Letter

Letters are addressed to individuals or organisations. The type of letter that you'd write your friend is very different from the audience for the cover letter to a job application.

• Formal letters, as you would write for a job application should use a formal tone.
• If you don't know the specific person that you're writing to, then using a formal mode of address (Dear Sir/Madam) and signing off (Yours faithfully) is a good idea.
• You should use formal language and avoid colloquial language.

• If you are writing to someone you know well, you can be less formal, but letters are usually more formal than text messages.
• You could use an informal mode of address and start the letter with Dear Paul, or Dear Peter, or Dear Mr. Evans.
• You could sign off with Best Wishes, or All the best.
• A letter to someone you know will be less formal.
• However, using varied sentence lengths and different DAFORESTER techniques can show your skills to an examiner.

What do letters usually contain?

• The correct use of two addresses.
• The date that you're writing the letter.
• Awareness of audience - a formal/informal mode of address (e.g. ‘Dear Sir’ or ‘Hi Mum’).
• Paragraphs which flow well into each other.
• A logical structure.
• An appropriate sign off.

Formal and informal sign offs

• Formal: If you start with ‘Dear Sir’, end with ‘Yours faithfully’.
• Formal: If you start with ‘Dear Mrs. Dale’ (i.e. their surname), end with ‘Yours sincerely’.
• Informal: This depends on your audience. If you start with ‘Hi Mum’, you could end with ‘See you soon’ or 'Lots of love'.