VERBS – INFORMAL & FORMAL

Informal Formal

say sorry apologize, apologise

go up increase

go down decrease

set up establish

look at examine

blow up explode

find out discover

bring about cause

put off postpone, delay

rack up accumulate

make up fabricate

stand for represent

find out discover, ascertain

leave out omit

point out indicate

go against oppose

get in touch with contact

It’s about It concerns, It’s in regards to

need to required

think about consider

get obtain

put up tolerate

deal with handle

seem appear

show demonstrate, illustrate, portray

start commence
 Informal Formal

keep retain

free release

get on someone’s nerves bother

ring up call

show up arrive

let permit

fill in substitute, inform

block undermine

give the go ahead, greenlight authorize, authorise

TRANSITIONS – INFORMAL & FORMAL

Informal Formal

Anyways Nevertheless

Plus/Also Moreover/ Furthermore

But However

So Therefore/Thus

Also In addition, Additionally

as soon as possible/at your earliest

ASAP
convenience

Okay, OK acceptable

In the meantime In the interim

I think In my opinion,

In the end, Finally

To sum up In conclusion,

In a nutshell/Basically To summarize,

Anyway, Notwithstanding

All right Acceptable

 Informal Formal

Well,

To top it all off,

On top of it all,

In order to

EMPHASIS WORDS – INFORMAL & FORMAL

Informal Formal

lots of/ a lot of much, many

tons of, heaps of large quantities of, a number of

totally completely, strongly

really, very definitely

LETTER EXPRESSIONS – INFORMAL & FORMAL

Informal Formal

Hi Robert, Dear Sir or Madam

Just wanted to let you know… I am writing to inform you…

Love, Yours sincerely, Yours faithfully,

Cheers,

Yours Truly, Best regards, kind regards

Hope to hear from you soon I look forward to hearing from you

You can call me if you need anything Please do not hesitate to contact me
 ABBREVIATIONS – INFORMAL & FORMAL
Informal Formal

ASAP as soon as possible

T.V. television

photo photograph

cell cell phone

net Internet

SLANG – INFORMAL & FORMAL

Informal Formal

kids children

bad negative

good positive

really big considerable

right correct

wrong incorrect

smart intelligent

cheap inexpensive

loaded rich
Introduction

The purpose of the introduction is to:

1. Address your friend, the recipient of the email, in an informal

style.
2. Personalize the email.
3. Tell your friend why you’re writing this letter (this will be
mentioned in the question). Sometimes, you need a transition to
start the reason why you’re writing this letter. Normally, the word
used is “anyway” or “anyhow”. And please avoid writing the cliché
“I’m writing this email/letter to…” as it’s obvious you are writing
one!

Addressing your friend and personalizing the email can often be

combined, for example, “Congratulations on winning the national
Swimming competition! I knew you could do it!”. This introduction
addresses your friend and shows the examiner that you know your
friend well (you know that he/she entered a swimming competition and
won).

Always remember that you should keep the introduction

short and create an interest in the topic while maintaining a chatty
style. Ideally, the reader should be eager to read the rest of your letter.

Here are some examples of effective introductions.

 Congratulations on your award! So sorry I couldn’t write to you

earlier; it’s been a hectic week over here. You won’t
believe/imagine what happened yesterday! Prepare to have your
jaw drop!
 I’m sorry I haven’t written for so long, but I’ve been busy settling
into my new house. Hope you’ve got over the flu. Anyway, I
thought I’d drop you a line to let you know …
 How’re things? It’s been ages since we last talked! I thought I’d
share with you a once-in-a-lifetime experience I had yesterday.
Trust me, you’re going to be amazed!
 How’re you? I’m sorry I’ve been a little on the quiet side—you
know how hectic life gets sometimes. Anyhow, …
 I’m sorry I haven’t written (for ages/since we last met/for a long
time), but I’ve been busy studying and haven’t had the time. Guess
what! …
 It was lovely to hear from you last week. Hope you’re feeling better
after your injury. I can’t wait to tell you … // I’m dying to tell you …
  It was good to hear from you. I’m glad you finally got your driving
license! How about taking me for a ride next Friday? Anyways, …
 I’m glad you convinced Aunt Sara to get you the new iPhone you
wanted! How is it going so far? Anyway, buckle up because you’re
in for some gripping news!
 I haven’t heard from you in a bit. Things (are/have been)
(okay/uneventful/super busy/pretty stressful/pretty exciting/up and
down) on (my/this end). As you probably know, …
 Just read your email and I’m terribly sorry to hear of the loss of
your pet cat Luna; she was very special. So, I thought I might drop
you a line to cheer you up a bit.
 How’ve you been? We should get together soon to catch up on all
the news. In the meantime, I have an interesting story to tell you.
 I’ve been meaning to write since your graduation day, but what
with one thing or another I’m afraid I just haven’t had the time.
Anyway, you’ll never believe/guess …
 I hope you’re doing well. Sorry for not replying sooner—I have
been busy as a bee preparing for my exams. I know this may
sound unbelievable but …

