English as a Second Language: Pass All Your Exams!

Informal Letters: Advice (Part 1)

What would my advice be?

Basics:

§ Read the instructions carefully.

§ Check the word count suggested.

§ Determine whether past, present, or future tenses should be used given the context.

§ There'd usually be 3 points. Make sure to address each of them and write about 3 details/sentences per point!

§ Depending on which exam you're taking, you might be given a short message/email from the person you're writing to, which is supposed to provide context. When reading it, extract the main ideas you should write about.

§ Take your situation into account, e.g. If you're a middle school student, don't write about having to attend a business meeting. Make it make sense!!! Of course, sometimes it can't be helped depending on the topic you're given...

§ Always justify the points you're making: Ask yourself the following questions: Why? How?

§ Do not add unnecessary details due to the word limit. Avoid paraphrasing things that have already been said.

Make it personal! Involve the reader:

§ Personalizations: Make sure the content of your letter is as relevant to the receiver as possible! Why are you telling your friend about the new school club you joined? Maybe you want them to join in on the fun, too! Why are you telling them about a new person you've met? Maybe you think they have a lot in common and will get along so you should all go to the cinema together next Friday?

§ Personalizations: It's always great to ask your friend a personal question. This proves you're close and comfortable with each other! Maybe make a compliment? Who doesn't love compliments?!

§ It'd be great to share your own opinion and/or feelings at some point, regardless of the topic. That's totally ok to do!

§ Make sure to ask at least one rhetorical question and/or tag question! They are especially useful in engaging the reader. Rhetorical questions & tags would make your letter less monotonous and would get the reader to feel more 'involved'!

Make it cohesive:

§ Make sure the examiner will have an easy time guessing if you're done answering one of the points and moving on to the next point. However, this should be done subtly! You can achieve that by using the appropriate linking words for your situation. This way, you can avoid writing dryly and have a cohesive letter, instead. (See next bullet point!)

§ Make sure to use linking words where applicable! Use them to address a new point and elaborate/add to it. You could also use linkers to link two sentences together.