FORMAT PURPOSE STYLE TITLE HEADINGS STRUCTURE

ESSAY Give information and Formal No No 1. Introduction

your opinion about a 2. Prompt 1 development +
topic. Objective tone. reason(s)/example(s)
3. Prompt 2 development +
NO contractions. reason(s)/example(s)
4. Prompt 3 development +
reason(s)/example(s)
5. Conclusion (you may include your opinion
here)
FORMAL Application letter. Formal No No Salutation or Greeting: "Dear Mr Simpson," /
"Dear Mrs Flanders," / "Dear Miss Skinner," /
LETTER/EMAIL
Complaint letter NO contractions. "Dear Ms Van Houten,"
"Dear Sir," / "Dear Madam," (if you know you
Enquiry letter (request Usually NOT using are writing to a man or a woman) or "Dear Sir
information) PHRASAL VERBS. or Madam," or “Dear Sir/Madam,”
Opening The first paragraph states the
reason(s) for writing, what you are responding
to (an advert, a prospectus...).
Main content The rest of the body will be
organized in paragraphs: that will make
reading easier and the effect on the target
reader will be better.
Closing The end of your letter is as important
as the beginning. You usually state what you
would like the recipient to do, make a
reference to a future event, offer to help...
Final salutation Depending on how you
started your letter, you will end your letter
with:
Yours sincerely (when you know the name of
the person you are writing to)

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 Yours faithfully (when you don’t know the
name of the person you are writing to)
Sign your name and then print your name
clearly underneath on another new line.
FORMAT PURPOSE STYLE TITLE HEADINGS STRUCTURE
INFORMAL Usually between people Informal No No Salutation or Greeting: Start with Dear
LETTER /EMAIL who know each other followed by the first name of the person to
fairly well. Phrasal verbs, whom you are writing. In emails, you can also
start with Hi.
To request information, Contractions, Openings Usually replying to another letter.
congratulate people, You would normally start with a greeting, then
Question tags.
give advice and ask acknowledge the letter to which you are
questions. replying. It is often a good idea to acknowledge
some key information given in the original
letter too. You can also make a comment on
your own reply.
Closing The end of your letter is as important
as the beginning. There are some standard
ways of finishing an informal letter or email.
Give a reason why you're ending the letter:
Send greetings and/or make reference for
future contact.
Closing statement If you used a comma after
the opening greeting, use a comma here too.
Signing off: Your first name then follows on
another new line.
ARTICLE Written or an English- Personal or more Yes No Divide your article into sections according
language magazine or neutral style, but not to the input. One or two paragraphs will
newsletter. formal. Contractions. do.
The reader is assumed Give examples where
appropriate to bring
to have similar Develop the ideas in the task input.
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 interests to the writer. your article to life.
To inform, interest and Use humour where Give a conclusion and summary in the last
engage the reader, so appropriate. paragraph.
there should be some You can address the
reader directly and ask
opinion or comment.
them a rhetorical
question.

FORMAT PURPPOSE STYLE TITL HEADING STRUCTURE

E S
REVIEW Describe and express a Personal or more Yes No First paragraph: say what you are
personal opinion about neutral style. reviewing and try to get the reader's
something which the interest.
writer has experienced NO contractions Second paragraph: give your opinion of
(e.g. a film, a holiday, a what you are reviewing linked to the
product, a website etc.) question. Remember a review is not just a
list of facts - it's largely your opinion.
Give the reader a clear Third/fourth paragraph: Give more
impression of what the details of what you are reviewing linked to
item discussed is like. the questions in the input but only focus
on those you've been asked to develop.
Description and
explanation are key Last paragraph: summarize your view,
functions for this task. using different words from the
introduction, and include a
It will normally include recommendation.
a recommendation to
the reader.
REPORT Usually written for a Impersonal, semi- Yes Yes Introduction: Begin by stating the
superior (e.g. a formal style. purpose of your report. (You may invent
teacher) or a peer where you got the information).
group (e.g. members NO contractions Clear layout with: Lists of numbered
of an English club). points or bullets where appropriate.
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 Candidates are Divide your report into sections according
expected to give to the input Focus on a maximum of two
some factual points).
information and make Last paragraph: Give a clear summary of
suggestions or the situation and make a
recommendations. comment/suggestion.

USEFUL VOCABULARY ESSAY

To express personal opinions In my opinion, I believe (that) / I feel (that) / it seems to me / in my view /as I see
it I think / personally
To show purpose to / in order to / so as to / so that
To list ideas Firstly / secondly / finally / In the first place / Lastly
To contrast ideas However / although / in contrast / whereas / but / nevertheless / in spite of / despite
To describe a cause Because / since / as / due to
To show a sequence First of all / then / after that / eventually / in the end / finally
To add information In addition / moreover / what is more / besides / too / furthermore / and
To describe a consequence Consequently / as a result / therefore / so / thus / for this reason / that is why
To conclude the topic In conclusion / to sum up / in short / all in all
Involving the reader Just imagine... /Have you ever...? / How would you feel if ...? / Are you one of those people
who ...? / If the answer is ..., you should.... / What would live be like if...
Making the article lively and interesting I was absolutely terrified when I realised... /More importantly, it
was something I... / Not surprisingly, it's a good way of raising money. / The tent was worryingly small for three
people! / It was the most amazing experience I have ever had. ...
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Developing your points Let’s start with ... / Another advantage of ... / On top of that, ...
Giving your own opinion I think that / In my opinion ... / It seems to me that ... / If you ask me, ... / To my
mind...

