How To Write An Informal Letter

In this post, we will look at how to write an informal letter.

An informal letter is the type of letter you would write to a friend or family member. First names are used, or family terms, for example; Dear mum, Dear Uncle Tom, Dear Dad, etc.

An informal greeting > Dear Sarah, My dear friend, Dear Aunt Clare

When signing off the letter, you can use – ‘With best wishes’ and ‘With regards’. ‘Hope to see you soon!’ is a very informal way to close the letter.

Here is an example of an informal letter structure >>


Informal Question Example >>

You must include the information that is required, think about a detailed scenario – a name for the friend, some information about the bicycle and a preferred time to meet. Use your imagination and think about what you would include when writing this letter. 

  • Write at least 150 words
  • You do not need to write any addresses
  • Begin your letter with ‘Dear…..”

TIP >> The informal letter question will normally have the word ‘friend’ in it. Asking you to write a letter to a friend is a key piece of information, telling you that the letter should be written in an informal style. 


Model Answer >>

Dear Anna,

I hope you are doing well.

I am doing great, though things have been a bit stressful at the moment because we are packing for our move next week. 

There are some things that we can’t take with us because we have nowhere to store them in the new house. This, unfortunately, includes my bicycle. I hardly use it now, so want to try and sell it and thought that you might be interested in taking a look. I can offer you a really good price and know that you wanted one a while ago. 

It is a women’s bicycle with a cream frame and black wheels. It has a large black basket on the front, great for carrying groceries or other items, a bell, working front and back lights and brakes that are in fantastic condition. There is also a bike lock that comes with it. 

We are planning to move into the new house on Friday next week. If you would like to come over and view the bike, I will be in on Monday 19th or Tuesday 20th after 6 pm. That will give me time to advertise it online if you are not interested. 

Let me know which day you would like to see the bike and we can have a good catch up. I look forward to hearing from you.

See you soon!

Maggie.

(Word Count – 231 / Band Score 9)


Feedback

This letter covers the three main points in the task about the bicycle – why it is being sold, a description and dates that the friend can view it. 

It has been clearly organised with each key point being written about in a separate paragraph.

  • Paragraph 1 – Explains why the bicycle is for sale
  • Paragraph 2 – Describes the bicycl
  • Paragraph 3 – Gives dates/time that the friend can view the bicycle

The tone of the letter is informal and therefore appropriate as it is being sent to a friend (Hope you are doing well…..have a good catch up….see you soon!)

There is also evidence of a range of sentence structures, no grammatical or spelling errors.


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