One of the Directed Writing compositions is letter. There are two types of letters: 1) Informal and formal letter. The informal letter is kind of straight-forward things because the format is simpler as compared to formal letter. I find that for SPM Paper 1, it is quite common for the letter question to be formal letter as compared to informal. I guess, this is one of the ways to ensure that the candidate would know how to write proper formal letter for future use such as employment and others.
Example of formal letter question
You are a qualified preschool teacher and are looking for a change of school to teach in. You come across this advertisement in a local newspaper. Write a cover letter for your application in not less than 250 words.
Notes:
- Reference to advertisement
- Reference to accomplishment and present position
- Independent and team player
- Principles of work – priority child in the class – course attended
- Confidence – pleasant personality
- Call for an interview
- Closing words
When writing the letter, you must:
- Lay out your letter correctly (addresses, date, salutation, title, closing]
- Use all the notes given
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Tips:
- Read the question carefully.
- You are writing the letter to apply for something such as applying for a certain position. It should be short and brief. Do not forget to include important details.
- Identify the situation and format.
- Use the 5Ws + 1H approach to elaborate the points given. For example, elaborate points given:
(1) How did you know about the vacancy?
(2)Why are you applying?’
(3) What is your accomplishment?
(4)What is your present position?
(5) What is your attitude to work?
(6) How do you regard the child in the class?
(7 ) What is your principle of work as a teacher? E.g. No discrimination among students regardless of their background
(8) What is your personality?
(9) When can you attend an interview?
Click HERE to see the example of a well-written formal letter