Formal Letter

Details: Written by IELTS Mentor

Formal Letters:

You need to write a formal letter to a person or someone in a company you DO NOT know. This type of situation is formal and that is why it called a formal letter. In such a situation you do not know the name of the person you are writing your letter and you begin with "Dear Sir or Madam," to address the person you are writing the letter to.

Some common situations when you write a formal letter:

1. Apply for a job/Resign from a job.
2. Complain about a product/service.
3. Request for some information.
4. Book an event.
5. Make a suggestion or recommendation.
6. Apply for a course at a college or university.

Sample Formal Letters with answers:

Formal Letter Sample with Answer # 1:

You would like to participate in a work-related seminar in another country. Write a letter to the person in charge of the seminar and ask for detailed information regarding the dates, program, accommodation and cost.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Formal Letter

Formal Letters:

Sample Formal Letters with answers:

You would like to participate in a work-related seminar in another country. Write a letter to the person in charge of the seminar and ask for detailed information regarding the dates, program, accommodation and cost.

You took your family to a nearby restaurant. You were disappointed with the meal and wish to complain to the manager.

You recently had your computer fixed at a local computer store, however, you are not pleased with the service you received.

You travelled by a long-distance bus recently and your suitcase was damaged.

You are organising an executive event for the company you work for. Write a letter to the person in charge of a venue that you are considering for the event and ask for detailed information regarding dates, services and costs.

You have bought a new mobile phone and in a few days of purchase, it has stopped working. You have spoken to the company representative a week ago but it has still not been repaired.

You travelled by plane last week and your suitcase was lost. You have still heard nothing from the airline company.

You have had a bank account for a few years. Recently you received a letter from the bank stating that your account is $240 overdrawn and that you will be charged $70 which will be taken directly from your account. You know that this information is incorrect.

Write a letter to the Mayor, the head of a municipal government, complaining about a situation in which some adolescents let their dogs run wildly causing a dangerous situation.

You had a good meal at a local restaurant with your family. Write a letter to the newspaper to tell them about it, describe the meal you had, and why you think the restaurant is worth visiting.

Your car is hired from a company and while you were driving on holiday, you had a small accident. You will have to write a report to the company to explain it.

Write a letter to the Information Officer at the TAPE Information Office asking for information about the Tertiary Preparation Certificate.

You work as a part-time employee in a company. The company has recently posted an advertisement seeking a person for a full-time position. You want to apply for this full-time job.

You want to apply to a private college seeking admission for a bachelor degree. You are experiencing financial problems at the moment and can not get admitted to the college without some help.

You have seen an advertisement for a community college that needs teachers for night classes.

You normally go shopping in the area where you live. However, you think some of the facilities for shoppers could be improved there.

Some construction work is being done on the street where you live for the last couple of days. The noise from the work is loud and it disturbs you.

You recently did a short cookery course. The cookery school has asked for your feedback on this course.

You have just read an article in an international travel magazine which contained some information about your town that is incorrect.

You have seen an advertisement in an Australian magazine for someone to live with a family for six months and look after their six-year-old child.

The system used for rubbish/garbage collection in your local area is not working properly. This is causing problems for you and your neighbours.

You celebrated your birthday with some friends last week in a restaurant. It was a great success and you and your friends enjoyed the evening very much.

As part of a student social survey project, you are organising a group to visit a historical exhibition in a small town. Write a letter asking for information regarding such things as the contents of the exhibition, and the dates of its opening and closing, and if there are any discounts available.

You are due to start a new job next week but you will not be able to because you have some problems.

You are going to study at a college in the UK next year. You would like to stay in the college Hall of Residence.

You would like to buy some electrical goods at a shop in a nearby town.

You recently bought an item of clothing from a shop. You discovered that it had a fault and returned it to the shop for replacement or refund. However, the assistant told you that this was against the store's policy.

You ordered a new chequebook from your bank two weeks ago but you have received nothing.

You live in a room in a college where you share it with another student. You find it very difficult to study and work there because your roommate always has friends visiting. He/she has parties in the room and sometimes borrows your things without asking you.

You recently organised an all-day meeting for your company, which took place in a local hotel. In their feedback, participants at the meeting said that they liked the hotel, but they were unhappy about the food that was served for lunch.

You are not happy about a service you received a couple of days ago from a company and you have decided to complain about it.

A large company in your area has decided to spend a certain amount of money, either to sponsor a local children’s sports team for two years, or to pay for two open-air concerts. It has asked for feedback from the general public.

You work at home and have a problem with a piece of equipment that you use for your job.

You recently attended a meeting at a hotel. When you returned home, you found you had left some important papers at the hotel.

People in your area are having problems with their internet connection. Write a letter to the company which provides the connection.

There have been some problems with the public transport you use to commute daily.

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