hands and not only in the formulation of the task. For example, if the task says ‘Write a letter to a friend..’ the candidate must supply a convincing letter which indicates how close the friend is. If the task says write a letter thanking an aunt or uncle for a gift, the candidate must decide whether this is a formal letter to a much older aunt or uncle who live in England and whom they’ve never seen, or a relative they know very well who lives nearby. The purpose of the letter may also dictate the formality of the language used. For example, where would a neighbour fit into this scale? If you were inviting

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him/her/them to a party or to dinner in a quick note, the neighbours would probably be at (2). If you were complaining about something they had done which was unacceptable, they would probably be at (5) or even (6). Note also that writing a letter to a newspaper or magazine is probably not going to need as formal a letter as writing a letter of application, for example. The purpose of the letter also changes its language in more ways than just formal/informal. A letter of complaint about the condition of a local swimming pool may be a campaigning letter if written to a newspaper, but a business letter if written to the manager of the pool itself. Letters to:

Very informal (1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

Very formal (6)

Boyfriend girlfriend etc

Pen-friend Grand-parents

Teacher Newspaper or magazine

Possible employer

Best friend New friend Relatives you hardly ever see

Club leader Information bureau

Solicitor, bank, manager of a business etc

Structure in formal and informal letters. Letters, whether formal or informal, need planning and organisation. The examiners expect to see a suitable opening paragraph, middle paragraph(s), and appropriate closing lines. Even informal letters have certain conventions about how to start and end the letter:

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Informal letters (1) - (3) Formal letters (4) – (6) Opening paragraph

Either Enquire about the recipient’s health and well-being – How are you? Or Straightaway do what you’re writing for e.g. -Thank you for… -Sorry … -Congratulations on…

Say why you are writing – I’m writing to request/enquire… Reference to any previous correspondence or relevant facts

Middle paragraphs

Provide substance and detail of the letter

Provide substance and detail of the letter

Closing paragraphs

Either Make general statement of your feelings, hope or expectation Or Give an excuse for ending the letter e.g. Got to go now – Dad’s waiting to take me to the dentist

Make general statement e.g. about what you expect the outcome of the letter to be.

Final sentence

Pre-closing e.g. Take care, Write back soon, See you soon,

Use set expression e.g. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Addresses, Greetings and Salutations in formal and informal letters In Anglia examinations, candidates are expected to set letters out correctly. This doesn’t mean that at Anglia we have ‘house’ rules about this. There are several different ways to do this and any consistent way is acceptable. Here are three diagrams illustrating the accepted British English way of setting out letters. Even in Britain, this can vary according to the ‘house style’ of the company involved, for example, and conventions such as these may well be subject to different cultural norms. Formal letter: A) Is an example of ‘block’ layout: no commas, no indentation. B) Is an example of indented layout : this layout has commas and indentation In either case, if you use ‘Sir’ or ‘Madam’, close with ‘Yours faithfully’. If you use a name, such Mrs Jones, or Mr Smith, close with ‘Yours sincerely’ The date may be written 12 June 2006 (this has recently become the most used version) or 12th June 2006, not the 12th of June 2006 and preferably not 12 06 06 because as different countries have different ways of doing this it leads to confusion over which is the day and which the month.

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A

Sender’s address Next line Next line Next line

Addressee’s name Addressee’s address Next line Next line Full date: e.g.

30 June 2006

Dear Sir/Madam

Yours faithfully

signature

Name printed legibly

Paragraph one (give the reason for writing)

Paragraph two

Paragraph three

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

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B

Sender’s address, Next line, Next line, Next line.

Addressee’s name Addressee’s address, Next line, Next line.

Full date

Dear Mrs Jones,

Indent first line of paragraph (give the reason for writing)

Indent first line of paragraph

Indent first line of paragraph

I look forward to your reply.

Yours sincerely,

signature

Print name

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Informal Letters

Sender’s address Block or indented Full date

Dear first name (,)

Block or indented paragraphs (enquire about the recipient)

Love from

First name

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Language in very formal letters. In very formal letters, the candidate should • make use of set formal expressions (see below) • not use contractions • not use idiomatic expressions or colloquialisms • use indirect rather than direct questions • express ideas in clear, polite language • use the most academic vocabulary he or she knows (usually words of Latin,

Romance or Greek origin) • have a good, organised paragraph structure even for short letters. Here is a range of formal expressions for letters. This is not an exhaustive list, but an indication of the kind of language expected in very formal letters. Opening I am writing to request, complain, thank etc Request for action

I would be very grateful if you would/could ….

Apology I feel I must apologise for I owe you a full apology for Please accept my apologies for I apologise for any inconvenience I may have caused.

Thanks Thank you for I am extremely grateful for I feel I must thank you for

Making arrangements

Would it be possible for you to Would it be convenient for you to May I make a suggestion?

Pre-closing If you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me. If I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you for your attention in this matter. I hope this information has been of some help. With best wishes With very best wishes

Closing I look forward to hearing from you. I look forward to your reply.

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Language in informal letters. In informal letters, the candidate can • use contractions • sometimes miss out the ‘I’ subject e.g. ‘Sorry haven’t written before…’ or ‘Don’t

know where the time goes…’ or ‘Must stop now, the dinner’s burning’. • use idiomatic expressions or colloquialisms • show off any current slang he or she may have picked up (it’s really cool!) • ask direct questions, use exclamation marks, use checking tags (isn’t it? ) etc • write as if he or she is talking However, this is an examination and the candidate should also • have a good, organised paragraph structure even for short letters. • show a good range of vocabulary, such as phrasal verbs, which are often

considered in English to be less academic or formal There are many openings and closings possible in informal letters, depending on the closeness of the relationship between the writer and recipient: Dear Harry Dearest Harry My dear Harry My darling Harry Hi Harry! (often used in emails now) Love from Liz Love, Liz With love from Liz Lots of love from Liz Best wishes, Liz All the best, Liz See you soon, Liz Language in letters which are neither very formal nor very informal One of the most common forms of ‘semi-formal’ letters is the ‘campaigning’ letter, where a student is asked to write a letter to a magazine or newspaper complaining about something. In a letter such as this, elements of both formal and informal language may be appropriate and the best letter writers will be able to adjust to this. For example, the letter may be set out as a formal letter but instead of being completely low-key and polite all the way through may make use of rhetorical questions and angry exclamations to get the points across.