You’ll find many more examples on the samples page; however, try to
be creative and original in your thoughts and don’t limit yourself to the
examples suggested.
Body

The following guidelines should be considered when writing the body of

an informal email.

 Read the bullet points CAREFULLY. Take care of the tense (Are
they past events or future events?). Some bullet points will have 2
parts. You should cover both.
 Draft a plan for your letter in the blank space below the question
using a pencil. Write briefly and in bullet points. Jot down any ideas
you get for each bullet point and any interesting vocabulary or
expressions suitable for the task that came to your mind. Spend no
more than 5 minutes on the plan.
 You may use the pictures in the question, but you will gain more
marks if you use your own ideas. Try to be imaginative so that
your email will be more interesting but keep it realistic and
convincing (do not mention things that are impossible to happen
in the real world).
 Write 2-3 body paragraphs. It’s best to write 3 paragraphs, each
covering a bullet point in the order given in the question. However,
 you can still combine bullet 1 and bullet 2 in the 2nd paragraph and
write bullet 3 in the 3rd paragraph.
 Keep to the topic (don’t wander away from the main subject of the
email). Remind yourself constantly by looking again at the
question.

 Develop your Content very well by:

1. Adding more details

2. Expressing your thoughts and feelings using a wide range of
vocabulary, for example,

 I was surprised to see that…

 I was amazed to find that …
 I was disappointed to realize that …
 We were delighted to learn that …
 We were horrified to hear that …
 To my astonishment/delight/horror, …

3. Giving explanations where appropriate, for example, “I couldn’t pull

myself together. You know me—I always panic in emergencies.”

 Personalize your email. Personalizing creates interest in your

writing and shows the examiner that you are friends and know
each other well. Personalizing phrases make the reader feel that
he/she is included in your thought as you write and that his feelings
and opinions have been considered. You should aim to use 3-4
personalizing phrases in your letter.

You can personalize by:

1. Mentioning something you know about your friend

E.g. I know you’re a nature lover, so why don’t you come along?

2. Mentioning something your friend knows about you

E.g. You know me—always the adventurer!

3. Mentioning previously shared experiences where relevant

E.g. Do you remember that orphanage we visited?

4. Just including your friend in your thoughts

E.g. I wonder what you would have done.

Here are some useful personalizing phrases:

 As you probably know, …

 As you can imagine, …
 As you might have guessed, …
 Wait until you meet/see/taste …
 You’ll be glad/pleased to know that …
 You’ll really enjoy …
 I know you love football, so I’ve…
 You know how I’m afraid of being alone/you know how scared I am
of heights
 You know me—I always …
 I don’t need to tell you how excited I was when…
 I wish you’d seen the look on my grandma’s face when…
 Don’t you wish you’d been there?
 I wonder what you would have done.
 I was delighted to hear that you got your driving license.
 By the way, have you heard about Karim’s car accident?

 Use time sequence phrases to organize the events of your story

(if applicable). Here are some examples:

 We’d just sat down at our desks when the fire alarm went off.
 The moment I walked into the room I noticed something strange.
 Just as we were about to catch the bus there was a deafening
noise.
 As I opened the door, I heard a scream.
 I was driving at top speed when, to my horror, I noticed my brakes
were not working
 When my mother and I were at the City Centre Mall last night, I
happened to notice…
 Anyhow, last Friday turned out to be totally different. It all started
when my brother Peter went out to buy groceries and…
 We were waiting for the school bus this afternoon and as the bus
drew up at the usual place near the school’s main entrance, we
heard a deafening noise.
 After what seemed like ages …
 Later that afternoon …
 Shortly after that …
 The minute I walked in the door…
 It wasn’t until sometime later…
 By this time …
 In the end …
Conclusion

The purpose of the conclusion is to indicate to the reader that the email
is coming to a close. It should address the recipient of the
email and personalize the whole piece. And it should be very brief.

