FCE email and letter: how to write formal and informal emails
The FCE email or letter is a Part 2 option where you reply to a short text in 140–190 words, either formally (to a company, organiser or editor) or informally (to a friend). Choosing the right register and keeping it consistent is the key to a good mark. It is one of the Part 2 tasks in our B2 First Writing guide; below you will find plans for both registers and three marked model answers.
By Eleanor BennettLast updated:
What the email or letter task looks like
You will read a short input text, such as an advertisement, an email from a friend or a notice, and reply to it. The task tells you who you are writing to and what you must include. In B2 First, emails and letters follow the same rules: the only real difference is the format of the greeting and the sign-off.
The first question to ask is always: who is the reader? That decides the register.
- Formal: a job or volunteer application, a complaint, a request for information, a letter to a newspaper editor or a school principal.
- Informal: a reply to a friend, a pen pal or a family member who writes to you in a chatty style.
Here is an original formal task, which we use for the model answers below:
You see this advertisement on the website of a film festival in your town.
Volunteers needed!
We are looking for young people to help at our ten-day international film festival in July. Volunteers will welcome visitors, give information and help at events. You must speak good English.
Write to us explaining why you would be a suitable volunteer and what relevant experience you have. Please also tell us when you are available.
Write your email.
And here is an original informal task you can practise with:
You have received this email from your English-speaking friend, Sam.
Great news: my parents have said I can come and stay with you for a week in April! What's the weather like then, and what should I pack? What would you like to do while I'm there? Oh, and is there anything I should know about your family before I arrive?
Write your email.
Paragraph plan: formal email or letter
- 1
Greeting
Dear Sir or Madam, if you do not know the name; Dear Ms Rossi, if you do. Never Hi or Hello in a formal letter.
- 2
Paragraph 1: reason for writing
One or two sentences: I am writing to apply for... / I am writing to enquire about... Mention where you saw the advertisement.
- 3
Paragraphs 2–3: the content points
Give each point in the task its own paragraph. For an application, that might be why I am suitable and my experience. Use concrete examples, not just adjectives about yourself.
- 4
Paragraph 4: practical details
Answer the remaining points (availability, questions you want to ask). Keep it brief and polite.
- 5
Closing and sign-off
I look forward to hearing from you. Then Yours faithfully, (after Dear Sir or Madam) or Yours sincerely, (after a name), followed by your full name.
Paragraph plan: informal email
- 1
Greeting and opening
Hi Sam, or Dear Sam, then a friendly line that reacts to their news: That's fantastic news! I can't wait to see you.
- 2
Middle paragraphs: answer every question
Your friend's questions are your content points. In the informal task above there are four: the weather, what to pack, what to do and your family. Group related ones together.
- 3
Closing paragraph
Wrap up warmly and look ahead: Let me know what time your flight lands.
- 4
Sign-off
See you soon, / Take care, / Lots of love, followed by your first name.
Register and tone: formal versus informal
The most common reason for a low Communicative Achievement mark in this task is mixed register: a formal application that ends with See you soon!, or an email to a friend that sounds like a business letter.
Formal register - full forms: I am, I would, I do not - polite, indirect requests: I would be grateful if you could..., Could you possibly tell me...? - more formal vocabulary: enquire (not ask), receive (not get), require (not need) - no exclamation marks, no emojis, no slang
Informal register - contractions: I'm, you'll, there's - phrasal verbs and everyday expressions: catch up, pick you up, it's a must - direct questions and short reactions: Guess what?, Sounds great! - a friendly, personal tone, but still correct grammar and clear paragraphs
A formal letter shares its tone with a report, and an informal email shares its friendliness with an article. Our linking words guide shows which connectors belong in each register.
How the four criteria apply to the email or letter
- Content: every point in the task is answered. In the formal task above, that is why you are suitable, your experience and your availability. In the informal task, it is all four of Sam's questions.
- Communicative Achievement: the right register for the reader, kept consistent from the greeting to the sign-off, and the right function (applying, complaining, advising, inviting). This is the criterion where register mistakes cost the most.
- Organisation: a greeting, an opening that states the purpose, one paragraph per main point and a suitable close.
- Language: a range of vocabulary and grammar suitable for the register, such as polite modal structures in a formal letter or natural phrasal verbs in an informal email.
For more detail, see how FCE Writing is marked.
Email and letter traps
Trap: Starting a formal email with Hi! or Hello, my name is...
Fix: Use Dear Sir or Madam, and go straight to your reason for writing. Your name goes at the end.
