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FCE - 2

FORMAL LETTERS

LETTERS OF APPLICATION

Read the advice on how to write a good letter of application.

1 - Make it clear which post you are interested in and how you heard or learned about
the job.
2 - Describe your present position or situation briefly and clearly.
3 - Begin the letter with 'Dear Mr ...', 'Dear Ms ...' or 'Dear Mrs ...'. However, if you don't
know the name of the person, remember that there is another phrase you can use.
4 - Sign off correctly. Use a suitable formal phrase.
5 - Make it clear when you can begin the job if it is offered to you.
6 - The final paragraph of your letter is just as important as the first paragraph. It must
be polite but it must also give them the impression you are really interested in the job.
7 - Explain why you think you would be particularly good for the job. You can make up
any details you like here.

Follow these notes when you write your letter of application.

1 - Remember it is not necessary to write any addresses.

2 - Write in a formal style. Avoid informal language.
3 - Cover the three qualities they ask for (good with children, sports, personality),
explaining clearly why you think you have these qualities. Use your imagination here.
Don't be afraid to exaggerate a little.
4 - Use some of the phrases from the letter given above.
5 - Be sure to tell them something about your present situation and when you could
begin working.
6 - Arrange your letter in clear paragraphs.
7 - Don't write more than 180 words.
GREETINGS AND ENDINGS
 Name of addressee not known
Dear Sir / Madam, Yours faithfully,

 Name of addressee known

Dear (Mr / Mrs White), Yours sincerely,

INTRODUCTIONS

* I am writing to (apply for / enquire about, etc) ....... which was advertised in .......
* With reference to your advertisement. I am writing to ........ / I am interested in ......
* I am writing in connection with your advertisement in (The Times) ......
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USEFUL PHRASES

* I would like the opportunity to ...........

* I would say that I am ...........
* I would be interested in ........
* As you can see from my CV, I .........
* I have had a great deal of experience in ..........
* Although I do not have a lot of experience in this field, I feel that I can ............

CONCLUDING

* I enclose my CV and the names of two referees.

* I can be contacted at the above address.
* Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require further information.

APPLYING FOR A JOB

You may be asked to write a letter applying for a job. If you are replying to an
advertisement, you must be careful to cover all the points. You should write in a suitably
formal style.
PERSONAL QUALITIES

* To be a .............. you - have to / have

ambition - flexibility - energy - determination - initiative - patience - tact -
imagination - a pleasant appearance

* To be a ............. you should / be

ambitious - efficient - flexible - energetic - determinated - patient - tactful -
imaginative
SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

* You have to / should - be good at

organizing - dealing with people - listening to people - persuading people - figures
- languages

* You have to / should / don´t have to / shouldn´t / needn´t - be able to

drive carefully - type fast and accurately - take shorthand - work accurately

* You have to / should / don´t have to / shouldn´t / needn´t - have

secretarial qualifications - teaching qualifications - especial training

* You have to / should - be prepared to work hard - get up early - travel

COMPARISON

* Being a secretary is much more interesting than being a typist.

* A teacher is just as well paid as a nurse.
* A teacher isn´t as badly paid as a nurse.
* A nurse´s working day is not as long as a doctor´s.
* A typist has to work harder than a secretary.
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APPLYING FOR A JOB (1)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to apply for the post of Social Events Organizer which was advertised in last
week's edition of Summer Jobs.

I am currently studying French and Italian at London University, so I speak both

languages very well.

I feel I would be suitable for this position because I have good organizational skills, and I
greatly enjoy going out and meeting new people. I have lived in London all my life so I
know many of the places that young students would enjoy.

I have experience of this kind of work. Last summer I was employed by Imperial Hotels
as a Tour Organizer, and I arranged excursions to places of interest in and around
London. I also worked for London Life last Christmas, which involved taking groups of
American tourists around the capital.

My course finishes in the middle of June, so I would be available for work at any time
during July and August.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further information I look forward
to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,
(sign)
(name and surname)
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APPLYING FOR A JOB (2)

Dear Sir,

I am interested in the post of secretary in your firm, which I saw advertised in Today´s
`Daily Clarion'.