Here are some effective examples of conclusions (some might not be

suitable for every topic such as the 1st example):

 I really wish you were there! You would have loved it! Give my
regards to James and Uncle Joe. Reply soon!
 That’s it for now. See you soon!
 Catch you soon.
 Speak soon.
 Shoot me an email soon.
 I must dash now. Update me on your trip to London!
 I’ve got to go. Write back!
 I must go now. Stay blessed!
 Don’t you wish you’d been there? Must dash to see if there is
anything about it on the local news.
 What are your plans for later this week? Let’s grab a coffee on
Friday if you’re free.
 Before I close, did you see the new exhibit at Ithra? Want to check
it out sometime?
 Time to stop. I have my assignment to complete; the last day of
submission is tomorrow.
 Well, I must stop now. My annoying brother is banging on the door.
Got to open it before he breaks it down.
 My mum’s calling for dinner, so I’ll cut this letter short. Take care!
 I’m looking forward to seeing you soon/ hearing from you soon.
 How’re things on your end? Let me know what’s been going on
with you.
Important points to keep in mind

Dos:

 Organize your letter into 4-5 paragraphs. Leave a line between

paragraphs or indent the first line of each new paragraph. Don’t do
both!
 Take care of spelling, punctuation, and grammar. This is
important as the examiner will look at the accuracy of your
language.
 Use informal cohesive devices and linking words. Here are
some examples.
 Transition: anyway, anyhow
 Addition: and, also, plus, next, what’s more, not only that, but that’s not all,
above all, and best of all, and one of the best things …
 Contrast: but, yet, though
 Reasoning: because, so
 Other: fortunately, luckily, you know, well, by the way, you see Ben (or
your friend’s first name), etc.

 Use contractions, for example, you’re, haven’t, I’ll, etc.

 Use phrasal verbs, figurative speech, and informal
expressions. The use of idioms can be appropriate but be careful
not to use too many of them as it can make your writing sound
unnatural (1-2 idioms are ok). They also need to suit the task and
be used accurately. If you’re unsure, it’s better to avoid using them
completely.
 Use questions and question tags to engage with your friend, for
example, “What would you have done?”, “How does that sound?”,
“What do you think?”, “That’s terrifying, isn’t it?”, “Sounds exciting,
right?”, etc.
 Use a combination of simple, compound, and complex
sentences. A series of long sentences will make your writing
difficult to read, and a series of short simple sentences will make
your writing boring to read. Balance is the key.
 Use a wide range of vocabulary, including some advanced
and less commonly used ones. Don’t use common adjectives
such as happy, nice, bad, sad, etc. Try to think of more advanced
and interesting alternatives such as ecstatic, pleasant, terrible,
heartbroken, etc.
 Use advanced punctuation sparingly (1-3 in the whole letter), for
example, colon (:), semicolon (;) and em dash (—).
 Write in an active voice (not passive). For example, write “We had
a wonderful time”, instead of “A wonderful time was had by us”.
Writing in an active voice is natural, but I mentioned it just in case.
 Aim to complete towards the maximum word
limit (approximately 200 words for the current syllabus and 160
words for the new syllabus). Exceeding the word limit slightly (15-
20 words) is fine as long as you write accurately and complete the
task within the correct time. If you exceed the word limit by any
number of words, be it even 100, no marks will be cut directly, but
you increase your chances of making more mistakes which may
result in deducting marks. If you write towards the lower limit or
below, you are highly unlikely to achieve the highest band for
Content as your content is not well developed.
  Spend about 30 minutes on this exercise: the initial 5 minutes
for planning and the last 2-3 minutes for checking your work for
simple spelling and grammatical mistakes.
Don’ts:

 Don’t use abbreviations and slang (texting language) such as

how r u, OMG, BTW, etc. Remember: this is an international exam.
 Don’t use formal vocabulary, for example, I apologize, I wanted
to inform you, etc.
 Don’t use formal linking words, for example, firstly, secondly,
furthermore, moreover, in addition, additionally, finally, lastly,
however, in conclusion, etc.
 Avoid listing (firstly, secondly, thirdly, etc.). If necessary, you might
use other informal alternatives to “firstly”, such as “To start with”,
“For a start”, or “For starters”, but listing is not preferred
whatsoever.
 Avoid repetition of vocabulary and beginning your sentences
with the same words. Sometimes, students write 3 or more
sentences in a row starting with “The” or “I”!
 Don’t waste time writing an address or a subject. They are not
necessary.