Writing T1 Part

1
General Part
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A friend you met last year has invited you to visit them in their country.
You have never been there before and need some information before you leave.
Write a letter to your friend. In your letter

• request advice about a gift for his/her family

• ask about activities and clothing
• find out about the food

Dear Robert,

Hi there, I hope you're enjoying your college year. Thanks very much for asking
me to come and visit you in Singapore. As you know, I haven't travelled to Asia
before, so I thought I'd write and ask you a few questions.

I want to bring a present with me and I wondered what would be appropriate.

Perhaps you could let me know what your mum's hobbies are and then I could
come up with an idea based on one of them.
Also, what sort of clothes should I bring? I know it's pretty warm where you live
but do I need jumpers or a coat? What sort of activities are we likely to do while
I'm there and should I bring things like swimming gear or trainers.

Lastly, I hate to be nuisance but I hope you remember that I'm vegetarian. I do eat
fish and eggs but I don't eat red meat and chicken at all. Is that going to be a
problem?

Look forward to hearing from you. I hope you enjoy the holiday.

Best wishes,

Angel Morris

You borrowed an important textbook from a classmate last term.

You now realise your classmate has returned home overseas and you still have the
book.
Write a letter to him/her. In your letter

• apologise for the mistake

• find out how important the book is to him/her say what
you will do

Dear Yuki,

I hope you had a safe journey back to Japan, and that your family are all well.

I am writing to say that I'm sorry for not giving you back the book 'English
Grammar in Use' which I borrowed from you last term. You lent it to me just
before the exams to help me prepare for them, and yesterday I found it under my
bed.

Please let me know straight away if you need this book for your studies right now,
or whether you can manage without it.
If you really need it, I can post it for you by airmail immediately. If not, do you
mind if I send it by ordinary mail as it quite heavy? Or, if you prefer, I can send
some money instead. Please let me know what you want me to do.

I hope you enjoy the holiday.

Love,

Flora York

You have seen an advertisement for part-time work in a hotel for three months over
the summer.
Write a letter to the Manager.
In your letter

• say what experience you have

• ask what the work involves
• enquire about conditions

Dear Sir,

I am writing to enquire about the part-time position as a waiter advertised in 'The

Evening Echo' on 24th June.

I am looking for work in the months of July and August because my university
vacation is then. I have quite a lot of experience in the hotel business, as I was
working in a guesthouse last year. The job involved dealing with guests, and I very
much enjoyed it. I can supply references of my previous employer if you require
them.

Could you please let me know what this position involves? At the guesthouse, I
worked as a porter and also I did some work as a waiter in the restaurant, so I
would be interested in either of these jobs.
Could you give me an idea of the working hours? I am available at the weekends as
well as during the week, and I can work any hours. However, I would prefer
daytime to shifts, if possible. Could you also tell me about accommodation for
employees and how much you pay?

I would appreciate hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Ronald Beckerman
For the past year you have been a member of a local club. Now you want to discontinue your
membership.
Write a letter to the club secretary.
In your letter

• state what type of membership you have and how you have paid for this
• give details of how you have benefited from the club
• explain why you want to leave

Dear Sir,

In September 2003, I joined your Sports and Social club as a full-time student
member. Since then I have paid the monthly membership fees by direct debit from
my bank: Nationwide in Sanderson Avenue, King hill.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my club membership as it has provided me with useful

opportunities to meet up with other young people and to participate in a number of
social activities. I have also been fortunate enough to play in some of the inter-club
tennis tournaments and have taken advantage of the various classes available such
as Yoga and Thai chi.

However, my studies are now coming to an end and as I will shortly be returning to
my home country, possibly for good, I regret that I no longer wish to continue my
membership.

I would be grateful, therefore, if you could confirm in writing that the monthly fee
will no longer be deducted from my bank account.

Yours,
Danni Wilson

You recently stayed in a hotel in a large city. The weather was very unusual for the time of year and
the heating/cooling system in the hotel was quite inadequate. Write a letter to the manager of the
hotel.
In your letter

• give details of what was wrong

• explain what you had to do to overcome the problem at the time
• say what action you would like the manager to take

Dear Sir,

I have just returned home after spending three nights at your hotel in Paddington. The staffs were very
friendly and the location was extremely convenient. However, I feel I must express my disappointment
about the room.

