HAVO 4 Writing PDF

HAVO 4 Writing Content {#content.Kopvaninhoudsopgave} ======= [What can you expect 2](#what-can-you-expect) [Formal letter 2](#formal-letter) [Letter of application - useful phrases 4](#letter-of-application---useful-phrases) [Email 7](#email) [Review 13](#review) What can you expect =======...

HAVO 4 Writing Content {#content.Kopvaninhoudsopgave} ======= [What can you expect 2](#what-can-you-expect) [Formal letter 2](#formal-letter) [Letter of application - useful phrases 4](#letter-of-application---useful-phrases) [Email 7](#email) [Review 13](#review) What can you expect =================== This period we will work on our writing skills. We will focus on writing the following text types: 1. Letter 2. Email 3. Review 4. Professional Profile 5. Reflection Formal letter ============= Letter of application Formal letters may be written to an individual or to an organisation. The purpose may be, for example: - to **apply for** part-time or vacation **work** (application letter) - to** apply for study** or **scholarship** opportunities (application letter) - to **complain **about something (complaint letter) - to **make suggestions** about something  - to **request information **(enquiry letter) **How to write formal letters:** **\[1\] Salutation or Greeting** - **(A)** ***If you know the name of the person*** you are writing to use the title (Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms) and the surname only. If you are writing to a woman and do not know if she uses Mrs or Miss, you can use Ms, which is for married and single women.\ Examples: \"**Dear Mr Simpson,\"** / \"**Dear Mrs Flanders,\"** / \"**Dear Miss Skinner,**\" / \"**Dear Ms Van Houten,**\"  - **(B)** ***If you do not know the name*** of the recipient of the letter begin with **\"Dear Sir,**\" / \"**Dear Madam,**\" (if you know you are writing to a man or a woman) or \"**Dear Sir or Madam,**\" (if you do not know the sex of the person you are writing to). ### **\[2\] Body** **\[2.1\] Opening** The first paragraph states the reason(s) for writing and, if needed, what you are responding to (an advert, a prospectus\...). In addition, an opening paragraph is needed to refer to previous correspondence. [Useful phrases for the opening] - *I would like to apply for one of the scholarships I saw advertised in your prospectus. *(applying for a scholarship) - *I am looking for outdoor work during the summer holidays and I would like to apply for the position of hotel lifeguard assistant which I saw advertised in my university\'s student newspaper. *(applying for a job) - *I have seen your advertisement for the post / vacancy / job of... advertised in the local newspaper on 16 June. I am writing because I would like to apply for the job.  *(applying for a job) **\[2.2\] Main content** The rest of the body will be organized in paragraphs: this will make reading easier and the effect on the target reader will be better. For example, an application letter may have this layout and paragraphing: - Salutation or greeting - \#1 Opening (first paragraph) \#2 About you (age, where you live, education-training and/or work experience relevant to the job, languages \...) \#3 Reasons for applying (why you are suitable for the job) \#4 Conclusion (availability for interview, further questions, \... *- if necessary*) - Closing - Final salutation - Name and surname For any type of formal letter, **paragraphing is just a matter of common sense**. Grouping ideas logically (covering two points or questions in one paragraph, two other points or questions in another paragraph\...), you should aim for three to five paragraphs. [Other useful phrases ] Asking politely - *Could you tell me\...?* - *I would be grateful if you could \...* - *I would be interested in having more details about\...* - *I would like to know if/when/where/\...* - *I would like information on\...* - *Do you know if\...?* **\[3\] Closing** The end of your letter is as important as the beginning. You usually state what you would like the recipient to do, make a reference to a future event, offer to help\... - *I look forward to hearing from you soon / I look forward to receiving your reply* - *I would like to thank you in advance for this information *(in an enquiry letter -requesting information) - *If you require/Should you need further information, please do not hesitate to contact me/feel free to contact me.* **\[4\] Final salutation** Depending on how you started your letter (See [\"Salutation or Greeting\"](http://www.rubenvalero.com/english/content/fce-formal-letter-or-email#salutation-greeting) above), you will end your letter with: - \(A) Yours sincerely,  - \(B) Yours faithfully,  **\[5\] Sign your name** and then print your name clearly underneath on another new line. *Moe Szyslak* Moe Szyslak *Letter of application - useful phrases* ---------------------------------------- Dear \...\... , I am writing to apply for a/the job of \..... which I saw advertised in *\"The Guardian\"* newspaper. I am 26 years old and at the moment I am studying... at.... Having studied English for over seven years, I am a fluent speaker of the language. My qualifications also include Proficiency certificates in both French and German. As far as experience is concerned, I have worked as \...\...\...\.... for \...\...\..... As for my character, people tell me I am \...\...\...\...\... I feel I would be suitable for this job because \...\...\...\.... This will give me the opportunity to...... I would also like the chance to\.... I look forward to hearing from you. Yours... , *signature* *name* **[Other things to consider]** **Range:** It is important that you use grammatical expressions and vocabulary appropriate to the level of the exam and the text type. Even if there are no mistakes in your writing, you will not be able to get a good grade if you use only the language and vocabulary that you learnt at elementary level.  **Formal language** - - - **Connectors:** All good writing makes good use of connectors. You need to [use some of the connectors that are more specific to formal language].  **Letter of application** -- **exercise 1** You have seen the following job advertisement: +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | ACTIVITY CO-ORDINATOR WANTED!\ | | (Weekends) | | | | - Would you like to work with children aged 5-11? | | | | - Do you have lots of energy? | | | | - Are you an excellent swimmer? | | | | Our Children\'s Club is looking for someone to teach a group of ten | | children swimming and to do a range of other activities. Please apply | | to Mrs Sykes saying why you are suitable for the job. | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ Write your letter of application to Mrs Sykes (around 250-300 words). **\ ** **Letter of application** -- **exercise 2** You want to attend a course in English and American Studies in an English-speaking country and you see this section in a college prospectus: **SCHOLARSHIPS** **Every year, two scholarships are offered to candidates from overseas who can show how our one-year language & culture course would help their career. Scholarships cover fees, accommodation and food, but not transport or personal spending money.** **Apply in writing, explaining why you think you deserve a scholarship.** Write your letter. Don't include any postal addresses.  Write your answer in 250-300 words in an appropriate style. **Letter of application** -- **exercise 3** You see this advertisement in an international  newspaper. **TRAINEE MANAGER** *We are looking for an enthusiastic and committed person with a good knowledge of the European financial markets to work as a trainee manager in our new Madrid branch. This is a challenging and demanding position for banking and finance graduates.* *We offer flexible working hours, a fully supported staff development programme, a clothing allowance and intensive language course in English and/or Spanish. Excellent prospects for promotion. * *Salary € 25,000- € 35,000- a year depending on experience.* [Send a letter of application to: Marianna Hardy, 349c High Road, London, UK] You must answer this question. Write your letter in 250-300 words in an appropriate style. Email ===== For most of us, email is the most common form of business communication so it's important to get it right. Although emails usually aren't as formal as letters, they still need to be professional to present a good image of you and your company. **How to write a formal email** Follow these five simple steps to make sure your English emails are perfectly professional: 1. **Begin with a greeting** Always open your email with a greeting, such as "Dear Lillian". If your relationship with the reader is formal, use their family name (eg. "Dear Mrs. Price"). If the relationship is more casual, you can simply say, "Hi Kelly". If you don't know the name of the person you are writing to, use: "To whom it may concern" or "Dear Sir/Madam". 2. **Thank the recipient** If you are replying to a client's inquiry, you should begin with a line of thanks. For example, if someone has a question about your company, you can say, "Thank you for contacting ABC Company". If someone has replied to one of your emails, be sure to say, "Thank you for your prompt reply" or "Thanks for getting back to me". Thanking the reader puts him or her at ease, and it will make you appear more polite. 3. **State your purpose** If you are starting the email communication, it may be impossible to include a line of thanks. Instead, begin by stating your purpose. For example, "I am writing to enquire about..." or "I am writing in reference to...". Make your purpose clear early on in the email, and then move into the main text of your email. Remember, people want to read emails quickly, so keep your sentences short and clear. You'll also need to pay careful attention to grammar, spelling and punctuation so that you present a professional image of yourself and your company. 4. **Add your closing remarks** Before you end your email, it's polite to thank your reader one more time and add some polite closing remarks. You might start with "Thank you for your patience and cooperation" or "Thank you for your consideration" and then follow up with, "If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to let me know" and "I look forward to hearing from you". 5. **End with a closing** The last step is to include an appropriate closing with your name. "Best regards", "Sincerely", and "Thank you" are all professional. Avoid closings such as "Best wishes" or "Cheers" unless you are good friends with the reader. Finally, before you hit the send button, review and spell check your email one more time to make sure it's truly perfect! **Formal or informal?** We write a formal email when we want to be polite, or when we do not know the reader very well. A lot of work emails are formal. We write informal emails when we want to be friendly, or when we know the reader well. A lot of social emails are informal. Here are some examples of formal and informal messages: Before you start writing an email, decide if you want to write a formal email or an informal one. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Formal Informal ---------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- An email to a customer \ A birthday greeting to a colleague\ A job application\ An email to a colleague who is also a good friend\ An email to your manager\ A social invitation to a friend at your workplace\ A complaint to a shop\ An email with a link to a funny YouTube clip\ An email from one company to another company A message to a friend on a social networking site --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **Layout and punctuation** **Starting an email**: We normally write a comma after the opening phrase. We start a new line after the name of the person we're writing to. **Finishing an email**: We normally write a comma after the closing phrase. We start a new line to write our name at the end. