Skip to main content

Hot Off The Press

ECPE Writing - Sample Article (Fake news)

This is the fifth sample article candidates of the ECPE examination (Examination for the Certificate of Proficiency in English of the University of Michigan) My first post to deal with articles , explains what needs to be present in this type of piece of writing. As stated, examiners are looking for articles that elaborate on ideas and have solid arguments; are well organized; make use of a wide lexical and grammatical range; have an original ring to them (in other words, readers are able to distinguish the author's unique "voice").   Before reading, take a look at the following post if you haven't already done so. It will help you focus on the vital aspects you need to be aware of while reading the article and what you should make sure to use when you write your own.     The question appeared in Practice Tests for the ECPE Book 1 (revised 2021 version) and is accompanied by the following three writing prompts:  

Writing Formal Letters Giving Information - Useful Phrases

As part of the series of blog posts on letter/email writing (read the previous one on letters of complaint here), the present post will turn towards formal letters giving information and making suggestions. Such letters, like letters of complaint, fall under the category of transactional letters.

 The list of useful phrases for such letters can be used for tasks you have to write as part of an English examination (FCE, CPE, IELTS, to name a few), but in addition to this, can improve your speaking skills any time you are asked to give information or suggest a few things in a polite fashion. 

 First of all, let's take a quick look at how a letter which provides information is organized.

Organization


Letters giving information have, like any other formal piece of writing

  • an introduction
  • a main body
  • a conclusion


Before these three parts, you also have addresses, the date and the opening greeting. After the conclusion, there is a closing and your signature.



See the layout of a letter at the end of the Writing Letters of Complaint - Useful Phrases post for the positioning of the addresses, date and the opening and closing greetings.

In the Introduction
  • you say who you are and the reason why you are writing the letter.
   Examples
    • The reason I am writing is to inform you about how pleased I was with my last visit to your museum.
    • I am writing with regard to your upcoming visit to Thessaloniki. It will be a pleasure to provide you with some suggestions about what you can do in the five days you have at your disposal to explore our city.

In the Main Body
  • you write details about what you need to say to the recipient of your letter. These details will depend on the task you have been given to fulfill.
  • each new piece of information should appear in a new paragraph.
    • if you have been asked to give information about what a tourist can see and do in your town, the accommodation and means of transport, you will have 4 main body paragraphs:
      • sights & museums
      • shopping & entertainment
      • hotels, B&Bs, youth hostels
      • buses, subway, taxis, trams, etc.
    • if you have been asked to give information about a recent visit to a tourist attraction you were very pleased with, mentioning the circumstances of your visit, the assistance staff gave you and what you want the head of staff to do in future, you will have 3 main body paragraphs:
      • what site it was, when and why you visited it and who with
      • details about what the staff helped you with (for instance, they explained the history of the place and offered to guide you around)
      • recommendations about improvements the head of staff can make (offer a booklet to visitors free of charge or at a small extra cost giving the information the staff gave you about the history of the site)


In the Conclusion 
  • you express your feelings
  • you tell the person you are writing to what you want them to do
   Examples
    • I hope the information I have provided will be of some help to you.
    • If you require further assistance, please do not hesitate to write back with any other questions you may have regarding this matter.
Don't forget: the following list of phrases are formal. In other words, they are used with people you are not well acquainted with. You would never use them with friends or relatives.

IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR USEFUL PHRASES FOR LETTERS OF COMPLAINT, CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW.
https://argutelegacy.blogspot.com/2018/06/letters-complaint-phrases.html?m=0





Useful Phrases for Transactional Letters (Giving Information / Making Suggestions)



Opening Greeting

  • Dear Sir / Madam,
  • Dear Mr. / Mrs. / Ms. + last name,



Introduction
  • I am writing in reply to your letter / email asking for information about ...
  • I am writing regarding ...
  • I am writing on account of ...
  • I am writing on the subject of ...
  • I am writing to you in connection with ...
  • I am writing to inform you about ...
  • In reply to your query, ...
  • In answer to your inquiry, I should like to inform you that ...
  • You mentioned in your letter that ...
  • From what I understand from your inquiry, ...

