LETTER WRITING
Letter writing is a skill people need for personal, professional, and academic purposes. Letters
come in many forms, from digital to hard copy and informal to formal. Knowing how to format and
write effective letters when corresponding with professionals as well as acquaintances.
From the candidate’s perspective, the aim of letter writing should be –
1. The letter should fill the communication gap between two parties
2. It should send out a message and express a feeling
3. It should create awareness and provoke thought in the receiver’s mind
Each letter that is written can have different objectives, depending on its type. So, first let us
understand the types of letter writing.
Types Of Letter Writing
Letter writing can be classified into two types:
1. Informal Letters
2. Formal Letters
1. Informal Letter
Informal letters are also known as personal letters. Such types of letters are usually written
to relatives, family, friends, or acquaintances. These letters may or may not have a concrete reason
for writing. The aim of writing informal letters is to create a personal memoir. It need not adhere
to any formalities or follow any set pattern.
2. Formal Letters
The letters that follow a certain formality and set pattern are formal letters. Such letters are
precise, directly addressing the concerned issue and are kept strictly professional in
nature. Formal letters are short and to the point. A variety of letters that fall within the category
of formal letters are –
• Business letters
• Official letters
• Social letters
• Circular letters
• Employment letters
• Business Letter: This letter is written among business correspondents, generally
contains commercial information such as quotations, orders, complaints, claims,
letters for collections etc. Such letters are always strictly formal and follow a structure
and pattern of formalities.
• Official Letter: This type of letter is written to inform offices, branches, subordinates of
official information. It usually relays official information like rules, regulations,
procedures, events, or any other such information. Official letters are also formal in
nature and follow certain structure and decorum.
• Social Letter: A personal letter written on the occasion of a special event is known as a
social letter. Congratulatory letter, condolence letter, invitation letter etc are all social
letters.
• Circular Letter: A letter that announces information to a large number of people is a
circular letter. The same letter is circulated to a large group of people to correspond
some important information like a change of address, change in management, the
retirement of a partner etc.
• Employment Letters: Any letters with respect to the employment process, like joining
letter, promotion letter, application letter etc.
LETTER WRITING FORMAT
A letter is composed of different elements that change depending upon its nature. The format for
both the types of letters is given below.
Letter writing format of Formal Letter
A formal letter must adhere to the prescribed format. The letter writing format of a formal letter
is as mentioned below:
1. Sender’s address
2. Date
3. Receiver’s address
4. Subject
5. Salutation
6. Body of the letter
7. Complimentary closure
8. Signature line: sender’s name, signature and designation
• Sender’s address: One of the most essential components, also known as the return
address. It is the mailing address of the sender. The address and contact details of the
person sending the letter are written here.
• Date: Immediately after the sender’s address comes the date on which the letter is written.
Candidates, while writing the letter in the exam, can follow any of the formats to write the
dates: DD/MM/YY OR MM/DD/YY.
• Receiver’s address: The corresponding address, i.e. the address of the recipient of the mail
is written here. Candidates must start with the receivers’ designation followed by the name
of the organization and then the full address, Pin code and country (if the information is
known).
• The subject: This highlights the aim of writing the letter. The subject of the formal letter
should be very brief (6 to 8 words) and must be preceded by the word ‘Subject’. The
receiver, through the subject, understands the purpose of the letter immediately.
• Salutation: This is a customary greeting to the recipient of the letter. If the name of the
recipient is known, the salutation starts with ‘Dear’ followed by Mr/Mrs/Miss, etc. If the
person is unknown or even the gender is not known the recipient can be addressed as Dear
Sir/Dear Madam.
• Body: The most important element of any letter. It furnishes the reason behind writing the
letter. For formal letters, candidates should use short, clear, logical paragraphs to state the
subject matter. The body of the letter is generally divided into 3 paragraphs:
1. Introduction that states the main point.
2. Middle part: Supporting points and details to justify the need for and importance of letter
writing.
3. Conclusion: Request for some action or what is expected.
• Complimentary Closure: This is to end the letter with respect in a polite manner such as
‘Yours faithfully’, ‘Yours sincerely’, etc.
• Signature Line: This is the last part where the sender of the letter signs off with his first or
last name. The signature line may also include a second line for the title or designation of
the sender.
For writing formal letters must remember the following pointers:
• Use of colloquial words, short forms, slang language and abbreviations are restricted.
• The letter must be to the point, precise and clearly indicating the message.
• The subject line is very important in Formal Letters.
Letter writing format of Informal Letters
Candidates writing informal letters need to follow the below-mentioned format.
1. Address
2. Date
3. Salutation
4. Body of the letter
5. Sender’s name and signature
1. Address: The sender’s address is important in informal letters. Since informal letters are
personal letters and sent to acquaintances or people who are known, the receivers’
address is only mentioned on the envelope carrying the letter.
2. Date: Same as in a formal letter format.
3. Salutation in informal letters can be Dear/Dearest/ Hi/Hello followed by the first
name/nickname of the recipient.
4. Body: The body in the informal letters can be long and detailed containing diverse feelings,
experiences, advice, news, etc.
5. Sender’s name and signature are the same as in the formal letters.
Important pointers of Informal letter
1. The subject line is not required in an Informal Letter.
2. No prescribed format has to be strictly followed.
3. The usage of language must be friendly and casual.
4. The letter can have extra information, as per the sender’s choice.
Important Tips for Good Letter Writing
• Candidates must be able to identify the type of letter they will write. For example: writing
a letter to the principal asking for leave is a formal letter, but writing a letter to the Principal
to catch up after a long time would be an informal letter.
• Opening and closing of letters must be in the correct manner. Formal letters must open
and close in a professional manner while informal letters can be directly addressed to the
person with greetings. Even closing the letters is significant. Formal letters always end
respectfully and impersonally, whereas informal letters may end with a more personal
touch.
• In formal letters, making clear the purpose of the letter immediately is important.
Candidates writing formal letters must make sure to get to the point as soon as possible.
• A letter is always supposed to be considerate and polite. It is essential to use polite words
and civil language in all types of letters, be it formal or informal. Even if the letter is about
any complaint, the point must be made in a careful and courteous manner.
• The length of the letter also holds relevance. In formal letters, the matter should be
expressed to the point, precise and short, while the length of the personal or informal
letter depends on the message and the relation to the recipient.