Writing Part 2
Writing an Informal Email
B2 First Exam
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Writing Part 2
Informal Email
Informal Email
It’s very common to have the option to write a letter or an email in part 2 of the B2 First Exam.
Emails and letters are essentially the same thing, except that one is digital and the other is on paper.
We use the same techniques for both styles.
Time Management
Time Management
Both texts are the same amount of words, and worth the same amount of points. Spend 40 minutes per text. Give time to both plan and check your work:
Planning - 10 minutes
Writing - 25 minutes
Checking - 5 minutes
Length: 140-190 words
Most people want to skip planning and start writing immediately. However, this often leads to disorganized essays. Since you’re being marked on organization, you should plan. You’ll have fewer problems while writing and your work will be easier to read.
Planning
Planning
Here's an example question:
This is part of an email you receive from an Australian friend.
For my college course, I'm doing a project about public parks in towns and cities around the world, and the benefits they bring to people. What problems do parks face in your country? What can be done to improve and maintain them, and who should be responsible for this work?
Write your email in 140-190 words in an appropriate style.
What to write about
What to write about
Know your Audience
Know your Audience
In the example above, it states that we are writing to a friend. Even though we are writing about a school project, the letter is to a friend so we use an informal tone. Don’t let the examiners trick you into writing a formal letter when it’s not.
Know the Topic
Know the Topic
The question tells us exactly what to write.
You should take a few minutes to read the question very carefully, and underline topic words and underline the things you must write about in the letter.
Here’s the same letter as before. I’ve underlined the topic words in red and the things we must respond to in green:
This is part of an email you receive from an Australian friend.
For my college course, I'm doing a project about public parks in towns and cities around the world, and the benefits they bring to people. What problems do parks face in your country? What can be done to improve and maintain them, and who should be responsible for this work?
Write your email in 140-190 words in an appropriate style.
Outline
Outline
Since this is a letter for a friend, we’re going to use a casual, informal greeting and sign-off. Here’s the format I use:
Format:
Hi / Dear [First name only of friend],
Paragraph 1- Say why you are writing to them (I’m just writing to let you know that….)
Paragraph 2- Point 1 and supporting details
Paragraph 3- Point 2 and supporting details
Paragraph 4- Point 2 and supporting details
Closing statement (if needed)
All the best,
[Your first name only]
Here are many ways you could organize your paragraphs. I suggest this way:
Each supporting paragraph should have:
One of the points.
Supporting details.
Example or Reason.
Remember, we need to use logical paragraphs to make sure we get good marks for organization.
190 words actually aren’t a lot. You will not be able to write about too many things for each point. Use this to your advantage, because writing less actually means less chance for mistakes.
Plan your Paragraphs
Plan your Paragraphs
I take the three points and quickly brainstorm some ideas.
Problems facing parks
pollution
lack of funding for maintenance
losing protection and status as protected areas
preference to housing development
How to improve and maintain parks
more trash bins
signage
people who can clean up
regulations
more funding
Who is responsible
citizens
politicians
everyone
Then, I narrow down what I’ll talk about. It’s always best to pick 1 thing, expand on it, and then give a reason or an example. This will help us create a well-organized letter. Having too many ideas per paragraph is bad and risks confusing the examiner.
I’ll stick to this approach:
One of the points.
Supporting details.
Example or Reason.
Problems facing parks
preference to housing development
every year, more loss of parks to make way for development
How to improve and maintain parks
Awareness of the importance of parks, but also make them more enjoyable
places to sit
walkways
community awareness campaigns
trash cans
Who is responsible
both people and politicians are responsible
people need to use parks
Writing the Letter
Writing the Letter
Here's the question again for reference:
This is part of an email you receive from an Australian friend.
For my college course, I'm doing a project about public parks in towns and cities around the world, and the benefits they bring to people. What problems do parks face in your country? What can be done to improve and maintain them, and who should be responsible for this work?
Write your email in 140-190 words in an appropriate style.
Opening Paragraph
Opening Paragraph
The best way to write an opening paragraph is by making reference to the original letter. In this case, we don’t have a name, so I’ll make one up.
Hi Maria,
How are you? It’s great to hear from you. I’d be happy to give you some information about parks here in Canada to help you with your project.
You can see I haven’t added any details. The details will come in the body of the letter.
Body Paragraphs
Body Paragraphs
The easiest way to organize the letter is by dedicating one paragraph per point. Remember to not go off topic or you will lose points.
I’ll go with the points I brainstormed before.
Problems facing parks
I think one of the biggest problems facing parks in Canada is urban development. Canada has many national parks that are well-protected and loved by citizens. However, as cities grow, more and more parkland within and around those cities are paved over for housing and parking lots.
Improving and maintaining parks
I think one way to solve this would be by designating more park land near urban spaces, and keeping them well maintained and usable to the public. People sometimes think city parks are not safe. In order for them to be usable, they must have well-lit walking paths for the evenings, places to sit during the day, and lots of waste bins for garbage so they stay clean.
Who is responsible
It’s hard to say who should be responsible for this. We all need to play our parts. Politicians, for example, will fund more parks, but only if people use them. So, local citizens need to see the value of green spaces and show their appreciation by using parks, therefore proving that the investment is worthwhile.
Conclusion
Conclusion
We don’t need to add much for a conclusion. It’s usually easiest to just say you are available to answer questions, and that you look forward to hearing from them.
I hope this information was helpful. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to write me. I look forward to hearing from you.
Remember that it’s ok to go over the word limit as long as we stay on topic. You will never lose points for writing too much as long as what you say is relevant. You will lose marks if you add too many unimportant details. Also, writing more increases the chances for mistakes so try to stay near the word count.
Example
Example
Let’s put it all together with some sequencing words and some editing:
Hi Maria,
It’s great to hear from you. I’d be happy to give you some information about parks here in Canada for your project.
I think one of the biggest problems facing parks here is urban development. As cities grow, more and more parkland within and around those cities are paved over for housing, parking lots, and roads.
I think one way to solve this would be by designating more parkland near urban spaces, and keeping them well maintained and usable to the public. People sometimes think city parks are unsafe. In order for them to be appealing, they must have well-lit paths for the evenings, places to sit during the day, and lots of waste bins so they stay clean.
It’s hard to say who should be responsible. We all need to play our part. Politicians, for example, will fund more parks, but only if people use them. So, local citizens need to show their appreciation by using the parks and keeping them clean, therefore proving that the investment is worthwhile.
I hope this information was helpful. If you have any questions, please write me.
All the best,
- Axl
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