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Formal Informal ----------------------------------------------- ----------------------------- Dear Mr Piper,\ Hi Tim,\ I am writing to thank you for all your help.\ Many thanks for your help.\ I look forward to seeing you next week.\ See you next week.\ With best wishes,\ Cheers,\ John Smith John ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Exercise: **Starting an email** Hairuddin Omar, a maths teacher, has written four emails this morning. Read the opening lines of the emails and then match them to the descriptions of the emails below. 1. Hairuddin emailed all the maths teachers at his school about some training. 2. Hairuddin wrote to his friend about their plans to play football at the weekend. 3. Hairuddin sent an email asking for more information about a conference. He did not know the name of the person who will read his email. 4. Hairuddin emailed a man called Norozan Bakar, the father of a pupil at the school. He wanted to know why Mr Bakar's son was absent from school. A. Hi there Rahim, Hope you're well. Might be a bit late on Saturday... B. Dear Mr Bakar, I am writing to you because I am worried that... C. Morning everyone, Just thought you might be interested to know that... D. Dear Sir or Madam, Could you please send me... **Exercise 2: Indicate which endings are appropriate or not**. 1\. Which phrases are an appropriate way to end a formal email? (Three are not.) a\) Yours truly, b\) With best regards, c\) For your information, d\) Yours sincerely, e\) For Attention Of: f\) Best wishes, g\) To Whom It May Concern: h\) Yours faithfully, i\) With many thanks and best wishes, **Exercise 3: Complete the emails with the sentences.** I look forward to meeting you / I look forward to receiving your application / We look forward to working with you / I look forward to hearing from you soon 1. Dear Mr Cruz, Please find enclosed an application form for the post of Teacher of History. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ for this job. The deadline is March 24. Yours sincerely, J Ko, School Administrator 2. Hello Hiroshi, I can phone you on Thursday at 10:30 am. Can you let me know if that is convenient, please? \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_. Regards, Jack 3. Dear Mrs Kapusta, I am writing to confirm our appointment in my office on Tuesday January 28. Please report to Reception when you arrive, and they will direct you to my office. I hope you have a safe journey here, and \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ on Tuesday. With best wishes, Tony Donizetti 4. Dear Jackie, Congratulations on getting the job. My team in the International Office and I would like to welcome you to Bakewell University. I am sure you will enjoy your new role. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_. Best wishes, Ewa Ewa Jones Director, International Office Bakewell University Exercise 4 **Task: Formal Email Writing** You recently bought a laptop online, but when it arrived, you noticed several issues with it. It overheats quickly, the battery life is shorter than advertised, and it has a scratch on the screen. You have decided to email the company's customer service department to request a replacement or repair. Write an email to the company. Include the following points: 1. Introduce yourself and mention the order details, such as the date of purchase, product model, and order number. 2. Describe the problems with the laptop and explain how it differs from the expectations set by the product description. 3. Politely request a replacement or repair and ask for information on how to proceed. 4. Conclude with a polite closing statement, offering to provide further details if needed. **Guidelines:** - **Length**: Write between 150-200 words. - **Tone**: Formal and polite. - **Structure**: Organize your email with clear paragraphs. Exercise 5: **Application for an Internship** You are interested in a summer internship at a marketing company. Write a formal email to the HR manager to inquire about internship opportunities. Include the following points: 1. Introduce yourself briefly, mentioning your academic background and interest in marketing. 2. Explain why you are interested in an internship at this particular company. 3. Ask if there are any available internship positions and, if so, what the application process involves. 4. Thank the manager for their time and express your enthusiasm. Exercise 6: **Requesting a Refund for a Subscription Service** You subscribed to an online streaming service, but it has not met your expectations, and you would like to cancel the subscription and request a refund. Include the following points: 1. Explain why you are reaching out, providing your subscription details. 2. Describe why you are dissatisfied with the service, mentioning specific issues (e.g., poor streaming quality, limited content). 3. Politely request a refund for the unused subscription period. 4. Ask if there are any further steps needed to complete your cancellation. Exercise 7: **Request for a Letter of Recommendation** You need a recommendation letter from a previous teacher for a job or scholarship application. Write an email to politely request the letter. Include the following points: 1. Remind the teacher of your background and how you know each other. 2. Explain why you need the letter and how it would benefit your application. 