WRITING SKILL (60 minutes)

Part 1: WRITING A LETTER

Phần 1: Letter/ Email có độ dài >= 120 từ
 Thời gian: 20 mins
 Bài 1 chiếm 1/3 tổng số điểm của bài viết ( = 3.3đ)
 Kinds of letters:

INFORMAL FORMAL
Informal greetings and endings Formal greetings and endings
Dear + tên Dear + Mr/ Mrs/ Dr + họ
Informal language styles ( idioms, Formal language ( complex sentence,
phrasal verbs, colloquial English and non-colloquial language, advanced
omission of pronouns) vocabulary)
Abbreviated forms No abbreviated forms
I’m, we’ve, isn’t, it’s I am, we have, is not, it is

INFORMAL LETTER ( Thư thân mật)

1. Chào hỏi: Dear + tên [Mary],
2. Bày tỏ sự vui mừng khi nhận thư:
- I’m very happy/ glad to receive your letter
- It’s so good/ great/ nice to hear from you
- Many thanks/ Thank you for your recent/ last letter.
3. Hỏi thăm về gia đình, sức khỏe, công việc:

*How are you? / How have you been? / How’s it going?/ How’s everything?/ How is your
family doing?/ I hope you are well/ I hope that your family is doing well.

*- It's been such a long time since we last talked.

- It's been ages since we last wrote to each other.

- We haven't talked to each other for over a year.

- I’m sorry I haven’t written/ haven’t been in touch for such a long time.

*- I’ve been very busy with work lately.

 - School has been very hectic/ stressful/ busy for me lately.
- I’ve been really busy studying to pass the B1 English exam.
- I've been absolutely snowed under with work.
4. Mục đích viết thư:
- I’m writing this letter to answer your questions in your letter.
- In your previous letter, you asked me some questions about <topic>. Now, I would like to
reply to you and answer these questions.
5. Nội dung chính:
- Firstly,…..trả lời câu hỏi 1…..
- Secondly,…. trả lời câu hỏi 2…
- Finally,… trả lời câu hỏi 3…
6. Kết luận:
- I hope my answers/ advice/ suggestions are useful/ helpful to you.
- Anyway, I must go and get on with my work!
- I guess it’s time I got on with that studying I’ve been avoiding.
7. Chào tạm biệt:
- Give my love/ regard to your family
- I can’t wait to hear from you soon.
- Hope to receive your letter soon.
- I look forward to hearing from you soon./ to receiving your reply soon.
- Please write back to me soon.
8. Kí tên:
- Love,
- All the best, / Best wishes,
- Warm regards, /Kind regards,
- Sincerely,
*KHÔNG KÍ TÊN*
Task 1: Your English friend sent you a letter to ask about the following things:
- Do you like reading? What do you often read?
- Do you cook meals when you have free time ?
- What do you want to do in your free time?
You should write an email (at least 120 words) to answer those questions. DON’T write your name
or address
Dear Peter,
I’m very happy to receive your letter. How have you been? It’s ages since I’ve
heard from you. I hope you are well. Now I am writing to answer your questions
about my hobbies.
Firstly, I love reading very much. I often read newspapers because I can update
the daily news all over the world. Besides, I'm also keen on romantic novels. My
favorite novels are Pride and Prejudice, Outlander,…
Secondly, I love cooking and making new dishes for my parents/ children in my
free time. I often cook Hue beef noodle for them. The quality family time makes
me happy and relaxed.
Finally, my favorite things to do in my free time is hanging out with my friends
and playing sports. I am a very outgoing person, so I love to meet and have
relaxing times with my friends at the weekend.
Please send my best regards to your family.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Best wishes,

Task 2: Your American friend sent you a letter to ask about the following things:
-Do you often go shopping? What do you usually buy?
-Where do you want to go on holiday summer?
-Do you prefer a package tour or independent tour?

Homework 1: Your English friend, Susan sent you a letter to ask about the
following things:
-What activities you do to stay in shape/ healthy?
-Is there a good sport training center in your city?
-Do you prefer to work out alone or with other people?

