C1 WritingC1 Advanced

How to write a formal email or letter for C1 Advanced

Exercise 2

Exercises:1 2 3

Read the task and the sample email. Then choose the best answer to each question about the email’s content, organisation and development.

Why is the second sentence of paragraph A important?

Which sentence could be added to paragraph A to develop the first task point most effectively?

Where would the following sentence fit most naturally? As a result, some participants spent much of the session waiting for an opportunity to use a computer. .

What makes paragraph B well developed?

Would the email be improved by combining paragraphs B and C?

Which sentence best completes the gap at the beginning of paragraph D?

Which sentence would express the request in paragraph E in an appropriately firm but polite way?

Which statement best describes the overall organisation of the email?

Next Exercise

A formal email or letter for C1 Advanced

In C1 Advanced Writing Part 2, you choose one task from three. One of the possible text types is a formal email or letter. Your answer should be between 220 and 260 words.

You will be given a specific situation, purpose and target reader. Depending on the task, you may need to provide information, express your views, describe a problem, make suggestions or request action.

In a formal email or letter, you should:

address all the points in the task
organise your ideas into clear, logical paragraphs
use a tone and style appropriate for the reader and purpose
use suitable formal conventions, including an appropriate salutation and sign-off
write between 220 and 260 words

Before writing, consider who the reader is, why you are writing and what you want your email or letter to achieve. Formal language is generally required, but it should still sound natural. It is usually safer to avoid contractions and informal expressions.

Common types of formal emails and letters

Formal emails and letters can have a variety of purposes. You may be asked to:

ask for information
make a complaint
apologise or explain a situation
apply for a job or position, course or other opportunity
give feedback or express an opinion
suggest improvements or request action

In this lesson, we will focus on a formal email that gives feedback, describes problems and recommends improvements.

Let’s work through the stages of planning and writing a formal email using the sample task below.

✍ Sample task

You recently attended a professional training workshop organised by a national company. The event organiser has sent you the following email:

Dear Participant,

Thank you for attending our professional training workshop last week. We hope you found it useful.

We would be grateful if you could share your honest opinion about the event. We would like to hear what you enjoyed and which aspects you think could be improved.

We look forward to receiving your suggestions.

Janet Smith
Workshop Organiser

In your email, you should:

‣ Describe what you appreciated about the workshop.
‣ Explain the problems you experienced during the event.
‣ Suggest improvements for future workshops.

Write your email.

The planning stage

Before you start writing, spend a few minutes analysing the task and planning your response. A clear plan will help you address all the required points, organise your ideas logically and maintain an appropriate tone throughout the email or letter.

What to consider in your plan:

The target reader: Who are you writing to, and what level of formality is appropriate?
The purpose: Are you giving feedback, requesting information, making a complaint or suggesting improvements?
The content: What specific ideas and supporting details will you include for each point in the task?
The organisation: How will you divide your ideas into clear, logical paragraphs?
The conclusion: How will you end the email appropriately? You might summarise your position, make a request, express a hope or invite a response.

Choose your content

Choose ideas that:

are directly relevant to the task
are specific enough to explain and develop
allow you to demonstrate a range of accurate, natural language
are appropriate for the reader and purpose

For example:

Positive aspects: the expertise of the speakers and the opportunity to network
Problems: poor time management and overcrowded sessions
Improvements: smaller breakout groups and a better-organised schedule

Make a brief plan

Your plan should provide a clear outline of your paragraph goals and the key points you intend to include. Keep your notes brief by using bullet points rather than complete sentences.

🎯 Example plan

Based on the sample task above:

‣ Salutation: Dear Ms Smith
‣ Opening: State the purpose of writing: to provide feedback on the professional training workshop.
‣ Paragraph 1 – Positive aspects: high quality of the guest speakers; relevance of the digital marketing session.
‣ Paragraph 2 – Problems: overcrowded afternoon sessions; insufficient time for questions and answers.
‣ Paragraph 3 – Suggestions: smaller breakout groups; a better-organised schedule with buffer time between sessions.
‣ Closing: express the hope that the suggestions will be considered when planning future workshops.
‣ Sign-off: Yours sincerely + full name.

General email/letter structure

🔹 Salutation

Begin by addressing the reader appropriately.

Use Dear Sir or Madam if you do not know the recipient’s name.
Use Dear Mr/Ms + surname if the recipient’s name is given.

