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Writing folder 1
SB pages 20–21
Paper 2 Part 2 Informal letters
In Paper 2 Writing, it is important to write in a register that
is suitable for the task set. Part 1 is a compulsory essay task
requiring an unmarked or semi-formal register. In Part 2,
where there is a choice of questions, there may be a letter
or email task. If this is a letter of application, the register
should be formal. If the task is a letter or email to a friend,
it should be informal. Candidates at this level have
problems in writing consistently in the appropriate
register and Writing folder 1 addresses this issue.
1 Ask students to decide in pairs which two of the extracts
are informal. Elicit informal words and phrases from
these extracts and write them on the board.
Answers
B – get-together, It’s a pity …, terrific, Why not …?
C – Anyway …, Well …, weird guy, you’d better not,
4 Suggest that students plan their own letters in pairs,
Why not …?, at my place
Refer students to the Assessment focus box. Stress the
importance in the exam of identifying the reader and
the purpose of the letter or email. Then ask students
to discuss possible writers, readers and purposes for
extracts A–C.
Answers
A – department head to staff ; report on the last meeting and
a reminder about the next one
B – departmental secretary to staff in department; invitation
to next get-together
C – friend to friend; invitation to stay for a party
2 5
Answers
Hi!, Guess what?, splash out, cool, I can’t (contraction),
a bit more.
3 Explain that when Paper 2 answers are marked,
candidates are assessed in four areas: content,
communicative achievement, organisation and
language. The mark awarded for content will depend
on how fully the target reader is informed in relation
to the points given in the question. Communicative
achievement covers the appropriacy of the register and
format to the type of task set, and the effect of the piece
of writing on the target reader. Organisation covers
18 WRITING FOLDER 1
how well organised the text is and the variety of linking
words and cohesive devices used. Language focuses
on both the range and accuracy of the vocabulary and
structures used.
Answers
• failure to answer the question set (the answer ends up
talking about something different)
• inconsistent register (paragraphs 1 and 3)
• poor organisation: long middle paragraph with an
absence of linkers
• language errors in middle paragraph
Ask students to quickly correct the errors in paragraph
2: you can’t decide whether to buy; not as cheap
as; choose a computer game; spend the money on
something else.
The improvements to style in paragraphs 1 and 3 can
be discussed quickly and written up after class if time is
short.
working through the ideas given under the C-L-O-S-E
headings. Refer them also to the lists of phrases on
page 21, which relate to this planning phase. Students
often complain that they don’t know what to write
about. They need to think around the subject and plan
what to say. This does not mean writing the whole piece
in rough first. Stress that students don’t have time to do
this in the examination and it is not advisable – hurrying
over a fair copy leads to words and even sentences
being missed out, and leaves no time to check for errors.
Ask students to write the letter for homework,
reminding them to write between 140 and 190 words.
Answers
Informal expressions:
Initial greetings: 1, 3
Congratulations: 1
Opinion: 2, 5
Advice/Suggestion: 1, 2, 4, 7
Linkers: 2, 3, 5, 6, 7
Endings: 1, 3, 4
Opening and closing an email / a letter:
Hi Brad … Cheers (informal)
Dear Jayne … Love (informal)
Dear Sir … Yours faithfully (formal; use when the reader’s
name is not known)
Dear Ms Jones … Yours sincerely (formal)
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