Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Content
Should cover the points raised by the writer of the letter,
i.e. that cultures are merging into one and what we can do
to maintain local traditions. Further relevant points can be
made from your own opinion about national and cultural
identity.
Range
Language of expressing and supporting opinions, and of
recommendation. Topic vocabulary relating to culture and
national identity could be used (e.g. 'a great cultural loss',
'maintain our cultural heritage...', etc.)
Organisation
The letter should conform to an appropriate letter format
(although the exam does not require postal addresss).
Should state early on the reason for writing the letter.
Should also use clear organisation through appropriate
paragraphing.
Register
Should be fairly formal. The tone should remain polite even
when giving own opinions.
Target reader
The editor and other newspaper readers would understand
your point of view.
Language accuracy
Does not have to be completely accurate but any errors
should be minimal.
Question 1 on the Writing paper is compulsory for everybody and always follows
the same format: a short extract of text, usually from a magazine article or report,
in response to which you have to write a letter.
Here are some tips on answering this question effectively:
2. Think Threes
As the first paragraph will be your introduction (see next point), your letter will
probably have room for three main points/three main paragraphs (80-100 words
per paragraph). As you plan your ideas, try to put them into three groups with an
example for each one based on your own experience.
So, for a letter about nutritional advice [exam paper June 2003] you might have
the following three idea groups:
Dear Editor,
*I am writing to respond to the recent article in Food and Health on nutritional
advice and healthy eating habits.
*I read with interest your recent article on healthy eating and would like to
contribute to the discussion about so-called 'food experts'.
*As a parent of two children in full-time education, I would like to take issue with
your recent article on healthy eating habits.
In your first sentence you need some phrase which recognises the theme of the
extract and summarises it, eg. 'nutritional advice and healthy eating habits'. This
focuses your letter and shows the examiner that you have read and understood
the extract before giving your own opinions.
It would also be Ok to quote the extract:
Referring to your recent article on healthy eating habits, I would like to share my
own experience of being on the receiving end of 'conflicting advice' about food.
Use your own personal experiences about food and eating and try to include
some specific examples of 'conflicting advice'. It is also useful to use your own
cultural background as topics like food and health often vary greatly from one
place to another.
Letters of complaint
I am writing to complain about ...
I am writing to tell you how disappointed/annoyed I feel about ...
I was amazed/distressed/horrified to find that ...
As you must realise, ...
I am sure you know that ...
I am sure you can imagine ...
I am sure you will appreciate that ...
It goes without saying that ...
At the very least, I look forward to receiving ...
Unless you ... , I am afraid that I will have to take this matter further.
Letters of recommendation
I am writing to you on behalf of ...
I have known X for ... years.
She / He has shown herself/himself to be extremely ...
X would seem to fit the requirements of this job perfectly.
I have no hesitation in recommending X as a ...
ARTICLES
Sequencing
At first / To start with/In the beginning, ...
Then/Next/After that, ...
The next thing that happened was ...
The next thing I knew was ...
Seconds/Minutes later,
Late on/Some time later,
It wasn't until much later that ...
After some time/After what seemed like years, ...
Finally/In the end, ...
At last, ...
Simultaneous events
Meanwhile/In the meantime,
While all this was going on,
In the middle of all this, ...
During all this time, ...
Sudden or unexpected events
Suddenly/All of a sudden, ...
All at once, ...
Out of the blue, ...
Without any warning, ...
Just when I was least expecting it, ...
The next thing I knew was ...
Rapid events
As quick as a flash, ...
In the wink of an eye, ...
In a matter of seconds/minutes, ...
In no time at all, ...
Looking back
In retrospect, ...
When I think back to what happened then, ...
REPORTS
Introductory comments
I recently visited (the new Leisure Centre) and have prepared the following report for
your consideration.
Further to my visit to ... , I have prepared the following report.
The following report relates to my recent visit to ...
General comments
On the whole, I found that ...
Although ... , I should point out that ...
It is a fact that ...
Concluding comments
All things considered, I believe that ...
Taking all these points into consideration, I would recommend ...
I recommend that we look into the possibility of ...
PROPOSALS
REVIEWS
Opening phrases
These words and expressions are especially useful in letters, essays and articles.
Making statements
These words and expressions are especially useful in letters, essays and articles.
Listing arguments
These words and expressions are especially useful in letters, essays and articles.
Persuading
These words and expressions are especially useful in letters and proposals.
Evaluating
These words and expressions are especially useful in reports, proposals and reviews.
Making recommendations
These words and expressions are especially useful in proposals and reports.
Summarising
These words and expressions are especially useful in letters, essays,articles, reports,
proposals and reviews.
Describing
These words and expressions are especially useful in articles, reviews, and letters.
Character/Personality
He tends to be ...
She can be ...
He is inclined to be ...
She appears/seems to be ...
Hobbies and interests
He is crazy about ... -ing.
She loves ... -ing.
His greatest love is ...
What she loves most in life is ...
He spends all his time ... -ing.