Teacher's notes | Writing file 4 Learning objectives in this lesson Raising awareness of the kind of language used in letters of agreement. By the end ofthe lesson, students will be able to write an effective letter of agreement using appropriate language. 1 Ask students to workin pairs and discuss the questions before feeding back to the rest ofthe class. Possible answers ‘Answers will vary, although letters wil normally be used when the aim Is to communicate something offical, e.g. a letter offering someone a job, a letter terminating a contract, etc. 2 Ask students to read the letter quickly and answer the questions, They can then share their ideas with the class. Answers The aim of the letter isto outline the conditions of the agreement. Dwayne has most likely chosen to write a letter rather than an email because this seems more official and formalizes the agreement, 3 Askestudents to read the letter again and answer the questions, They can then compare their answers in pairs before feeding back to the rest ofthe class. Answers 1 Tue 2 False — other companies wil probably be selling on the ‘website, but not the products that Johanna’s company sells 3 Tue 4 False — he will walt for a response from Johanna 4 Ask-students to workin pairs and match the words from the letter to the definitions, During feedback point out that these phrases and words ae all fairly formal Answers le 2c 3g 4d 5b 6a 7f 5 Ask students to read the letter again and find words / phrases that perform functions 1-5. They can then check. their answers in pairs before feeding back to the rest of the class. Answers 1 further to our conversations centered on 2 Lam writing to 3 However 4 | sincerely hope this offer is mutually agreeable . 5... I look forward to hearing your response. , last week's discussions G Ask students to read the notes. 7 Students should now write their letter. Encourage them to use language from 4 and 5 where appropriate, 8 Ask students to exchange letters. They should read the letter and write a response. You could encourage students to evaluate the content and language of their partner's letters, or you might prefer to collect the letters in and provide detailed feedback. Evaluation tips Make sure that students have included all the necessary information found in the notes in 6. Ifyour students are preparing for an exam (e.g. BEC), remind them how important it is to answer the question fully and address all aspects ofthe task. Give positive feedback to students who incorporated the language from 4 and 5 appropriately. Make sure you also comment on accuracy and register ‘Sample answer Refer tothe letter on the students’ worksheet for guidance.Writing a letter of agreement 1. Work with a partner and discuss these questions. 1 How often do you send letters rather than emails in your job? 2 Why might you choose to send a letter rather than an email in some cases? 2 Read the letter below. What is the aim of the letter? Why has the writer decided to write a letter rather than an email? IMs Johanna Halfpenny. Henson Sporting Products 40 Charteris Drive Coit February 11th Dear Ms Halfpenny Further to our conversations last week relating to your company seling your products online via our website, am writing to confirm that we ae able to offer you exclusivity in terms of your product type, subject to the following terms and conditions ‘As you know, last week's discussions centered on the commission rate we would charge you on sales from cour website. The figure of 5% was mentioned. However, after looking at our costs in more depth, we fel this ‘would not bring about the retums we are looking fr. Based on this we would like to offer you the exclusive right to trade sporting goods via our website In return for this we would like to take 10% on all sales. although this s double the inital offer, we feel thatthe exclusivity ‘makes this a viable opportunity for both sides to ‘maximize revenue, [sincerely hope this new offers mutually agreeable and Hook forward to hearing your response, Yours sincerely Dwayne Peel 3. Read the text again and decide if these sentences are true or false. 1 Dwayne and Johanna have been in contact before 2. Johanna's company will be one of many other ‘companies selling their type of products on the website 3. Dwayne's company wants to change the conditions previously discussed 4. Dwayne will proceed immediately withthe agreement 4 Work with a partner. Match 1-7 with definitions .~g. Refer back to the letter to help you. 1 subject to:____a_ at the beginning 2 centreon:__ limited to one thing / person 3 bring about: ___¢ be based on 4 viable: d able to succeed / work as. intended 5 exclusive: ___e depending on the stated thing happening 6 initia: {when two parties feel the same about something 7 mutually: ___g_ cause something to happen 5. Read the letter again. Which words or phrases in the letter perform the following functions? 1 Referring to previous contact: 2. Giving the reason for writing 3 Introducing concern about a previous agreement: 4 Encouraging agreement to the new offer: 5 Referring to future contact: 6 Acompany that works in a similar field has contacted you about a possible website tie-in. ‘They want to have a joint website because customers are often looking for both your and their products. Last week you met to discuss their proposal. Read your notes on the situation. ‘Meeting held on 27th Feb ‘Agreement made to cooperate on website. Suggestions discussed: create one new website Including products from both companies Post meeting research: new website will be too expensive to build, so propose having clear links on each other's websites instead ‘Action: Write to contact ohn Norton) and explain that the new website s too costly. Make the suggestion about links and try to persuade him this isa good alternative — cheap, and traffic to our existing ste is good 7 Write a letter of about 150 words to John Norton. ‘Try to use some of the language that you focused onin4and5. 8 Exchange letters with a partner. Read your partner’ letter and write reply.