I am twenty five years old and I studied at 'California High School' where I passed the
final exam with excellent qualifications.

Since I have been graduated I have been working at Eaton where I am employed as
secretary in the Personnel Department at present.

I am able to type fast and take shorthand. I am good at organising, dealing with people
and persuading people. My actual boss says that I have energy, initiative, imagination,
determination and a pleasant appearance. He also says that I have all what a good
secretary has to have.

I wish I gave up my present employment as I feel there are better prospects for my
career in a large firm such as yours.

If you would like any more information, please contact me at the above address.

Yours faithfully,
(sign)
(name and surname)
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APPLYING FOR A JOB (3)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to apply for the job of Summer Camp Host which was advertised in last
week´s edition of Summer Jobs.
Now, I am studying to be a teacher, so I like children very much.

I feel I would be suitable for this position because I am very good at dealing with
children and I greatly enjoy spending time with them, specially in open air places.

I have experience of this kind of work. Last summer, I worked for the local camp as a
post where I taught children how to play tennis and swim. I really love sports and any
other outdoor activity. I also worked in a school as a teacher where thanks to my
pleasant personality, I could learn how to organize children and solve possible problems.

My course finishes in the middle of December, so I would be available for work at any
time during January.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need any more information.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,
(sign)
(name and surname)

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APPLYING FOR A JOB (4)

Dear Madam,

I am writing in reply to your advertisement in `Health and Fitness´magazine for general

part-time work in your health club.

I am a 20-year-old Portuguese student and I come from Coimbra in the north of

Portugal. At present I am still studying at college but I am taking my final exams in May.
I have studied English for six years but I want to spend some time in England in order to
improve my spoken English.

I am interested in sport and fitness and at home I go to a sports centre three times a
week. I am also a member of the college swimming team. I get on very well with people
and I like making new friends. I do not mind doing any sort of work including cleaning,
washing up and helping in the gym.

I am prepared to work any hours but ideally I would like to work in the afternoons and
evenings only so that I can attend English classes in the mornings. I have friends who
live in Chichester, so accommodation is not a problem. My term ends on 28 th May, so I
would be able to start on 1st June.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,
Paulo Freitas
Paulo Freitas
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LETTER OF APPLICATION (5) - Unit 3

You may be asked to write a letter applying for a job. If you are replying to an
advertisement, you must be careful to cover all the points. You should write in a suitably
formal style.

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to apply for the post of Social Events Organizer which was advertised in
last week's edition of Summer Jobs.

I am currently studying French and Italian at London University, so I speak both

languages very well.

I feel I would be suitable for this position because I have good organizational skills,
and I greatly enjoy going out and meeting new people. I have lived in London all my life
so I know many of the places that young students would enjoy.

I have experience of this kind of work. Last summer I was employed by Imperial
Hotels as a Tour Organizer, and I arranged excursions to places of interest in and around
London. I also worked for London Life last Christmas, which involved taking groups of /
some American tourists around the capital.

My course finishes in the middle of June, so I would be available for work at any time
during July and August.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further information I look
forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,
(sign)
(name and surname)

**********************************************************************

APPLYING FOR A GRANT (1)

In addition to writing a letter of application for a job, you may also be asked to apply
for something else, such as a scholarship or a grant.

1 - Refer to the announcement and say why are writing.

2 - Give a few details about yourself and what you do. Keep this part fairly short - they
just want an idea of who you are, how old you are, etc.
3 - This is the main part of the letter, and you must use your imagination. Think of a
project that would help children in developing countries. You may use any of your own
ideas or any of the following:
4 - Explain how much you need and what you would spend the money on. It would be a
good idea to make it clear that you will be doing a lot of the work for free.
5 - Finish appropriately and say you look to hearing from them.

* Remember to write in a formal style.

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APPLYING FOR A GRANT (2) - Unit 12

In addition to writing a letter of application for a job, you may also be asked to apply
for something else, such as a scholarship or a grant.

Dear Sir or Madam

I am writing with reference to your announcement and would like to apply for a grant.

