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Informal letter (PET)

1. Who are you writing to? Your English pen friend


2. How do you start an informal letter in English? Dear + first name (invent a name for your
pen friend).
3. What ideas do you have for the opening sentence of the letter? Thank you for your letter/
How are you?/ Lovely to hear from you/ I hope you are well
4. Do you have to describe your favourite TV programme? Anything else? You have to
describe the programme, say what its about and say why you like it.
5. How can you make your answer more interesting? You could describe in detail some part of
the programme or one particular episode i.e. be specific, you could try to use colourful language
using adjective and adverbs, you could make the reason that you like it personal i.e. it reminds me
of x (rather than it is interesting).
6. How can you make your letter more personal and friendly? Thank your pen friend for their
last letter, invite them to visit or add some extra personal information e.g. wish them a happy
holiday/birthday.
7. What could you write for the last sentence of the letter? Hope you are well/ Hope to hear
from you soon?/ Hope we can meet soon/ And what about your favourite TV programme?
8. How do you end an informal letter in English? Lots of love/ with love/ take care/ see you
soon + your first name

Example tast

This is part of a letter you receive from an English penfriend.

I know you like going to the cinema. Whats the best film you have seen recently?
Why did you like it? Do you think Id like it?

Here is a sample answer. There are some notes in red to help you notice the main points.

Dear Mary, (begin with Dear + name and a comma)


Thank you for your letter. It was great to hear from you. (you can use this phrase for
any letter) You asked me to tell you about a film which Ive seen recently. (go directly to the
point)
Well, (gives the letter a colloquial tone) last Saturday some friends and I went (try to use a
variety
of tenses, including the past if possible) to see The Lonely Princess. It stars Maggie Moore
as a
rich girl who is looking for love. She meets several different men but they all break her
heart. In
the end she finds love with Nick, played by Ralph Roberts. (use the present to talk about
the
events of the film) I enjoyed (try to use synonyms for words in the question) it very much,
because
it was sad in places but had a happy ending. I think youd like it because its set in New
York, and I
know thats your favourite city.
Write soon and tell me if you liked it!
Best wishes
(Your name)
Now read this other task. The letter a candidate has written and the examiner's comments. Match the examiner's
comments (1-9) with the underlined mistakes in the letter (A-1) .

This is part of a letter you have received from a friend, Sara.

You said you were going on another cruise this year. I suppose youre back now. Where did you go? What did you enjoy
most?
What did you do on bard of the cruise ship?

Now write a letter to Sarah, asking her questions. Write tour letter in about 100 words.

Now rewrite the letter, correcting the underlined mistakes.

Now write your own answer to the exam task in Activity 1. Use the information about a cruise of
Turkey and the Greek islands in the brochure below.
DAY 1: Athens to Istanbul.
DAY 2: City visit, Istanbul. See the Grand Bazaar and the Blue Mosque.
DAY 3: Sail to Mykonos.
DAY 4: Sail to Heraklion on Crete . Visit the famous ruins of Knossos.

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