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.
Tasks where it fits
- Complaining to a company about poor service
- Writing to the council about a local problem
- Asking the principal to change a rule
Conventions the examiner checks
- "Dear Sir or Madam," or "Dear Mr Patel,"
- The reason for writing in the first paragraph
- A polite request, then "Yours faithfully/sincerely" and your name
Traps that cost Criterion C
- Contractions and chatty phrases
- Angry tone with no reasons or request
- Mixing "Dear Sir or Madam" with "Yours sincerely"
Who you write to
- A head teacher
- A mayor
- A manager
- A company
Why you write
- To request
- To complain
- To apply
- To suggest
What the examiner checks: 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.
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Stay formal from start to finish: A formal letter uses a formal register: polite, respectful and impersonal.
Leave these out
- No slang
- No contractions in the most formal versions
- No chatty exclamation marks
Keep the tone: 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 (1/2): 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.
Model: a letter to the mayor (2/2)
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.
Build it part by part: 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: 'and', 'so'
- 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.