Continuing the series of sample writing tasks for English language examinations at B1 or B2 level, let's turn to informal or friendly letters and emails.  There are a number of informal letters that candidates are expected to know how to write, each of which focuses on a specific goal. The most common types of friendly letters or emails are: asking for information / news giving information /news asking for advice giving advice invitations accepting / refusing an invitation letters of apology congratulating someone thanking someone Many more kinds of letters/emails exist (job applications or letters of complaint), but they wouldn't fall under the category of informal writing.  In this post, the writing task requires candidates to draft a letter to a friend that gives him or her advice on a particular issue.

  This is a short letter of complaint aimed at helping ESL/EFL candidates at B2 level tackle a writing task which asks them to write a letter or email complaining about a product or service. Before you read any sample dealing with complaints, you might find it helpful to take a quick look at some useful phrases to include in these kinds of letters, which I gathered in an earlier post of mine (click on the image below) on how to write letters of complaint.

Letters of application are something everyone needs to know how to write. Whether they are sent by post (like in the good old days, when everything done needed some legwork) or via email, they are necessary gateways to landing a full-time, part-time or temporary job.  On some B2-level English examinations, most notably the FCE, now known as First for Schools, the main areas that need to be covered in such letters are five: 

  The following sample letter has been written so that exam candidates for a B2 level English examination (FCE now called First for Schools, ECCE, IELTS - 5.5 / 6.0, MSU-CELC, ESB, LRN) can get some ideas about how to organize and argue their writing.  First take a look at how to use the sample essays and letters that appear on this blog by reading the following post: What do I do with the sample writing found on this blog? Remember: such topics can also be used to start class discussions, so teachers might also want to read on to get ideas about a class activity they could set up to improve students' oral skills. This particular question has been taken from a B2-level textbook preparing candidates for the Writing section of an English-language exam (particularly the FCE, now known as the B2 First or B2 First for Schools). In particular, this question deals with a transactional letter asking for information meaning that specific aspects nee...

When we want to either recommend a specific person or course of action for a B2 or C2-level English examination we have to be clear that we don't confuse these types of letters or emails with the typical, business recommendation letters prospective employers or administration offices at universities might require candidates to give. At the exam you are about to sit, you will probably be required to play the part of someone who has been asked to a)  nominate a peer for a position at school or at a club, or put someone's name forward for an award that is to be given or b) suggest, among many other things, the best place to go on holiday or some activities that should held during a specific event which is set to take place, how to spend money at one's disposal, and so on. The following post should help you organize such a letter or email (even an oral statement, if necessary) as well as give you some useful phrases you should keep in mind when writing your...

The following sample letter has been written so that exam candidates for a B2 level English examination (FCE now called First for Schools, ECCE, IELTS - 5.5 / 6.0, MSU-CELC, ESB, LRN) can get some ideas about how to organize and argue their writing.  First take a look at how to use the sample essays and letters that appear on this blog by reading the following post: What do I do with the sample writing found on this blog? Remember: such topics can also be used to start class discussions, so teachers might also want to read on to get ideas about a class activity they could set up to improve students' oral skills.

The following sample letter has been written so that exam candidates for a B2 level English examination (FCE now called First for Schools, ECCE, IELTS - 5.5 / 6.0, MSU-CELC, ESB, LRN) can get some ideas about how to organize and argue their writing.  First take a look at how to use the sample essays and letters that appear on this blog by reading the following post: What do I do with the sample writing found on this blog? Remember: such topics can also be used to start class discussions, so teachers might also want to read on to get ideas about a class activity they could set up to improve students' oral skills.

The following sample letter has been written so that exam candidates for a B2 level English examination (FCE now called First for Schools, ECCE, IELTS - 5.5 / 6.0, MSU-CELC, ESB, LRN) can get some ideas about how to organize and argue their writing.  First take a look at how to use the sample essays and letters that appear on this blog by reading the following post: What do I do with the sample writing found on this blog? Remember: such topics can also be used to start class discussions, so teachers might also want to read on to get ideas about a class activity they could set up to improve students' oral skills.

The following sample letter has been written so that exam candidates for a B2 level English examination (FCE now called First for Schools, ECCE, IELTS - 5.5 / 6.0, MSU-CELC, ESB, LRN) can get some ideas about how to organize and argue their writing.    First take a look at how to use the sample essays and letters that appear on this blog by reading the following post: What do I do with the sample writing found on this blog? Remember: such topics can also be used to start class discussions, so teachers might also want to read on to get ideas about a class activity they could set up to improve students' oral skills.

The following sample letter has been written so that exam candidates for a B2 level English examination (FCE now called First for Schools, ECCE, IELTS - 5.5 / 6.0, MSU-CELC, ESB, LRN) can get some ideas about how to organize and argue their writing.  First take a look at how to use the sample essays and letters that appear on this blog by reading the following post: What do I do with the sample writing found on this blog? Remember: such topics can also be used to start class discussions, so teachers might also want to read on to get ideas about a class activity they could set up to improve students' oral skills.