USEFUL VOCABULARY FORMAL EMAIL/LETTER

Useful phrases for the opening
I would like to apply for one of the scholarships I saw advertised in your prospectus. [applying for a scholarship]
I am looking for an outdoor work during the summer holidays and I would like to apply for the position of hotel
lifeguard assistant which I say advertised in my university's student newspaper. [applying for a job]
I have seen your advertisement for the post / vacancy / job of… advertised in the local newspaper on 16 June. I
am writing because I would like to apply for the job. [applying for a job]
I am the secretary of my college Science Club. I saw your advertisement for the exhibition "The Next 100 Years"
and I am interested in organising a group visit. I was wondering if I could ask you some questions about it.
[requesting information]
I am writing (in order) to complain about the advertisement for your new game. Having just played the game, I
realise that the advertisement is misleading. [complaint letter]
I am writing with regard to ... I am writing with reference to... I am writing in response to...
Thank you, for /your letter of 9 May... /for your letter regarding...

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In reply to your letter of 8 May, ...

Other useful phrases

Asking politely Could you tell me...? / I would be grateful if you could ... / I would be interested in having more
details about... /
I would like to know if/when/when/... / I would like information on... / Do you know if...?
Complaining I would like to complain about + noun or -ing / ... is not what I expected / was expecting / I am not
satisfied with... / I would be grateful if my money was refunded / if you could give me a refund.
Closing I look forward to hearing from you soon / I look forward to receiving your reply / I look forward to
receiving a full refund (in a complaint letter) / I would like to know what you are going to do about this situation
(in a complaint letter) / I would like to thank you in advance for this information (in an enquiry letter -requesting
information) / If you require/Should you need further information, please do not hesitate to contact me/feel free to
contact me.

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USEFUL VOCABULARY INFORMAL EMAIL/LETTER
Useful phrases for the opening How are you? / How have the family been? / I hope you are well. /Thank you /
Many thanks for your (recent/last) letter / postcard. /It was good / nice / great to hear from you again. /I was so
surprised to hear that... /I’m sorry I haven’t written / haven't been in touch for such a long time. /It’s ages since
I’ve heard from you. I hope you're well / you and your family are well. /How are things? / How are you? / How’s it
going?

Referring to news / giving news Great news about … Glad to hear that … Sorry to hear about … /Listen, did I
tell you about …? /You’ll never believe what … /Oh, and another thing … This is just to let you know that … /I
thought you might be interested to hear about / know that … /By the way, have you heard about / did you know
that …?

Apologies I’m writing to apologise for missing your party but I’m afraid I was with flu. /I’m really sorry that I
forgot to send you a /birthday card but I was busy with my new job.

Invitations I’m / we’re having a party on Friday 19th and I / we hope you’ll be able to come. //Would you like to
come / go to see ‘Room With a View’ with me at the weekend? /I was wondering if you’d like to go to the theatre /
come on holiday with us. /Could you let me / us know if you can come / you’d like to join us? /Thank you very much
for your invitation. I’d love to come. /Thank you for asking / inviting me to … but I’m afraid I won’t be able to …

Requests I’m writing to ask for your help / you (if you could do me) a favour. /I wonder if / I was wondering if you
could help me / do me a favour. /I hope you don’t mind me asking but could you (possibly) …? /I’d be very / really /
terribly grateful if you could …

Thank you / Congratulations / Good Luck I’m writing to thank you for your hospitality / the wonderful present.
/It was so kind of you to invite me to stay with you. /I really appreciated all your help / advice. /Congratulations on
passing your exams / your excellent exam results! /I wish you good luck / Good luck in / with your exams / your
driving test / your interview. /Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll do well / pass. /Do be on time, won’t you, and don’t
forget to …
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Making suggestions and recommendations Why don’t you …? / Maybe you could …? / How about …? /You
can’t leave New York without (...doing sth) /I’m sure you will enjoy (...doing sth). If you like, we can … /Do visit ... /
Don’t forget to ...
Give a reason why you're ending the letter: Anyway, I must go and get on with my work! / I guess it's time I
got on with that studying I've been avoiding.
Send greetings and/or make reference for future contact: Give my love / regards to... / Say hello to... /
Anyway, don't forget to let me know the dates of the party. / I'll try and phone you at the weekend to check the
times. / We must try and meet up soon. / I can't wait to hear from you / Look forward to seeing you again / Hope to
hear from you soon / See you soon / Write soon
Closing statement such as Love, Lots of love, All the best, Take care, Best wishes, should be written on a new
line. If you used a comma after the opening greeting, use a comma here too.