3. Mention any particular skills or qualities you would like highlighted in the letter. 4. Thank the teacher in advance for their time and help. Review ====== A REVIEW is usually written for an English-language magazine, newspaper or website. The main purpose is to describe and express a personal opinion about something which the writer has experienced (e.g. a film, a holiday, a product, a website etc.) and to give the reader a clear impression of what the item discussed is like.  Description and explanation are key functions for this task, and a review will normally include a recommendation to the reader. **Hints** - It is a good idea to give your review an interesting title. - In the first paragraph, say what you are reviewing and try to get the reader\'s interest. - Give your opinion of what you are reviewing linked to the question in the second paragraph. Remember a review is not just a list of facts - it\'s largely your opinion. - Give more details of what you are reviewing, linked to the questions in the input in one or two more paragraphs, but only focus on those you\'ve been asked to develop. - Summarise your view, using different words from the introduction, and include a recommendation. *Remember.* - Use a personal or more neutral style, according to the target reader. - It is important that you show a range of structures in the language of opinion, description and recommendation. - Add vivid language to add interest. **Useful language for a review** *What I liked* *What I liked most was.....* *The thing I liked most was....* *I was pleasantly surprised by.....* *..... would appeal to.....* *If you get a chance to....* *What I disliked* *What I disliked most was.....* *I was disappointed by/with......* **Reviews of books** *main character* *is set in* *Fiction: science fiction / thriller / fantasy / mystery / historical / romance \...* *Non-fiction: cook book / travel book / textbook / manual / coffee-table book \...* *atmosphere / plot* *author* *written by* *chapter* *factual* *unbelievable* *bestseller* *ending* **Reviews of concerts** *artist / band / musician / (bass/lead/rhythm) guitarist / (backing/lead) singer / drummer / soloist / trio / orchestra* *auditorium / hall / venue / lyrics / (catchy) tune / score / gig* **Reviews of exhibitions** *painting / sculpture / handicrafts* *gallery / catalogue / display* **Reviews of films** *lead role* *star role* *star* *star actor/actress* *starring* *secondary role* *He plays a.......* *written by....* *cast / director / producer* *is set in.....* *based on a true story.....* *believable* *true to life* *not very believable* *far-fetched* *(As for fiction books +): animation / adaptation / comedy* *Costumes / design / photography / script / special effects / soundtrack* *ending* **Reviews of TV programmes** *Chat shows / current affairs programme / debate / documentary / series / soap opera/ sitcom (situation comedy)* *Host / presenter* **Reviews of hotels, restaurants, etc** *location* *service* *setting* *attractive / disappointing setting* *owned by/ run by* *head chef (restaurant)* *waiters (restaurant)* *staff.......* *staff at reception.......(hotel)* *hotel facilities....* *reasonable prices.....* *good/excellent/poor value for money.....* *(a bit/somehow) expensive* *overpriced* *not worth the money* *always fully booked* *book in advance* **Criticism** *The script seemed rather conventional/predictable to me.* *The plot struck me as completely bizarre/absurd/incomprehensible* *The characters are appealing and true to life* *The dancers were quite brilliant/amateurish* **Recommendations** *Judging from this CD / show \...* *Overall, if you like \..., you\'ll love / you should \...* *Although some of \... he/she/it\'s still a great\...* *You really must/should buy/see/read/visit \...* *I would definitely recommend seeing/visiting/reading/having a look at \...* **Review** -- **exercise 1** You have seen this announcement in a Film and TV Magazine. **[Film / TV show reviews wanted]**\ **Next month is National Science month. In next month's issue, we want to celebrate films and TV shows that promote science.** **Do you know any shows or film which promote science?  Write us a review, explaining what it is about, why you enjoy it and why it encouraged you to learn about science.** **The best reviews will be published in our next issue.** *Write 250-300 words in an appropriate style.* **Review** -- **exercise 2** You have seen this announcement in your college English-language magazine. ##### **Music reviews wanted** **[Have you been to a great music concert recently?]\ Write us a review of the concert, telling us about the band or singer and their performance. Say whether you would recommend seeing them perform live. \ We will publish the best reviews next month.** *Write your review** **in** **250-300 words in an appropriate style.* **Review** -- **exercise 3** You have seen this announcement in an international magazine. ##### **[Book reviews wanted]** **Have your read a book recently with a story that has held your attention? Write a review of the book, explaining what the story is about and whether the characters are convincing. Tell us whether or not you would recommend it both to younger and older readers\ The best reviews will be published in the magazine.** *Write your review in 200-300 words in an appropriate style.* **Review** -- **exercise 4** **[Restaurant Critics Wanted!]** **Have you visited a new restaurant in your area recently? We'd love to know your opinion, please tell us not only about the food and staff but also the prices and the staff. Would you recommend this place to other people? The winning review will be published in a local magazine plus awarded with £100 cheque. ** *Write your review in 140- 190 words in an appropriate style.*