TASK 1

When you write a letter to a retailer or service provider it is important to be clear, concise and
to stick to the facts of your complaint. It may be useful to give a deadline for response to your
letter. Type the following letter.

The format is called fully blocked, and is also punctuated- note the commas after the end of
each line in the address. At a typing speed of 20WPM this will take 10 minutes. At a speed
of 15WPM it will take 14 minutes. Remember to leave two spaces between sentences (but
only one between words).

Your postal address e.g.

123 Euro Drive,
Hillcrest,
Co Dublin
Tel 01-3456789

[Date your letter and keep a copy]

Ms J Goodbody,
Customer Service,
Jolly's Dept Store,
Dublin 7
[The person (usually the supervisor, manager or customer service officer) to whom you are
complaining - get the person's name if possible]

Dear Ms Goodbody,

I bought a jacket in your shop two weeks ago. It cost 100 euro. I enclose a copy of the receipt.

[Include details and evidence of purchase]

The sales assistant told me the jacket was waterproof but when I went out walking in the rain I got
wet. When I returned to the shop to look for a refund, I was told it was two weeks since I bought the
jacket and that the most he could offer me was a credit note or exchange. I do not want another jacket
as I do not want the same problem again and there is nothing else in the shop I want either.

I am very unhappy about this. I would like you to arrange a full refund to me. I would appreciate a
reply within fourteen days from today.

[Let the retailer know what you want them to do - give them a reasonable deadline]

Yours sincerely,

[Include your full name so they can reply]

Joe Murphy Senior

Save the letter as Letter1 blocked punc.doc

TASK 2

Create a job-application letter for the job below. Use semi-blocked, open punctuation letter
format. In this letter, the layout is very similar but we right-align your postal address and
remove the punctuation (commas) at the end of the address lines

Use the following guidelines and add a reference number KYZ-592 to your letter beneath the
greeting.

Office Administrator

Description:

FCDM are looking for an Office Administrator to join our team based in our Athlone office. Your role
as Office Administrator is to offer support to the functions within FCDM and to assist with day to day
running of the office.
Responsibilities: Day to day running of the office from an administrative perspective. Organising
invoices, expenses and statements; General housekeeping for office; Coordinating and supporting in-
house events; Assisting with travel arrangements where required; Attending and minute taking at
meetings.
Skills/Experience required: Experience within a similar role required; Excellent MS Office Skills in
Word, Excel, Email; Excellent multi-tasking skills, strong initiative and very organized and able to
meet deadlines; Excellent communication and strong people/customer relationship skills; Must be
extremely confident in your own ability, very flexible and pro-active.

To apply please forward CVs to:

Ann Petrina,
FCDM Limited.
2nd Floor Block A, Monksland Business Park,, Athlone, Co. Roscommon.
Guidelines:

Follow these steps and your letter will make the right impression.

Your name and address

Put your contact details at the top of the letter – right-justified (ie lined up against the right-
hand margin) or centred. Include your postal address, telephone number and e-mail address.

The recipient's name and address

This is usually left-justified (ie lined up against the left-hand margin).

The date
Leave one line space below the recipient’s address, then put the date you are writing the
letter.

The greeting
Always start ‘Dear’ followed by the person’s title (Mr, Ms, Dr etc) and surname, eg ‘Dear
Mr Smith’. If you don’t know their name, start ‘Dear Sir or Madam’ (NOT ‘Madame’ – that
means something different!). But it is always best to find out the name of the person who you
want to read your letter.

If the recipient is a woman and you don’t know her marital status, don’t make assumptions as
this can cause offence; use ‘Ms’.

The subject
Leave one line space below the salutation, then put the subject of your letter, underlined. For
example ‘Application for graduate trainee position’. Include the job reference number if there
is one. This makes life easier for the HR person reading the letter. In an e-mail, this will go in
the subject line.

The body text

Write clearly and succinctly. Check out the Plain English Campaign website for tips.
Normally, a business letter should not be more than one side of A4. Structure your letter with
a beginning, a middle and an end.
Use business-like language: this should be closer to the essays you write at college than the
letters you send to your parents.

Signing off
Finish the letter ‘Yours sincerely’. Leave a space for your signature, then type your name.
‘Yours faithfully’ is traditionally used when you don’t know the name of the person you are
writing to, but is becoming less common.

Save the letter as Letter2 semiblocked.doc