Homework 2: You have received a letter from your pen friend Louis, who wrote:
“…My parents give me a lot of pocket money monthly. Do you still receive
pocket money? Have you done anything to earn extra money? What do you
spend your money on?”
Write a letter of at least 120 words responding to Louis.

Homework 3: You have received a letter from your Australian friend, who
wrote:

“… Last weekend, I felt really happy because everyone gave me a surprise

birthday party. My mom made a special cake for me. We enjoyed delicious
food and sang Happy birthday together. Can you tell me about your last
birthday party? How was the party? What did you do? How did you feel?”

Write a letter of at least 120 words responding to your friend.

Phần mở rộng: INFORMAL LETTERS (Thư thân mật)

Informal letters are usually written to family members, friends, relatives etc.
I. Useful language
Useful phrases for the opening
• How are you? / How have the family been? / I hope you are well.
• Thank you / Many thanks for your (recent/last) letter / postcard.
• It was good / nice / great to hear from you again.
• I was so surprised to hear that……
• I’m sorry I haven’t written / haven’t been in touch for such a long time.
• It’s ages since I’ve heard from you. I hope you’re well / you and your family
are well.
• How are things? / How’s everything? / How’s it going?
Other useful phrases
Referring to news (Đề cập đến tin tức)
• Great news about……/Glad to hear that……/Sorry to hear that../ about……
Giving news ( Báo tin tức)
• Listen, did I tell you about……? You’ll never believe what/ that……
• Oh, and another thing……This is just to let you know that……
• I thought you might be interested to hear about …/ know that……
• By the way, have you heard about/ did you know that……?
Apologies (Xin lỗi)
• I’m writing to apology for missing your party but I’m afraid I was with flu.
• I’m really sorry that I forgot to send you a birthday card but I was busy with
my new job.
Invitations (Gửi lời mời)
• I’m/ we’re having a party on Friday 19th and I/ we hope you’ll be able to
come.
• Would you like to come/ go to see “Room with a View” with me at the
weekend?
• I was wondering if you’d like to go to the theatre / come on holiday with us
• Could you let me / us know if you can come / you’d like to join us?
• Thank you very much for invitation. I’d love to come.
• Thank you for asking / inviting me to……but I’m afraid I won’t be able to……
Requests (Yêu cầu)
• I’m writing to ask for your help / you (if you could do me) a favor.
• I wonder if / I was wondering if you could help me / do me a favor
• I hope you don’t mind me asking but could you (possibly) ……?
• I’d be very / really / terribly grateful if you could……
Thank you / Congratulations / Good luck ( Cảm ơn/ chúc mừng/ chúc may mắn)
• I’m writing to thank you for your hospitality / the wonderful present.
• It was so kind of you to invite me to stay with you
• I really appreciated all your help / advice.
• Congratulations on passing your exams / your excellent exam results!
• I wish you good luck / Good luck in / with your exams / your driving test /
your interview.
• Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll do well / pass
• Do be on time, won’t you, and don’t forget to……
Making suggestions and recommendations ( Đề nghị)
• Why don’t you……? / Maybe you could ……? / How about……?
• You can’t leave New York without (……doing sth)
• I’m sure you will enjoy (……doing sth). If you like, we can……
• Do visit……/ don’t forget to……
Main body: Trả lời các câu hỏi trong thư
First,….
Second,….
Finally,….
Closing ( Kết thư)
• Give a reason why you’re ending the letter:
Anyway, I must go and get on with my work!/ I guess it’s time I got on with that
studying I’ve been avoiding.
• Send greetings and / or make reference for future contact :
Give my love / regard to your family.
Say hello to……/ Anyway, don’t forget to let me know the dates of the party./ I’ll
try and phone you at the weekend to check the times. / We must try and meet
up soon. / I can’t wait to hear from you / Look forward to seeing you again /
Hope to hear from you soon / See you soon / Write soon
• Closing statement
Love, /Lots of Love, /All the best,/ Take care,/ Best wishes,

Homework 4: Joey is one of your English-speaking friends, and she has invited
you to visit her family. Read part of her email below.
I can’t wait to see you next Saturday. I will collect you from the train station
when you arrive. Please tell me the exact time of your arrival and the number of
your train.
I’ve thought about something we could do while you’re here. Our town is
famous for art museums. But it will be better if you can tell me what you want
to do and where you want to go.
Is there anything else you need to know before you come?

