Formal Letters

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Formal Letters

When writing a formal letter, attention must be paid to the format/layout of the letter. One must keep it succinct and to the point.

Also, make sure your points or ideas are well-presented. Most importantly, pay attention to the tone and language. A formal letter must be polite.

There is no need to be rude even if you are expressing your unhappiness or dissatisfaction. One should refrain from using casual language or slang in a formal letter.

There are numerous formats available for writing formal letters. Below however is a format which is used most commonly.

Guidelines for Writing a Formal Letter

1. Your address 

Your address should appear on the left-hand corner.

2. A horizontal line across the page separates your address from the recipient’s address.

3. Address of the person to whom you are writing: The recipient’s address should be below your address.

The postcode and name of the town should be underlined.

4. Date: The date is written on the right along the same line as the last line of the recipient’s address.

The month should be spelt out (i.e. it should be in words, not numbers). It must be written in full (do not use abbreviations such as Sept) and in capital letters.

5. Salutation/Greeting: If you know the name of the recipient, then do use his surname (Dear Mr Tan)

If you do not know the name of the person to whom you are writing, then use Dear Sir or Madam

6. Subject heading: The subject heading gives the reader an idea what the letter is about.

Write the subject heading directly below the salutation and it should be underlined

7. The body of the letter: The body of the letter refers to the contents of your letter. It should be divided into short and clear paragraphs.

All paragraphs should be numbered except for the first and last paragraphs.

• In the first paragraph, you should state the reason for writing (whether it is to inform, to complain, to invite etc).
• From the second paragraph onwards, you should include information that is deemed necessary, depending on what you are writing about.
• The number of paragraphs depends on what you are writing.
• In the last paragraph, state what you expect from the recipient. This is usually in the form of an action or response. It is a common practice to end a formal letter with phrases such as I look forward to hearing from you or I hope prompt action will be taken to solve this problem.

A note of thanks is usually included

Remember to organise the information in a clear and logical manner.

Writing lengthy paragraphs should be avoided.

8. Ending: You can end the letter by writing “Yours faithfully”.

In practice, “Yours sincerely” is usually used.

9. Signature: Do not forget to sign the letter and write your name below it in capital letters with in brackets.

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