What the exam asks
The format is the same as for a formal letter: about 20 minutes, at least 150 words, three bullet points, and one third of your Writing band. The difference is the reader. For personal and semi-formal letters, the prompt usually ends with “Begin your letter as follows: Dear …………,” so you supply the name, and that choice signals your register:
- Dear Jess, is a friend, so the letter is informal.
- Dear Mr Novak, is a landlord you know slightly, so it is semi-formal and polite.
- Dear Anita, is a colleague you are on first-name terms with, so it is semi-formal and warm.
Informal situations: thanking a friend for their hospitality, inviting, asking for or giving advice, asking a favour, apologising, sharing news. Semi-formal situations: asking your manager for time off, arranging a handover with a colleague, raising a problem with a neighbour, reporting a repair to your landlord.
Core ideas
Choose the register from the relationship
| Reader | Register | Greeting | Sign-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close friend, relative | Informal | Dear Jess, | Best wishes, / All the best, / Take care, / Love, + first name |
| Colleague you know well | Semi-formal (warm) | Dear Anita, | Best regards, / Kind regards, + first name |
| Manager, landlord, neighbour you barely know | Semi-formal (polite) | Dear Mr Novak, | Kind regards, / Yours sincerely, + full name |
Rule of thumb: if you know the reader but would not tell them about your weekend, write semi-formal. If you would send them a text message, write informal.
The same function at three levels
| Function | Formal | Semi-formal | Informal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Request | I would be grateful if you could… |