Homework 5:
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
You received an email from an English friend, Jane. She asked you for some
information about one of your friends. Read part of her email below.
I’ve just got email from your friend, An. She said she’s going to take a course in
London this summer. She asked if she could stay with my family until she could
find an apartment. Can you tell me a bit about her ( things like her personality,
hobbies and interests, and her current work or study if possible)? I want to see
if she will fit in with my family.

Write an email responding to Jane.

You should write about 120 words. DO NOT write your name or address.
Your response will be evaluated in terms of Task Fulfillment, Organization,
Vocabulary and Grammar.
SAMPLE

Dear Jane,
It’s so great to hear from you. How’s everything? It's been such a long time since
we last talked. School has been very busy for me lately. I’m writing to give you
some information about An regarding to her personality, hobbies and current
study so that you can consider if she will fit in our family during her stay in London
or not.

In terms of her personality, I’m sure that you’ll like her because she’s very
generous, hard -working and flexible. She not only can solve situations accurately
and quickly but also can adapt the environment easily.

Besides, she’s got a special but interesting hobby- that is playing tennis and doing
gardening in free time. I believe that she can play tennis with all members in our
family and helps you to plant vegetable in the garden if possible.

Last but not least, she is well-trained with Law degree, and now she wants to
study further to improve her major. She can help to teach your children or show
them to do some homework.

I hope the above information will be useful to you,

Give me regards to our family.

Best wishes,

Homework 6: You have received an email from a pen friend, Alex.

“…We’re doing a project at school on famous restaurant, and I remember you

 know a lot of interesting restaurants in your city. Can I ask you some questions?
Have you been to an exceptional restaurant lately? If so, tell me about it. Can
you describe the type and quality of food, the atmosphere and the location?On
what occasions would you recommend the restaurant?”

Test 2.
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
You received an email from a friend in England. He asked you about your free
time activities. Read part of his email below.
When I have some free time, I like to be outside playing sports or riding my
bicycle. Do you prefer to be indoors or outdoors? What do you like doing?

Write an email responding to him.

You should write about 120 words. DO NOT write your name or address.
Your response will be evaluated in terms of Task Fulfillment, Organization,
Vocabulary and Grammar.
SAMPLE
Dear Tom,

I’m very happy to receive your letter. How are you? It's been ages since we last
wrote to each other. I’ve been really busy studying to pass the B1 English exam.
Now I’m writing to share some my hobbies in the free time with you.

As you know, I always choose outdoors activities for my free time. I’m outgoing
and active person, so outdoors activities like climbing, jogging or ridding bike are
always my best choice. Moreover, I can keep fit, stay healthy and improve my
health through these activities. In fact, I spend at least 2 hours a day riding bike in
the morning, and at least once a month climbing with my friends. Most important
of all, through these activities I can have a good social relationship and reduce
stress after a day of hard working.

In short, these activities are very useful and interesting. How’s about you? Can
you tell me about your hobbies?

Hope to hear from you soon.

Love,

Test 3.
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
This is a part of a letter you have received from your English pen friend.
Now that I have finished my exams, I want to try and lose some weight. You said
in your letter that you had lost over 10 kilos! How did you do it? What do you
think I should do to lose weight?

Write a letter giving advice to you pen friend.

You should write about 120 words. DO NOT write your name or address.
Your response will be evaluated in terms of Task Fulfillment, Organization,
Vocabulary and Grammar.