Connectors:
All good writing makes good use of connectors. However, many of the connectors you have learnt for other styles
of writing are inappropriate in an informal letter or email. For informal writing, you need to use some of the
connectors that are more specific to spoken language:
 To introduce a topic: Well, you'll never guess who I bumped into yesterday. / I know how much you love
tennis, so I've got us some tickets to Wimbledon. / By the way, did you know that John's got a new job?
 To go back to a previous topic: Anyway, as I was saying earlier, I really wasn't very happy there. / Now
where was I? Oh yes, I nearly forgot, Mary asked me tell you about the cinema.
 To introduce surprising or bad news: Actually, he came to the party after all. / I'm really sorry but I can't
make it. / To tell you the truth, I don't really like sports much.
 To summarise what you've already said: Anyway, we had a really nice time in the end. / Well, to cut a
long story short, we didn't get there on time.

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USEFUL VOCABULARY ARTICLE
Involving the reader : Just imagine... /Have you ever...? / How would you feel if ...? / Are you one of those people
who ...? / If the answer is ..., you should.... / What would live be like if...
Making the article lively and interesting I was absolutely terrified when I realised... /More importantly, it
was something I... / Not surprisingly, it's a good way of raising money. / The tent was worryingly small for three
people! / It was the most amazing experience I have ever had. ...
Developing your points Let’s start with ... / Another advantage of ... / On top of that, ...
Giving your own opinion I think that / In my opinion ... / It seems to me that ... / If you ask me, ... / To my
mind...

USEFUL VOCABULARY REPORT

Stating the purpose of the report (paragraph 1)
 The main aim/objective/purpose of this report is to ...
Describing how you got the information (paragraph 1)
 To prepare for this report, I conducted interviews with... / I visited three of the most popular... I discussed the issue
with...
Reporting your results (paragraphs 2, 3, ...)

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  According to ... / All those who were interviewed believe that/are concerned that... / It is thought that... / It was
commented upon by a number of people we talked to that... / A cause of dissatisfaction was...
Presenting a list
 The arguments against ... are the following: 1. … 2. ….
 The following were the main reasons given for supporting ...: firstly, ..., secondly, ...
 Points mentioned in favour of/against ... were: 1. 1 ... /2. 2 ...
 There are several ways in which ... might be ... : 1. 1 ... / 2. 2 ...
Making recommendations (Last paragraph) Taking all the factors mentioned into account... /I would therefore
recommend.... /Clearly, more could be done to .... I would make the following recommendations: 1 ... / 2 ... / 3 ...
USEFUL VOCABULARY REVIEW
What I liked
What I liked most was ….. / The thing I liked most was …. / I was pleasantly surprised by …../ …..
would appeal to ….. /
If you get a chance to ….
What I disliked :What I disliked most was …../ I was disappointed by/with ……

Reviews of books Fiction: science fiction / thriller / fantasy / mystery / historical / romance...

Non-fiction: cook book / travel book / textbook / manual / coffee-table book...

Main character / is set in / atmosphere / plot / author / written by /chapter / factual /unbelievable/
bestseller/ending
Reviews of exhibitions Painting / sculpture / handicrafts / gallery / catalogue / display
Reviews of concerts Artist / band / musician / (bass/lead/rhythm) guitarist / (backing/lead) singer / drummer /
soloist / trio / orchestra /Auditorium / hall / venue / lyrics / (catchy) tune / score / gig
Reviews of films animation / adaptation / comedy /Costumes / design / photography / script / special effects /
soundtrack / lead role / star role / star / star actor/actress / starring / secondary role / He plays a ……. / written by

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…. / cast/director/producer /is set in ….. / based on a true story ….. / believable / true to life / not very believable/
far-fetched / ending .
Reviews of TV programmes Chat shows / current affairs programme / debate / documentary / series / soap
opera/ sitcom (situation comedy) / Host / presenter
Reviews of hotels, restaurants, etc location / service /setting / attractive / disappointing setting / owned by /
run by / head chef (restaurant) / waiters (restaurant) /staff ……. / staff at reception …….(hotel) / hotel facilities
…./reasonable prices …../ /good/excellent/poor value for money ….. / (a bit/somehow) expensive / overpriced / not
worth the money / always fully booked / book in advance /
Criticism The script seemed rather conventional/predictable to me. / The plot struck me as completely
bizarre/absurd/incomprehensible
The characters are appealing and true to life / The dancers were quite brilliant/amateurish
Recommendations
Judging from this CD / show ... Overall, if you like ..., you'll love / you should ... Although some of ... he/she/it's
still a great... You really must/should buy/see/read/visit ... I would definitely recommend
seeing/visiting/reading/having a look at ...

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