The following sample letter has been written so that exam candidates for a B2 level English examination (FCE now called First for Schools, ECCE, IELTS - 5.5 / 6.0, MSU-CELC, ESB, LRN) can get some ideas about how to organize and argue their writing.  First take a look at how to use the sample essays and letters that appear on this blog by reading the following post: What do I do with the sample writing found on this blog?     Remember: such topics can also be used to start class discussions, so teachers might also want to read on to get ideas about a class activity they could set up to improve students' oral skills.  

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.

The following are key points to remember about a formal, academic piece of writing, whether it is for an exam or an assignment, an essay or a letter.  There are conventions that need to be followed so here is a short list of things to keep in mind when writing to someone who is not an acquaintance or the finished work counts towards a grade.

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.

Please read "What do I do with the sample writing found on this blog?" before reading this blog entry.  The following letter is an example of how examination candidates could tackle the subject of limiting students' summer break. The sample has been modeled on the University of Michigan Examination for the Certificate of Competency in English (ECCE) Task 1 question of the Writing section available on page 206 of the Hellenic American Union's ECCE Practice Examinations book (Book 1).

To get the most out of these sample essays and letters, please read "What do I do with the sample writing found on this blog?" before reading this blog entry.   The following letter is an example of how examination candidates could tackle the subject of recommending one of their pe e rs . The sample has been modeled on the University of Michigan Examination for the Certificate of Competency in English (ECCE) Task 1 question of the Writing section available on page 182 of the Hellenic American Union's ECCE Practice Examinations book (Book 1). Task 1 of the rubric asks candidates to write a recommendation letter. If you haven't already done so, read this post B2 Writing: The Basics to see what these letters are and how they can be organized. Based on an announcement that appeared in Greenpark High School's newsletter, the Board Members of the school are looking for a student to represent both school and country at the International Student's...

To get the most out of these sample essays and letters, please read "What do I do with the sample writing found on this blog?" before reading this blog entry.   The following letter is an example of how examination candidates could tackle the subject of volunteering at an animal sh elter . The sample has been modeled on the University of Michigan Examination for the Certificate of Competency in English (ECCE) Task 1 question of the Writing section available on page 158 of the Hellenic American Union's ECCE Practice Examinations book (Book 1). The rubric presents an announcement found in The City Times newspaper entitled "Volunteer Your Time, Save a Life". According to it, the town's local animal shelter is asking for volunteers to feed, take care of and help with fund-raising events such as bazaars for strays and mistreated animals. The shelter will visit schools to inform students about the benefits of volunteering and invites readers of ...

To get the most out of these sample essays and letters, please read "What do I do with the sample writing found on this blog?" before reading this blog entry. The following letter is an example of how examination candidates could tackle the subject of limiting internet access . The sample has been modeled on the University of Michigan Examination for the Certificate of Competency in English (ECCE) Task 1 question of the Writing section available on page 134 of the Hellenic American Union's ECCE Practice Examinations book (Book 1).   Based on the rubric, the newspaper The City Times reports that a public school official (Mr. Harding) has announced that access to certain kinds of websites that are inappropriate for children will be denied to students on all computers in schools after internet blocking devices will be installed. Although it is expected that some students will complain about this restriction, many more will see the benefit. Candidates a...

This blog contains a number of sample pieces of writing for a variety of exams because throughout the years, I've seen that the writing section of English language assessment examinations is most likely the area candidates, regardless of age, find the most daunting. Let's be honest -- many students hate writing assignments given as homework, so writing under exam conditions with the image of a scrupulous marker hovering in their mind is not what I'd call their cup of tea. Hence the sample essays, letters, reports, proposals and the like that have been uploaded. Exam candidates need to read something someone else has written to get ideas, and not just get back a marked assignment of their own with a few comments interspersed here and there among the monstrous red ink corrections.

This overview gives you the basics to letter and essay writing primarily required for the Examination for the Certificate in Competency in English (ECCE) awarded by the University of Michigan but can, nonetheless, be used for writing at B2 level for other ESL assessments as well. This b log post is a starting point to help teach candidates the tricks to passing a test at B2 level and a springboard for writing tasks at subsequent levels (C1 and C2).  In any case, some of the pointers mentioned herein are so crucial to writing in an academic environ ment that if you grasp them , then you can transfer them onto any type of writing you may be asked to produce , no matter the level or context. The first main area to cover has to do with general pointers: L earn to use set phrases from sample essays provided in self-study textbooks or found here (look under the B2 or ECCE labels or follow the link from the key words category under ' letter ', ' essay ' or ...