SAMPLE

Dear Ann,

I’m so glad to receive your letter. How’s it going? I’ve been absolutely snowed
under with work lately. Now I’m writing to give you some of my advice related to
some effective ways to lose weight and keep fit.

As you know, I have just lost 10 kilos thanks to my regular exercise. Every
morning, I get up early and spend an hour riding bike to the countryside. After
only two months, I can have a well-built body like this. Therefore, I think you
should take up a sport game like swimming, jogging or riding bikes. I am sure that
sport will help you to keep fit and improve your health. Besides, you had better
balance your diet, eat a lot of vegetable or fish, a little meat and some eggs.
Finally, you should not drink too much beer or wine , and it is the best to drink
fruit juice.

I believe that these ways will help you to be healthy and fit . I hope my advice is
useful for you.

Give my regards to our family.

Best wishes,

Test 4.
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
This is a part of a letter you have received from your English pen friend.
I’ve just finished reading a really a good book. What kinds of thing do you enjoy
reading? Do you prefer books or magazines? Tell me something about a famous
writer from your country.

Write a letter answering your friend’s questions.

You should write about 120 words. DO NOT write your name or address.
Your response will be evaluated in terms of Task Fulfillment, Organization,
Vocabulary and Grammar.
SAMPLE

Dear Mary,

I’m so glad to receive your letter. How’s it going? I’ve been absolutely snowed
under with work lately. Now I’m writing to tell you my reading favorite.

In your letter, you asked me if I like reading books or magazine, and of course I
like reading a newspaper or a magazine. Firstly, reading newspapers or
magazines is always helpful for learning new information. Newspapers provide
contemporary local news, international news, editorials, entertainment, news,
sports news and so on. Thanks to reading newspapers or magazines, I can keep
myself updated with the latest news and views of the world.

As you know, I read newspaper almost every day and sometimes I purchase or
borrow magazines to read as well. My favorite magazine is called ‘Women’s
Running’. It’s a monthly publication, dedicated to helping female runners, at
every level to improve their running and learn more about the sport. Also, I often
read PC magazine World- a global computer magazine published monthly by IDG
in USA that offers advice on various aspects of PCs and related items, the
Internet, and other personal-technology products and services

In my country, HG is a very famous writer because she has a lot of useful and
updated articles . She often writes about education, technology and sports and I
can learn a lot of good things when reading her articles

For me, the benefits of reading magazines of newspapers are huge.

Give my regards to your family

Best wishes,

Test 5.
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
This is a part of a letter you have received from an Australian friend.
I’ve just joined a film club. We watch and discuss films from different countries.
What kinds of films are popular in your country? Can you suggest a good film
for our club to watch? Why do you like it?
Write a letter answering your friend’s questions.
You should write about 120 words. DO NOT write your name or address.
Your response will be evaluated in terms of Task Fulfillment, Organization,
Vocabulary and Grammar.
SAMPLE
Dear John,
It’s so great to hear from you. How’s everything? It's been ages since we last
wrote to each other. Now I am writing to tell you about my films, especially
popular films in my country.
As you know, romantic, comedy and drama are popular films in my country
because some reasons. The stories in the films are excellent, familiar to viewers,
and the casting, plot, acting, dialogues and all other aspects of the movies are
superb. These kinds of movie deeply touch all people’s heart and reflect our real
life.
Recently, there is a good film on at my club that you should watch – that is
Casablanca which was directed by Michael Curtiz. It was released in 1983 and the
story was adopted from a stage-play named 'Everybody comes to Ricks'. The
movie starred Humphery Bogart & Ingrid Bergman and was made in USA. It was a
romantic drama film and the story-line was set during the World War II. You
know, it focuses on a man torn between love & virtue. In 1989, the film was
selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry a being
deemed 'Culturally', 'Historically' and 'Aesthetically' significant. It is the 2nd best
movie of all time based on AFI's 100 best movies of all time. I've seen the movie
more than 2-3 times.
I think we can learn some good solutions and experiences from this film.
Give my regards to your family.
Best wishes,