Main Body
  • May I recommend that you ...
  • May I suggest that you ...
  • I would say that ...
  • In my view, it would be better to ... 
  • As far as (accommodation/transport/entertainment) is concerned, ...
  • One more thing you might find useful would be to ...
  • If I were you, I would ...
  • Regarding (accommodation/transport/entertainment), ...
  • In my opinion, you would be better to ...
  • To my mind, it would be a good idea to ...
  • Another thing you could do is ...
  • I'm afraid it would be very difficult to ... 
  • It would be wise to ...
  • It goes without saying that ...
  • What you could do/see is ...

Conclusion
  • I look forward to receiving any further questions you might have.
  • I would be grateful if you could ...
  • Please inform me if I can be of any further assistance.
  • I hope I have answered some of your questions.
  • Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further assistance.
  • Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further information.
  • I hope I have been of some assistance.
  • Please feel free to write back if you have any more queries.
  • Should you have any more questions, please feel free to contact me at your earliest convenience.

Closing 
  • When the opening greeting is Dear Sir/Madam, we close with Yours faithfully,
  • If we opened the letter with Dear + name, we close with Yours sincerely,



FOR USEFUL PHRASES TO USE IN RECOMMENDATION LETTERS, CLICK ON THE IMAGE

https://argutelegacy.blogspot.com/2020/04/letters-recommendation-phrases.html

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Writing Letters of Complaint - Useful Phrases

Whether it's to complain about something you bought or a service you found was unsatisfactory, as part of your job or because you are preparing to take an exam in English at B2 or C2 level, it is a fact that you should know the basics about writing or even orally expressing your dissatisfaction.  The following post should help you organize your letter or email (even an oral statement, if necessary) as well as give you some useful phrases you can use.
Read more

Virginia Woolf - The Legacy (Overview)

When a wife dies and leaves her husband her diary, all is possible. In Gil bert Clandon's case, the legacy his wife leaves him is much more than he could ever have imagined.  Virgi nia Woolf signs an exceptional short story which questions the foundations of marriage, people's need for communication by any means possible a nd their inclusion in a mutually beneficial partnership . When one reneges on that contract, the other will seek new outlets to grow , as p ersonal d evelopment in any marriage is inevitable. If that development is undertaken without any consideration for one's spouse, then problems will unavoidably ensue.
Read more

Tobias Wolff - Powder (Overview)

"Powder" is a short story intended to quickly state the obvious - a father's bond to his son is always a difficult thing to forge when parents aren't on good terms with each other. The level of difficulty in achieving this increases as fathers aren't used to explicitly explaining to their sons that they are trying to forge a stronger bond at a particular moment in time to begin with. Accordingly, the complications the father in this particular story is required to overcome are not only the time constraints the mother has placed on the trip as a whole or the mistrust towards her husband she has allowed her son to bear witness to which the father feels he must compensate for, but also the disparity in character traits that father and son exhibit. Having read the story for the first time, students predominantly respond to the query "What was the story about?" either with "I didn't get it. Some father and son skiing" or "S
Read more

Nadine Gordimer - An Intruder (Overview)

The short story An Intruder was incorporated in Nadine Gordimer's short story collection Livingston's Companions, published in 1970. As such, it must be read and viewed through the prism of her somewhat earlier works which dealt with South African society's inequality and the problems arising from the diseased status quo of the times. An Intruder focuses on relationships between characters and how perceptions of a situation differ in the eyes of each individual based on a combination of nature and nurture, or at the very least that is what Gordimer would have the reader gauge. What made James Seago what he is? Why is Mrs Clegg, Marie's mother, such a typical depthless wishful socialite with an exaggerated respect for higher social status? Couldn't Marie judge the merit of the man who treats her like a child or is she turning a blind eye to his behavior because it suits her? Whatever the answers to these questions, the one certainty we have is that the noti
Read more

C2 Sample Essay 8 (Parenting)

Writing at C2 level (Proficient User) on English language examinations is the same no matter the awarding body when it comes to writing essays. If you are a candidate giving an exam in English (IELTS, CPE, ECPE, CELP, LRN, ESB, TOEFL), make sure you read my earlier post What do I do with the sample writing found on this blog? to get the most out of the sample essays provided on Argute Legacy .     The topic of this essay is to discuss what the responsibilities of parenting are. If you are not taking an exam but need to discuss this topic, then read on and note down what you deem useful. If you intend to use this essay as part of an assignment, remember to paraphrase so as not to plagiarize. The topic is similar to what candidates expect in any other C2-level examination in that examiners want to see a well-organized, coherent and cohesive discussion of the issue with arguments and examples written in approximately half an hour. Whether or not you agree with the
Read more