🔹 Opening paragraph

Clearly state why you are writing and, where necessary, mention the situation or event you are responding to. Keep the opening concise, usually one or two sentences. For example:

I am writing to provide feedback on the professional training workshop organised by your company last week.

🔹 Main body

Address all the points in the task and organise your ideas into clear, logical paragraphs. As a general rule, each main point should be developed in a separate paragraph, although closely related ideas may sometimes be grouped together.

Support your points with relevant details, explanations or examples. Make sure the tone remains appropriate for the reader and purpose.

🔹 Closing paragraph

End the email or letter appropriately. Depending on the task, you might summarise your position, make a polite request, express a hope or invite a response. Do not introduce important new information in the closing paragraph. For example:

I hope these suggestions will be useful when planning future workshops.

🔹 Sign-off

Use Yours faithfully if you began with Dear Sir or Madam.
Use Yours sincerely if you addressed the recipient by name.

Write your full name on the following line.

Structure for the sample task

For the sample task in this lesson, the main body can be organised as follows:

Paragraph 1 – Positive aspects: Explain what you appreciated about the workshop and support your opinion with specific details.

I particularly appreciated the high standard of the guest speakers, whose presentations were both informative and relevant.

Paragraph 2 – Problems: Describe the problems you experienced and explain how they affected the event.

However, several sessions were overcrowded, which made it difficult for participants to contribute to the discussions.

Paragraph 3 – Suggestions: Recommend practical improvements and explain how they would improve future workshops.

It might therefore be worth limiting the number of participants in each breakout session.

Useful language

Do not try to use as many formal expressions as possible. Choose phrases that suit the purpose of the task and use them naturally.

To state the purpose:

I am writing with regard to…
I am writing in response to…
I am writing to provide feedback on…
I am writing to express my concern about…
I would like to draw your attention to…

To highlight positive aspects:

On the whole, the experience was extremely rewarding.
I particularly appreciated the opportunity to…
I would like to highlight the high standard of…
One particularly positive aspect was…

To introduce problems or criticism politely:

However, there were several issues that affected the overall experience.
Despite the overall quality of the event, some aspects could be improved.
One issue that caused considerable inconvenience was…
I was disappointed to find that…
While I appreciated…, I felt that…

To add and connect points:

Furthermore,…
In addition,…
I would also like to point out that…
Another matter that deserves consideration is…
A related concern is that…
This was particularly problematic because…

To make suggestions and recommendations:

I would recommend that the organisers consider…
It might be worth considering…
A more effective approach would be to…
I would suggest that steps be taken to…
One possible solution would be to…
This would help to ensure that…

To make polite requests:

I would appreciate it if you could…
I would be grateful if you would…
Could you please clarify whether…?
I would welcome further information regarding…

To conclude:

I hope these suggestions will be taken into consideration.
I trust that these observations will be useful when planning future events.
Thank you for taking the time to consider my feedback.
I look forward to hearing from you.

Sample formal email

New Message

📩 To: Dorothy Smith

📌 Subject: Feedback on the Professional Training Workshop

Dear Ms Smith,

I am writing to provide feedback on the professional training workshop organised by your company last week. On the whole, I found the event both informative and professionally organised, although there were a few aspects that could be improved.

I particularly appreciated the high standard of the guest speakers, whose presentations offered valuable insights into current industry trends. The session on digital marketing was especially relevant to my work, and the practical examples made the content easy to apply. I also valued the opportunity to exchange ideas with other participants from a wide range of professional backgrounds.

However, there were several issues that affected the overall experience. Some of the afternoon sessions were overcrowded, which made it difficult for everyone to contribute to the discussions. In addition, several presentations ran over time, leaving very little opportunity for questions and answers.

To improve future workshops, I would recommend limiting the number of participants in each breakout session. It might also be worth introducing a more carefully managed schedule with short buffer periods between sessions. This would help to prevent delays and ensure that participants have sufficient time to ask questions and interact with the speakers.

I hope these suggestions will be taken into consideration when planning future events. Thank you for taking the time to consider my feedback.

Yours sincerely,
Jane Doe

‣ Pink highlights the reason for writing.

‣ Yellow highlights the positive aspects of the workshop.

‣ Blue highlights the problems experienced and their impact.

‣ Green highlights the suggestions for improvement and their expected results.

‣ Orange highlights the closing sentence.

Ready to practice?

Put your knowledge to the test with interactive exercises (3 exercises available).