Trap: Ending a formal email with See you soon or Thanks a lot!
Fix: Use I look forward to hearing from you + Yours faithfully / Yours sincerely.
Trap: I look forward to hear from you.
Fix: After look forward to, use the -ing form: I look forward to hearing from you.
Trap: Answering only three of your friend's four questions.
Fix: Number the questions in the input and tick each one off in your plan.
Trap: Writing an informal email in a stiff, formal style.
Fix: Use contractions, react to your friend's news and include a couple of natural expressions.
Trap: Listing adjectives about yourself in an application (I am responsible, kind, hard-working...).
Fix: Show it with one example: Last summer I welcomed foreign visitors at the city museum.
Model answer 1: top level (formal)
The task
You see this advertisement on the website of a film festival in your town.
Volunteers needed!
We are looking for young people to help at our ten-day international film festival in July. Volunteers will welcome visitors, give information and help at events. You must speak good English.
Write to us explaining why you would be a suitable volunteer and what relevant experience you have. Please also tell us when you are available.
Write your email.
Top answer175 words · estimated 19/20
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to apply for a volunteer position at this year's film festival, which I saw advertised on your website.
I am a nineteen-year-old tourism student, and I have been passionate about cinema since I was a child. As I attend the festival every summer, I am already familiar with the main venues and the way events are organised.
As for relevant experience, last year I worked as a part-time guide at the city museum, where I welcomed groups of foreign visitors and answered their questions in English and French. This taught me to remain calm and polite, even when people were tired or confused, which I believe would be valuable when helping festival guests.
Regarding availability, I am free for the whole festival apart from the second weekend, when I have a family commitment. I would also be happy to work evenings if required.
I would be grateful for the opportunity to contribute to such an exciting event. I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully, Alex Moreno
Examiner-style comments
- Content5/5
- All three points are fully covered: suitability (passion for cinema, knowledge of the venues), relevant experience (museum guide, languages) and availability. The reader has everything needed to make a decision.
- Communicative Achievement5/5
- Consistently formal and polite, with the conventions of an application used confidently: purpose stated at once, concrete evidence rather than a list of adjectives, and a standard formal close. The reader would take this applicant seriously.
- Organisation5/5
- One paragraph per function, each opened with a clear signal (As for relevant experience, Regarding availability). Relative clauses and This taught me... link ideas smoothly.
- Language4/5
- A good range of formal vocabulary (familiar with, remain calm, family commitment, if required) and structures used accurately. A little more variety in sentence openings would make it a 5.
Estimated 19/20. Notice how the experience paragraph shows suitability through an example instead of claiming it.
Marks are our estimate using the public B2 First writing criteria, not an official Cambridge mark.
Model answer 2: solid level (formal)
The task
You see this advertisement on the website of a film festival in your town.
Volunteers needed!
We are looking for young people to help at our ten-day international film festival in July. Volunteers will welcome visitors, give information and help at events. You must speak good English.
Write to us explaining why you would be a suitable volunteer and what relevant experience you have. Please also tell us when you are available.
Write your email.
Solid pass169 words · estimated 16/20
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing because I saw your advertisement for volunteers for the film festival and I would like to apply.
I am eighteen years old and I am in my last year of secondary school. I love films, especially European cinema, and I go to the festival every year with my friends. I think it would be a great experience to see it from the inside.
My English is good because I have studied it for ten years and I am preparing the B2 First exam now. Last summer I worked at the reception of my uncle's hotel, so I have experience of helping tourists and giving them information. I am friendly and I like meeting new people.
I am available for all the festival, except the first two days because I have an exam at school. I can work in the mornings and in the afternoons.
I hope you will consider my application. I look forward to hear from you.
Yours faithfully, Lucía Herrera
Examiner-style comments
- Content5/5
- All points are covered: why the writer is suitable, relevant experience at a hotel reception, and availability. The reader is fully informed.
- Communicative Achievement4/5
- The register is appropriately formal throughout and the conventions of a letter of application are followed. Some sentences are rather plain for a formal application (I love films, I go to the festival every year with my friends), but the purpose is clearly achieved.
- Organisation4/5
- Logically organised with a clear opening and close. Linking is mostly basic (and, because, so), with I am starting many sentences, which makes the text feel repetitive.
- Language3/5
- Generally accurate with a reasonable range. Errors: preparing the B2 First exam (should be preparing for), all the festival (better: the whole festival) and I look forward to hear (should be hearing). These do not affect understanding.
Estimated 16/20. Fix the fixed expressions (prepare for, look forward to + -ing) and vary sentence openings to move into the top band.
