Part 1- Essay
1. Introduction
2. Prompt 1 development + reason(s)/example(s)
3. Prompt 2 development + reason(s)/example(s)
4. Prompt 3 development + reason(s)/example(s)
5. Conclusion (you may include your opinion here
To express personal opinions
In my opinion, I believe (that) / I feel (that) / it seems to me / in my view /as I see it I think / personally
To show purpose
to / in order to / so as to / so that
To list ideas
Firstly / secondly / finally / In the first place / Lastly
To contrast ideas
However / although / in contrast / whereas / but / nevertheless / in spite of / despite
To describe a cause
Because / since / as / due to
To show a sequence
First of all / then / after that / eventually / in the end / finally
To add information
In addition / moreover / what is more / besides / too / furthermore / and
To describe a consequence
Consequently / as a result / therefore / so / thus / for this reason / that is why
To conclude the topic
In conclusion / to sum up / in short / all in all
Making points
Many people feel that ...
First and foremost, ...
It is widely believed that ...
It would be ideal if ...
Another argument in favour is ...
It is clear from the facts that ...
The benefits of ... outweigh the disadvantages.
On the whole, I think ...
Contrasting points
On the other hand ...
Other people think ...
An opposing argument is ...
Giving opinions
I personally feel that ...
I find it hard to see why ...
I certainly don't believe that ...
It is difficult to believe that ...
I object to the cloning of animals.
Organising and linking your ideas
First of all, Secondly, In addition,
Moreover, Furthermore,
So As a result, Therefore,
However, On the one hand/On the other hand
On the whole While it is true to say
Finally, To summarise, In conclusion
Part 2- Informal letter or email
Dear (first name),
Dear (first name),or Hi (first name) (for informal e-mails)
Beginnings
Thank you/Many thanks for your (recent/last) letter/postcard.
It was good/nice to hear from you recently.
Im sorry I havent written/been in touch for such a long time.
Its ages since Ive heard from you. I hope youre/you and your family are well.
Asking
Hi! / How are the things? / How are you? / Hows it going?
Referring to their news
Great news about Glad to hear that Sorry to hear about
Giving news
Listen, did I tell you about ? Youll never believe what
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
Im writing to apologise for missing your party but Im afraid I was with flu.
Im really sorry that I forgot to send you a birthday card but I was busy with my new job.
If you let me know where you bought it/how much it cost Ill gladly pay for it/replace it.
Please let me know how much the bill is and Ill gladly pay it.
Invitations
Im/Were having a party on Friday 19th and I/we hope youll 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 youd like to go to the theatre/come on holiday with us?
Could you let me/us know if you can come/youd like to join us?
Thank you vary much for your invitation. Id love to come.
Thank you for asking/inviting me to but Im afraid I wont be able to
Requests
Im writing to ask for your help/you (if you could do me) a favour.
I wonder if/I was wondering if you could help me/do me a favour.
I hope you dont mind me asking but could you (possibly) ?
Id be very/really/terribly grateful if you could
Thank you / Congratulations / Good Luck
Im 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.
Dont worry, Im sure youll do well/pass.
Making suggestions and recommend
Why dont you ? Maybe you could ? How about ?
You cant leave New York without doing sth
Im sure you will enjoy doing sth If you like, we can
Do visit (somewhere). Dont forget to (do sth) (Imperative -> Strong Recommendation)
Im told that People say that (If you heard sth is good)
Endings
Give my love/regards to Say hello to Hope to hear from you soon.
See you soon! Write soon. Once again, thank you for all your help.
Signing off
Love,
Lots of love,
All the best,
Best wishes,
+First name
Part 2- Formal letter or email
Dear Mr/Ms (surname) - Dear Sir/Madam - Dear Sir or Madam,
Reason for writing
I am writing to
I am writing with regard to
I am writing on behalf of
Asking questions
I would be grateful if
I wonder if you could
Could you ? Could you tell me something about ?
I would particularly like to know
I would be interested in having more details about
Referring to their letter
As you stated in your letter,
Regarding Concerning With regard to
Complaining
I am writing to complain about
You said but in fact what happened
We were supposed to stay with British families whereas we actually stayed in a guest house.
Closing
If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Please contact me if you have any further questions.
Signing off
Yours sincerely,(If you startedwith 'Dear + surname') orYours faithfully,(If you started with 'Dear Sir/Madam')
+ First name + surname
