⌂ Home 📖 Methodology 📋 Exams
❖ Unit 4 ❖ Sustainable Development ❖ Writing ❖

Writing a Formal Letter

A formal letter follows a strict layout: sender's address, date, recipient's address, salutation, body, closing. Formal language is essential. Useful for requests, applications, complaints, proposals.

1

Structure of a formal letter

2

Reference: a "communique" from the municipality

Source text (the call for grants)

Ministry of Interior · Municipality of Marrakech · February 16th

Communiqué: Would you like to contribute to the development of your community, but you don't have the budget to finance your project? The local municipality is offering grants or funds to projects that would benefit the population and the environment. Grants will be given to projects in these areas: environment preservation, literacy, sustainable development. To get a grant, deposit an application and a detailed description at the municipality hall.

3

Sample formal letter — Grant application

Model letter

Green Hands Association
14, Avenue Mohammed V
Marrakech, 40000
Tel: +212 5 24 XX XX XX

March 5th, 2025

The President of the Municipality
Municipality of Marrakech
Ministry of Interior

Subject: Grant application for an environment preservation project

Dear Mr. President,

In reply to the communique issued on February 16th, we would like to apply for a grant for our new community project.

Our project works on tree-planting and forest preservation in the suburbs of Marrakech, and it aims at raising local awareness about the importance of green areas. Our main activities would include planting 500 trees, organising educational workshops in schools, and launching a sensitisation campaign on social media.

To implement the project, we would need approximately 50,000 dirhams for tools, plants, transport, and communication materials. The project also requires the cooperation of three volunteers from the municipality and the support of local schools.

For more details, we are enclosing a technical card of our project. We look forward to hearing from you and would be glad to meet you at your convenience to discuss this initiative further.

Yours sincerely,

(Signature)
Yassine Alaoui
President, Green Hands Association

4

Useful phrases for formal letters

Opening

Body

Closing

5

Practice — Your turn

Writing task

Choose ONE topic and write a formal letter (about 150 words):

  • Write a letter to your municipality applying for a grant for a literacy project.
  • Write a letter to your local authorities complaining about pollution in your area.
  • Write a letter to a company applying for a summer internship.

Checklist:
☐ Formal layout (sender, date, recipient, subject, salutation)
☐ Clear opening stating purpose
☐ Body paragraphs with details
☐ Polite closing line
☐ Correct closing phrase + signature
☐ No contractions (use "do not", not "don't")

❖ Key Takeaways ❖

① Strict layout

Address → date → recipient → subject → salutation → body → closing. Skip any step and you lose marks.

② No contractions

Write I am, not I'm. Write do not, not don't. Use kindly and please often.

③ Sincerely vs Faithfully

"Yours sincerely" when you know the recipient's name. "Yours faithfully" when you wrote "Dear Sir/Madam".

❖ Exam tip

Formal letters are common writing tasks. Memorise 5 opening and 5 closing phrases by heart — they save time and earn marks.

❖ Unit 4 — Sustainable Development — Writing: Formal Letter ❖