Formal Letters
* Formal Letter WritingIntroduction
* FREE Guide to Writing Formal Letters
* Formal Letter Writing Service
* Formal Letter Templates
Formal Letter Writing Introduction
Formal letter writing is one of the most challenging types of letter writing. When writing a formal letter, often you are addressing a person or organisation with whom you are not familiar and the quality of your content, including spelling and grammar will be strongly scrutinised. In general formal letters will have one of the following purposes:
* Make a complaint
* Request something
* Make an enquiry
If you are looking for information on writing Cover Letters then please visit our specific Cover Letters section.
How we can help you write a Formal Letter
We offer three tools to help you write a formal letter; our Free Guide to Writing Formal Letters, our Formal Letter Writing Service or our Formal Letter Templates.
FREE Guide to Writing Formal Letters
Quicklinks
* Layout of a formal letter
* Formal letter writing conventions
* Content of a formal letter
* Application of formal letter writing techniques
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Layout of a Formal Letter
The example formal letter below details the general layout that a formal letter should conform to. Each aspect of the formal letter is detailed more fully below the image.
Formal Letter Writing Example
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Formal Letter Writing Conventions
There are a number of conventions that should be adhered to when producing a formal letter. It is important that the overall structure is as clear and concise as possible and that you avoid the use of colloquialisms.
Addresses:
1) Your Address
Your address should be displayed in the top right-hand section of your letter. This will enable the person that you are writing to, to reply to your letter.
2) The Address of the person you are writing to
This address should be displayed beneath your address on the left-hand side of your letter, remember to include the name of the person that you are writing to. (If known)
Date:
This should be displayed on the right-hand side of the page on the line beneath your address and should be written in full format:
e.g. 1st January 2001
Salutation & Greeting:
1) Dear Sirs,
If you do not know the name of the person that you are writing to, use the greeting "Dear Sirs,". In some circumstances it is useful to find a name, especially if you are writing to make a request as this will show that you have done your homework and your letter is more likely to receive a response.
2) Dear Mr Jones,
If you know the name, use one of the following titles:
Mr - for a male
Mrs - for a married female
Miss - for an unmarried female
Ms - for a female whose status is unknown or would prefer to remain anonymous
Dr - for a person with the status of a doctor
This should be followed by the surname only (not the first name).
Concluding a Letter:
1) Yours faithfully,
If you do not know the name of the person, end the letter with "Yours faithfully,".
2) Yours sincerely,
If you know the name of the person, end the letter with "Yours sincerely,".
3) Your signature
Sign your name, then print it underneath the signature. If it is potentially unclear what your title would be then include this in brackets next to your printed name.
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Content of a Formal Letter
In modern society there is a trend to use a shorthand writing style, for instance replacing the word "you" with "u" or replacing the word "weekend" with "wkend", there are many other examples. This casual approach and informal writing style can easily be transferred, sometimes subconsciously, when a more formal style is required.
Introductory Paragraph
The introductory paragraph should be concise and should clearly state the purpose of the formal letter whether it is to lodge a complaint, make an enquiry or to request something.
Main Body
The main body of the formal letter should clearly state the points that you want to make in your letter. As a general rule it is a good idea to keep this as to the point as possible to ensure that the recipient remains engaged. Longer letters may be more appropriate when making a complaint as you may require to add more detail in order to convey the importance of what you are putting across.
Concluding Paragraph
The concluding paragraph of a formal letter should outline what action you would like the recipient to take: to make a refund, to send you information etc.
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Application of Formal Letter Writing Techniques
Letter of Complaint
A letter of complaint is a formal letter sent to an individual or organisation in response to receiving poor service or a product that is not fit for purpose. An example of a letter of complaint would be a letter sent to a tour operator who has provided a bad service while you have been on holiday. This type of formal letter does not necessarily need to be concise as it is important that you detail your arguments and points as much as possible.
Letter of Enquiry
A letter of enquiry is a formal letter that makes an approach to an individual or organisation either speculatively or in response to printed public domain material whereby you are requesting some information. An example of a letter of enquiry would be a letter sent to an company requesting a copy of their catalogue or brochure. By their very nature letters of enquiry are short and to the point, it is usually beneficial to include other methods of contact in case the company needs to get in touch with via other means.
