Formal letter writing tips

Writing Task - FORMAL LETTER

Dear Sir/Madam (In case you don’t know the name → Yours Faithfully)

Dear Mr X (→Yours Sincerely)

Reason for writing (Who I am (not the name!), What I want, When and Where it happened)

I am writing with regard/reference to (the article which appeared when/where) to express my concern about/disappointment with/dissatisfation with/disapproval of/apologies for (motivation)

Body (2/3 paragraphs – Points from input material)

• Firstly/To begin with/Moreover
• In fact/Furthermore/In addition/Finally
• (I feel) I must also (dis)agree with
• I would like to/ I want to  point out that
• According to your (article)/ Your (article) states that.. However/which is completely wrong

Action Step/Desired outcome

• I trust/very much hope you will (print this letter in the next issue of your newspaper)
• I would appreciate it/be grateful if you would
• It seems only fair that you should
• I look forward to receiving/seeing
• In light of the above (I feel I am entitled to a full refund and a formal apology)

Ending

Yours faithfully/Yours Sincerely

Firma

(Ruolo/Carica)

Linking Words:

	Formal	Less formal
Addition	furthermore, in addition to, in the same way as, moreover, similarly	also, and, as well as, besides, just as
Opposition	although, however, nevertheless, nonetheless, whereas	but, or, so, on the other hand
Reference	in all cases, in general, in many cases, in most cases, in some cases, regarding, with reference to	since, so
Cause and effect (result)	accordingly, consequently, on the whole, therefore, thus, unfortunately	anyway, at any rate, because, because of
Listing	firstly, finally, in the first place, secondly, lastly, next	after, and, and then, before, first, last, second, soon, then

http://www.flo-joe.com/cae/students/writing/makeover/makeover23.htm

Follow this link to see a model answer with corrections.

Listening tests parts 1 and 2

Part 1
You will hear three different extracts. For questions 1 – 6, choose the answer (A, B or C) which fits
best according to what you hear. There are two questions for each extract.

Extract One
You hear two students talking about a work-experience scheme they took part in.
1 Why does the girl regret her choice of company?
A The office was poorly equipped.
B The staff tended to ignore her.
C The work lacked variety.

2 They both think that the work-experience scheme has
A been good preparation for a future job.
B made them appreciate student life more.
C taught them a lot about the business world.

Extract Two
You hear part of a discussion programme in which two journalists are talking about the
world’s wetlands.

3 What does the man think about wetlands?
A They would benefit from more visitors.
B Their beauty is artistically important.
C They serve only a limited purpose.

4 What is the woman doing?
A explaining how easily wetlands can be restored
B suggesting why wetlands are disappearing
C describing the way wetlands are exploited

Extract Three
You overhear a woman showing a friend one of her childhood photos.

5 What point is she making about the photo?
A It is an accurate portrait of her family life then.
B It looks more posed than she remembers.
C It perfectly captures a brief moment.

6 As a result of looking at the photo, she realises that
A possessions acquire a significance beyond their practical usefulness.
B it’s a mistake to become too attached to objects.
C objects from that era lasted longer.


Part 2
You will hear a chemical engineering student called Jack Byers talking about his course and a
research project he took part in during his summer vacation. For questions 7 – 14, complete the
sentences with a word or short phrase.

JACK’S VACATION PROJECT

Jack says it was his special interest in the issue of (7) …………………………………
that led him to choose his degree subject.
Jack thinks he’ll be reluctant to work in the (8) ………………………………… industry in the future,
due to his interest in conservation.
Jack hopes that his future work will help various (9) …………………………………
to be processed in a better way.
Jack says that people sometimes mistake pieces of plastic on beaches
for (10) …………………………………… .
Jack says that plastic on beaches which is (11) …………………………………in colour
has usually been in the sea longest.
Jack uses the term (12) ………………………………… plastics
when talking about the kind of items he thinks should be eliminated.
Jack thought that part of a (13) …………………………………
was the most interesting piece of rubbish he found during the project.
While cleaning the beach, Jack was asked to examine the (14) …………………………………
which was lying on the sand.