Marks are our estimate using the public B2 First writing criteria, not an official Cambridge mark.
Model answer 3: borderline level (mixed register)
The task
You see this advertisement on the website of a film festival in your town.
Volunteers needed!
We are looking for young people to help at our ten-day international film festival in July. Volunteers will welcome visitors, give information and help at events. You must speak good English.
Write to us explaining why you would be a suitable volunteer and what relevant experience you have. Please also tell us when you are available.
Write your email.
Borderline162 words · estimated 11/20
Hi!
My name is Paolo and I want to be volunteer in your festival. I saw the advert in internet and I think is perfect for me!!
I am 20 years and I study engineering in the university. I love the cinema, I watch films every weekend with my girlfriend and I know a lot of actors and directors. My english is quite good, I passed the B1 exam two years ago.
About the experience, I don't have a lot of experience but I worked in a pizzeria in the summer and I spoke with the clients every day, so I can help the visitors no problem. I am also very responsable and punctual.
I can work in July all the days but not the 15 because is the birthday of my mother. Is it possible to work only in the evening? Because in the morning I have to study.
Waiting for your answer, Thanks a lot and see you soon! Paolo
Examiner-style comments
- Content4/5
- All three points are addressed: interest in cinema, some relevant experience and availability. The extra question about evening work is relevant. The reader is on the whole informed.
- Communicative Achievement2/5
- The register is wrong for the reader. Hi!, double exclamation marks, no problem and see you soon! are too informal for an application to an organisation, and the three different sign-offs are confusing. The message gets through, but the effect on the reader is poor.
- Organisation3/5
- There are paragraphs in a logical order, but the opening and closing do not follow letter conventions. Linking is limited and some sentences are joined with commas or start with Because as a fragment.
- Language2/5
- Frequent basic errors: want to be volunteer, in internet, I think is, I am 20 years, in the university, english (needs a capital), responsable, all the days, not the 15, is the birthday of my mother. Vocabulary is everyday. Meaning is mostly clear.
Estimated 11/20. Learn one fixed formal frame (greeting, opening line, closing line, sign-off) by heart; it alone would raise the Communicative Achievement mark.
Marks are our estimate using the public B2 First writing criteria, not an official Cambridge mark.
Worked example: planning the informal email
The task
You have received this email from your English-speaking friend, Sam.
Great news: my parents have said I can come and stay with you for a week in April! What's the weather like then, and what should I pack? What would you like to do while I'm there? Oh, and is there anything I should know about your family before I arrive?
Write your email.
- 1.
Identify the reader: Sam is a friend, so the register is informal: contractions, a warm tone and natural phrasal verbs.
- 2.
Count the questions: weather and packing (1 and 2 can share a paragraph), plans for the week (3), and your family (4). That gives three middle paragraphs.
- 3.
Open by reacting to the news: Hi Sam, That's brilliant news! I've already told everyone you're coming.
- 4.
Give specific, useful answers: April can be quite changeable here, so pack a light jacket and an umbrella as well as T-shirts.
- 5.
Suggest plans with informal language: How about spending a day at the lake? We could also check out the spring festival in the old town.
- 6.
Answer the family question in a friendly way: My mum is really looking forward to meeting you, but heads up: my little brother will challenge you to football every single day!
- 7.
Close warmly and look ahead: Let me know when your flight gets in and we'll pick you up. See you soon, Ana.
Useful phrases: formal and informal
| Use it to… | Phrases |
|---|---|
| Opening (formal) |
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| Opening (informal) |
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| Requests (formal) |
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| Suggestions (informal) |
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| Closing (formal) |
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| Closing (informal) |
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FCE email and letter: frequently asked questions
Is there a difference between an email and a letter in B2 First?
Very little. Both use the same paragraphing and register rules. A letter is a little more traditional in its greeting and sign-off, but the marking is the same.
When do I use 'Yours faithfully' and 'Yours sincerely'?
Use Yours faithfully after Dear Sir or Madam (you do not know the name) and Yours sincerely after a name such as Dear Mr Novak. Best regards is a safe, slightly less formal alternative in emails.
Do I need to write addresses or a subject line?
No. You do not need postal addresses, and a subject line is not required. Start with the greeting.
Can I use contractions in a formal email?
Avoid them. Use full forms such as I am and I would in formal emails and letters. In informal emails, contractions make your writing sound natural.
How do I know if the task is formal or informal?
Look at the reader. A company, organiser, editor or principal needs a formal reply; a friend or family member who writes in a chatty style needs an informal one.