Letter of Request
A letter of request is a formal letter much like a letter of enquiry but specifically asks an individual or organisation to take an action. An example of a letter of request would be a letter sent to request sponsorship for a charity activity. It is important to stress the importance of being clear and concise with this format of letter as the recipient must remain engaged and interested in what you have to say.
Formal Letter Writing Service
We have a great deal of experience with formal letter writing and as such are able to offer a great value service. If you feel that after reading our free formal letter writing guide that you would still like some assistance with putting together your formal letter please contact us.
Formal Letter Templates
We are able to offer letter templates to suit all types of letter. Our formal letter templates cost just £1.99 and are the ideal solution to enable you to easily put together your own formal letter. If you would like to order one of our formal letter templates please click below:
Letter Template - Place Order
Personal Letters
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Personal Letter Writing Introduction
A Personal letter is sent from one individual to another individual or organisation in order to address matters of a personal nature. Examples of personal letters can include;
• Apologies
• Thank you letters
• Personal reference letters
• Congratulations
• Invitations
• Condolences
Personal letters differ from formal letters in that they can be used to express personal feelings and depending on the relationship between the sender and receiver do not require formal concise language.
Personal Letter Options
We offer three tools to help you write a personal letter; our Free Guide to Writing Personal Letters, our Personal Letter Writing Service or our Personal Letter Templates.
FREE Guide to Writing Personal Letters
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Layout of a Personal Letter
The example personal letter below details the general layout that a personal letter should conform to. Each aspect of the personal letter is detailed more fully below the image.
Personal Letter Writing Conventions
Conventions are not as critical in a personal letter as they are in a formal letter but the following general layout should be adhered to:
Addresses:
1) Your Address
You must always remember to include your own address on the top right-hand side of the page. This will enable the person that you are writing to, to reply to your letter.
2) The Address of the person you are writing to
This address should be displayed beneath your address on the left-hand side of your letter, remember to include the name of the person that you are writing to.
Date:
This should be displayed on the right-hand side of the page on the line beneath your address and should be written in full format:
e.g. 1st January 2001
Salutation & Greeting:
Dear Mr Jones,
The above shows the format of the greeting line. The salutation formats are shown below:
Mr - for a male
Mrs - for a married female
Miss - for an unmarried female
Ms - for a female whose status is unknown or would prefer to remain anonymous
Dr - for a person with the status of a doctor
The salutation should be followed by the surname only (not the first name).
If you are familiar with the person that you are writing to then it may be more appropriate to include their first name rather than using their title. This is a decision that you will need to make based on your relationship with the person in question.
Concluding a Letter:
1) Yours sincerely,
The letter should be concluded with the words: "Yours sincerely,".
Followed by:
2) Your signature
Sign your name, then print it underneath the signature.
For personal letters you may wish to conclude the letter with something more friendly e.g. "All the best", "Best regards," etc.
Content of a Personal Letter
Consider your relationship and familiarity with the person or organisation with whom you are writing to and adjust the level of formality accordingly.
Further Considerations for very Personal Letters
Expressing Yourself - A hand written personal letter; your penmanship is a piece of you and by hand writing your letters and notes, it gives the recipient something completely unique and special.
Mementoes - Enclose a photo; in some circumstances your recipient might have forgotten about or never have seen you. Alternatively enclose a memento of a shared experience (these can be photocopied, rather than sending the original).
From the Heart - Remind your recipient of your shared experiences; or share one thing about that person that you admire, compliments can go a long way to building on relationships.
Avoid Email - Email has made it easy to jot down a few words, spell check and hit send. When handwriting a personal letter use conventional snail mail, obviously checking for spelling and grammar. Know what you are going to say and how you’d like to write it before you start, there is no delete button in real life.
Personal Letter Writing Service
We have a great deal of experience with personal letter writing and as such are able to offer a great value service. If you feel that after reading our free personal letter writing guide that you would still like some assistance with putting together your personal letter please contact us.
Personal Letter Templates
We are able to offer letter templates to suit all types of letter. Our personal letter templates cost just £1.99 and are the ideal solution to enable you to easily put together your own personal letter. If you would like to order one of our personal letter templates please click below:
CV Writing
CV Writing Introduction
Quality CV writing is your window to a successful career. Attention to detail is of paramount importance when CV writing as it will create a first impression with your potential employer, and as we all know first impressions last!
Need some help with your CV cover letter? Visit our Cover Letters section.
