What a formal letter is for: A formal letter is a professional text type in the writing paper. You write it to someone you do not know personally and who has a role — a head teacher, a mayor, a manager, a company.
You might write to request, complain, apply or suggest. Whatever the purpose, the examiner is checking two things: the right conventions (layout) and the right register (formal tone).
- sender's address
- your address, top right (or left in some layouts), above the date
- date
- the day you write, e.g. 3 April 2026, placed below the address
- salutation / greeting
- the opening line, e.g. 'Dear Mr Patel,' or 'Dear Sir or Madam,'
- opening line
- the first sentence, which states why you are writing
- body
- the middle paragraphs that develop your message
- closing line
- a polite sentence before you sign off, e.g. 'I look forward to your reply.'
- sign-off / valediction
- 'Yours sincerely,' (named person) or 'Yours faithfully,' (Dear Sir or Madam)
- signature
- your full name under the sign-off
The shape of a formal letter — 5 parts
1
Address + date
Your address, then the date below it. (In an exam you can keep this short.)
2
Greeting
'Dear Mr/Ms [Name],' if you know the name; 'Dear Sir or Madam,' if you don't.
3
Opening line
Say why you are writing in the first sentence: 'I am writing to…'
4
Body
Develop your message in clear paragraphs, one idea each, in a polite tone.
5
Sign-off + name
'Yours sincerely,' / 'Yours faithfully,' then your full name.
Address + date → Greeting → Opening → Body → Sign-off
The sincerely / faithfully rule: If your greeting names the person (Dear Mr Patel), sign off Yours sincerely. If it doesn't (Dear Sir or Madam), sign off Yours faithfully. Getting this right is an easy Criterion C mark.
Stay formal from start to finish: A formal letter uses a formal register: polite, respectful and impersonal. No slang, no contractions in the most formal versions, no chatty exclamation marks. Choose this tone in the greeting and keep it all the way to the sign-off — switching tone mid-letter costs marks.
Informal — wrong for a formal letter
- Hi Marta! / Hey there!
- Can you sort this out for me?
- Thanks loads!! See ya!
- It's a total nightmare, tbh.
Formal — what you want
- Dear Ms Carter, / Dear Sir or Madam,
- I would be grateful if you could…
- Thank you for your time. Yours sincerely,
- The situation has become a serious concern.
Useful formal phrases (reuse these)
- I am writing to… — to open and state your purpose
- I would be grateful if you could… — to make a polite request
- I would like to draw your attention to… — to raise an issue
- Furthermore, … / In addition, … — to add a point
- I look forward to hearing from you. — to close before signing off
Polite, not weak: Formal does not mean timid. You can complain firmly while staying respectful: 'I would be grateful if the council could repair the park' is far stronger, and scores higher, than 'Please fix the park!!'.
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Read it like Paper 2: The best way to learn a text type is to read a strong model and notice its features. Here is a formal letter to a town mayor. Read it once for the message, then we'll analyse one exam question together.
Model: a letter to the mayor: 12 Maple Road Greenfield GF4 2QT
3 April 2026
Dear Madam Mayor,
I am writing to you regarding the state of the neighbourhood park, which has gone several months without maintenance. The play area is now unsafe and the paths are overgrown.
I would be grateful if the council could look into repairing it as soon as possible, as many families use the park every day. I would also be happy to help organise a clean-up day with local volunteers.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully, Marcus Lima
- regarding
- about; concerning (a formal way to introduce the topic)
- maintenance
- the work of keeping something in good condition
- overgrown
- covered with plants that have grown too much and not been cut
- I would be grateful if…
- a polite, formal way to make a request
- look into
- to investigate or examine something
IB-style task — one Paper 2 question
One question, step by step
- The question — "According to the letter, what does the writer offer to do?"
- Find it in the text. Look for what the writer says they would do: "I would also be happy to help organise a clean-up day with local volunteers."
- The answer — They offer to help organise a clean-up day with local volunteers. The words are right there, so no outside knowledge is needed.
Reading technique: For an "according to the text" question, find the exact line that proves your answer — don't rely on memory or general knowledge.
The task: You want to organise a charity event at your school. Write a formal letter to the head teacher to request permission and explain what the event is.
Building the letter part by part means you never forget the greeting, the opening or the sign-off. Aim for an informal-free, polite tone throughout.
Build the letter — 3 parts
1
Opening
Greeting + a first sentence that states your purpose. 'Dear Mr Patel, I am writing to request…'
2
Body
Develop the request: what, when, why it matters. Keep it polite and clear.
3
Closing
A polite closing line + the correct sign-off + your name. 'I look forward to your reply. Yours sincerely, …'
Opening → Body → Closing
Model: the 3 parts in action
The letter, part by part
- Opening — Dear Mr Patel,
I am writing to request permission to organise a charity book sale in the school hall. - Body — The sale would take place during the lunch break on the last Friday of term, and all of the money raised would go to a local children's hospital. Several students have already offered to help, so it would require very little of the school's time.
- Closing — I would be grateful if you could consider this request. I look forward to your reply.
Yours sincerely, Lena Ortiz
Why it scores: This answer hits all three Paper 1 criteria — here's what earns each one:
A — Language /12
- Polite, formal structures: 'I am writing to request', 'I would be grateful'
- Connectors: 'so', 'and all of the money'
- Accurate, varied vocabulary
B — Message /12
- Task fully done: requests permission AND explains the event
- Ideas developed: what, when, why, who helps
C — Conceptual /6
- Letter conventions: greeting + sign-off
- Correct register: formal throughout
- 'Dear Mr Patel' → 'Yours sincerely' (named pair)
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Where marks are won and lost: Most formal-letter marks are lost on convention slips and register slips, not on big grammar. Fix these small things and the whole letter scores higher.
| Common mistake | Fix it like this |
|---|---|
| No greeting, or 'Hi!' as the greeting | Open with 'Dear Mr/Ms [Name],' or 'Dear Sir or Madam,'. |
| 'Yours sincerely' after 'Dear Sir or Madam' | Unnamed greeting → 'Yours faithfully,'. |
| No opening line — diving straight into details | First sentence: 'I am writing to…'. |
| Slang or chatty tone ('tbh', 'gonna', '!!') | Use polite formal phrases: 'I would be grateful if…'. |
| No name at the end | Always sign off with your full name. |
Quick self-check before you finish: Run through the frame: greeting → opening line → body → closing line → sign-off → name. If any one is missing, add it — each is a conventions mark.
A 30-second plan before you write
- Who is the reader, and do I know their name? (decides the greeting and sign-off)
- What is my purpose — request, complain, apply, suggest? (decides the opening line)
- Two or three body points, one paragraph each.
- A polite closing line, then the correct sign-off and my name.