Writing

Formal Email / Letter

Register, salutation, closing, formal phrases.

Register · Salutation · Closing · Formal phrases

B2 · Writing for FCE

Formal Email / Letter at FCE

A formal email or letter is written to someone you do not know personally — a company, an official, an editor. Register, structure and appropriate phrases are all assessed.

Purpose

Complain, enquire, apply, request, suggest

Audience

Strangers — officials, employers, editors

Tone

Formal — no contractions, no colloquial language

Length

140–190 words

Structure

Salutation

Dear Sir / Madam · Dear Mr Smith · Dear Dr Jones

Opening line

State your purpose clearly in the first sentence

Main body

2–3 paragraphs — one idea per paragraph

Closing line

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sign-off

Yours faithfully (Sir/Madam) · Yours sincerely (named person)

Key formal phrases

Opening lines

I am writing with regard to...

I am writing to enquire about...

I am writing to draw your attention to...

Requesting / suggesting

I would be grateful if you could...

I would like to suggest that...

I would appreciate it if...

Complaining formally

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the service I received.

I was extremely disappointed to discover that...

I would be grateful if you could look into this matter as a matter of urgency.

I trust that you will take the necessary steps to resolve this issue.

Never be rude or aggressive — express dissatisfaction calmly and professionally.

Register — what to avoid

✗ Hi there! I wanna ask about the job.

✓ Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to enquire about the vacancy advertised on your website.

✗ It's really bad and I'm so disappointed.

✓ I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the quality of the product I received.

Contractions (don't, I'm, it's) are NOT used in formal writing.

Summary

Salutation

Dear Sir/Madam OR Dear + name

Opening

I am writing to / with regard to / to enquire about

Body

One clear idea per paragraph · no contractions

Closing

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sign-off

Yours faithfully (unknown) · Yours sincerely (named)