As we all know, London is experiencing a very warm summer this year, with temperatures around 30 °C
last week, which is quite unusual. As a result, it was very hot in my room on the sixth floor.

Because of the extreme heat in the room, I had to leave the windows open all night and so it was very
noisy, as the hotel is on a main road and the traffic never stops in London. Consequently, I got very little
sleep over the three nights.

I think it would be a good idea to install an air-conditioning system in the hotel. This could also be used as
a heating system in the winter and would certainly make the rooms more comfortable. Perhaps you
would consider giving me a discount if I come to your hotel again.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,
Jennet Thompson

You have received a letter from your bank, asking you to acknowledge receipt of a
new bank card.
However, the card was missing from the envelope.
Write a letter to the bank's head office. In your letter

• explain why you are writing

• express concern about the missing card
• ask them what they intend to do
Dear Sir,

I am writing to inform you that I received a letter from my bank today, which was
supposed to contain my new bank card. Unfortunately there was no bank card
enclosed in the envelope when I opened it.

I telephoned the bank to explain the problem, but I could not get through to the
right department, even though I waited on the line for over half an hour, which was
extremely annoying.

In the letter, you asked me to acknowledge the receipt of the card, but obviously I
cannot do this as I have not received it. I am now very worried because it is a
possibility that my card has gone to another customer or got lost. What will happen
if somebody has already used the card and spent my money? Will the bank repay
me?

Is it possible for the bank to cancel this card so nobody else can use it? Could you
also send me a new card by secure means?

I hope to hear from you soon.

Best wishes,

Karen Davis
 You have recently been to stay with an old friend for a few days. You hadn't seen each other for a long
time.

• say how you felt about the visit

• refer to something enjoyable that you did while staying with him/her
• invite your friend to visit you

Dear Aiden,

I'm writing to thank you for a really enjoyable visit. It was good to see you after so
long, and to be able to spend some time with you, talking about old school friends
and teachers.

Now that I'm back home, I keep thinking about how good it was to be somewhere
quiet and peaceful. I particularly enjoyed our trip to the wildlife sanctuary and
appreciated the opportunity to see so many rare birds and animals. It's made me
think that I should try and do more to protect them, so I'm having a look on the
internet to see what sort of organization there are.

Perhaps next time we get together you could come and visit me. There are plenty
of places we can go and my brother would really like to see you. Let me know
when you might be free to come here and we can fix something up.

Look forward to hearing from you soon.

Love,

Leo
 You have recently heard that a friend of yours has had some problems as a result of some unusual weather.

Write a letter to your friend. In your letter

• express concern (i.e. say you are sorry to hear what has happened)
• tell them about a similar experience that you once had
• give some advice or offer help

Dear Anna and Leo,

We were shocked to hear from Lara about the storm that hit your city recently and
the damage done to your house. How awful to come home from your holiday to
find the roof blown off the house!

I understand how you must feel, as we had a similar experience a few years ago
when there was a sudden electrical storm here in Sydney. I came home from work
to find that a tree had fallen on top of the house and all the windows were broken.
Fortunately the insurance covered the cost of the repairs, but it was still very
upsetting.

I suppose you have to think positively in situations like this and look at the
opportunity you have to improve your house - give it a new look. If we can do
anything for you in the holidays, we'd be happy to help.

Drop us a line and let us know.

Best wishes,

Leonard
You recently stayed in a hotel in a large city. The weather was very unusual for the time of year and
the heating/cooling system in the hotel was quite inadequate. Write a letter to the manager of the
hotel.
In your letter

• give details of what was wrong

• explain what you had to do to overcome the problem at the time
• say what action you would like the manager to take

Dear Sir,

I have just returned home after spending three nights at your hotel in
Paddington. The staffs were very friendly and the location was extremely
convenient. However, I feel I must express my disappointment about the
room.

As we all know, London is experiencing a very warm summer this year,

with temperatures around 30 °C last week, which is quite unusual. As a
result, it was very hot in my room on the sixth floor.

Because of the extreme heat in the room, I had to leave the windows open all
night and so it was very noisy, as the hotel is on a main road and the traffic
never stops in London. Consequently, I got very little sleep over the three
nights.

I think it would be a good idea to install an air-conditioning system in the

hotel. This could also be used as a heating system in the winter and would
certainly make the rooms more comfortable. Perhaps you would consider
giving me a discount if I come to your hotel again.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Jennet Thompson