I am a seventeen-year-old student at Brandon School in London. I am studying science

because I intend to do medicine at university. I have always been interested in the
environment. I feel that we should make people more aware of the benefits of re-
cycling.

Last year, as part of our chemistry course, we did a project on re-cycling. The project
had two aims. The first aim was to study the problem of disposing of ordinary household
products such as bottles and plastics. We worked out which p products were safe to
throw away, and which ones could be re-cycled. Our second aim was to give this
information out.

We produced leaflets for students and parents and at the weekends we handed more
leaflets out in supermarkets. The cost of this came to about &1000. We also spent &500
writing to local shops, supermarkets and other businesses asking them to provide re-
cycling facilities.

I hope you will consider us for a grant for £1500, and look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,
Paul Porritt
Paul Porritt

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MAKING A REQUEST

THANKING
* Thank you for your ………………..
* Thank you for …………...ing
* I am very grateful for your ............
* You were very (kind/helpful/hospitable, etc) while I was in England, for which I am
very grateful.
* I am writing to thank you very much for ...
* I really appreciated your ...
* I would like to thank you for ...
REQUESTING
* Could you please ...?
* I wonder if you could ...?
* I wonder if it is at all possible for you to ...?
* I would be very grateful if you would/could ...
* Would it be possible (for you) to ...?
* I would greatly appreciate it if you could/would
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MAKING A REQUEST (1)
Dear Mr Wilson,

I am writing to thank you very much for making my stay so enjoyable. I really
appreciated your advice on sightseeing and having fresh fruit in my room every day.

I wonder if I could also ask you a favour. I realized when I got home that I had left my
glasses behind. They have gold frames, and are in a dark red plastic case, which has my
name and address written on the inside. I think I must have left them in the restaurant
during breakfast on the day I left.

If you manage to find my glasses, could you please post them to me, by registered mail,
to my home address? Of course, I will pay for the postage. Would it be possible for you
to let me know how much this is? I will send you a cheque as soon as I hear from you. I
would be very grateful if you could do this for me.

Please contact me if you have any problems with his matter, and once again, I would
like to thank you for all your help.

Yours sincerely,
Katy Elliot
Katy Elliot

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

INTRODUCTIONS

* I´ve just read a letter in (your magazine) about .............

* I am writing to express my opinion about a letter published in your (newspaper).
* With reference to the letter about ..., published in your (newspaper), I am writing to
say that I agree/disagree with the idea that ...
CONCLUSIONS

* I wonder if any of your readers agree with me?

* I am sure that many readers will support my idea.
* Do any more readers feel the same way?
EXPRESSING OPINIONS

* I am of the opinion that ...

* It seems to me that ...
* As far as I am concerned, ...
* In my opinion, ...
* I believe / think / support the idea that ...
* I am (strongly) in favour of ...
* I couldn't agree more that ...
* I am firmly opposed to the idea that ...
* I am totally against the idea that ...
* It is a shame / disgusting / terrible that .......
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USEFUL EXPRESSIONS FOR SEQUENCING IDEAS

The first idea

* Firstly, ………
* First of all, …………….
* In the first place, ……………….

Following ideas

* Furthermore, ………….
* In addition, …………….
* Another point is ……………

The last idea

* Finally, ……………
* A final point is ………
* Lastly, ……………

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A LETTER TO THE EDITOR (1)

Dear Sir/Madam,

I have just read a letter in your magazine about banning cars from the city centre. I am
strongly in favour of this idea.

Firstly, we have a serious problem with air pollution in our city. If cars were banned,
there would not be so much pollution, and people´s health would improve. The trees and
plants in our parks and streets would also flourish.

Furthermore, many people are already tired and frustrated when they arrive at work,
because they get stuck in traffic jams in the rush hour every day. If there were no cars
allowed in the city, people would use public transport more, and perhaps even walk to
work.

Finally, parking in the city is so difficult that cars are parked on the pavements, and
pedestrians have to walk in the road. Without cars in the centre, the pavements would
be free for pedestrians to do their shopping safely.

I think the government should do something about this urgently. Do any more readers
feel the same way?

Yours faithfully,

P: Kensit

P. Kensil
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