PREPARE A BUSINESS LETTER
IN ADVANCED ENGLISH
D1.LAN.CL10.10
Slide 1
Assessment
Assessment for this Unit may include

Oral questions

Written questions

Work projects

Workplace observation of practical skills

Practical exercises

Formal report from employer or supervisor
Slide 2
Prepare a business letter in advanced
English
There are three elements in this unit:

Element 1: Recognise the purposes of
different types of business letters in the
workplace

Element 2: Understand the conventions of writing a
business letter in English

Element 3: Apply the conventions of writing a business
letter in English
Slide 3
Recognise the purposes of different types
of business to business letters in the
workplace
The performance criteria for this unit include:

1.1 Identify the purposes of various business to
business letters

1.2 Identify the purposes of business to customer
letters

1.3 Identify the purposes of letters from employer to
employee
Slide 4
1.1 Identify the purposes of various
business to business letters 2
There are many different reasons why a business may send
another business a letter :

Explaining terms and conditions

Complaining about faulty goods or poor service

Requesting a refund or exchange

Giving a price quotation

Giving or refusing a credit application

Sales letters or product information updates

Introducing a new person or policy

Invitations to a product launch or event

Persuading through promotional material or marketing and sales
offer letters
Slide 5
1.2 Identify the purposes of
business to customer letters
Some examples of purposes of business to customer letters
include:

Confirming bookings, itineraries, payments

Sending an invitation

Offering special deals and discounts

Persuading

Providing information about terms and conditions

Responding to a complaint, suggestion or enquiry

Thanking and welcoming new customers
Slide 6
Complaints
In groups, discuss the following:

Have you ever had a bad experience while travelling?

What was it?

Was it someone else’s fault or was it yours?

Who did you complain to?
Slide 7
1.3 Identify the purposes of letters
from employer to employee
There are many different purposes for letters from an employer
to an employee and these could include:

Confirming employment and welcoming an
employee

Outlining company policies and procedures

Explaining employee’s responsibilities and entitlements

Congratulating and acknowledging fine performance

Confirming staff appraisal outcomes and training plans

Warning and/or dismissing
Slide 8
Job Advertisement
Front-desk attendant required
187 room, 5 star hotel in the heart of Roma
The suitable candidate should have experience in front office
computer systems, be able to work in a team and have high
standards of customer service.
Please send your CV and letter of application to:
Mr Marsha Thana
Personnel Manager
Roma Hotel
67 Makan Road, Roma
Phone 456 222 980
Applications close on 30th July.
Slide 9
Listen, speak, take notes
You are now going to do an activity which requires you to listen,
speak and take down notes. Read the following instructions:

Your trainer is going to give you a job card

Read the job card carefully

Look up any words from the job card that you do not
understand

Move around the classroom and ask other trainees ‘What do
you do in your job?’

Listen carefully as other trainees read out their job
description

Write the name of the job and the trainee’s name in the
spaces provided on the survey sheet below
Slide 10
2.1
Identify an appropriate format
for a business letter
(1) Jester Restaurant & Bar
22 Long Rd, Mayes, UK
(2) 1st April
Harry Stone
(3) Chief Accountant, Big Beer Brewery
The Industrial Estate, Bruntsfield, UK
(4) Dear Mr. Stone,
(5) I am writing to request a refund or replacement for our last shipment of beer we
received on the 8th September. 27 bottles were broken or damaged. Attached are several
photos of the damaged goods.
Please advise when you can respond to this request.
(6) Regards,
(7)Caroline Hobbes
Caroline Hobbes
(8) F& B Manager
Slide 11
2.2
Explain the importance of tone
when writing a business letter in
English
When writing a business letter there are many factors to
consider including:

Understanding the purpose of your letter

Identifying who the audience is

What is the intended outcome of the letter or what do you
want readers to learn or do after they read the letter

Understanding the relationship between your role and
others. For example, you may use a different tone when
writing to your boss as opposed to writing to a close
colleague in the same position
Slide 12
Using the appropriate tone
Tips for getting the tone right

Use fairly formal tone

Don’t be too formal if the situation does not require it

Avoid CAPITALISATION as this is the same as yelling when writing

Use short sentences

Create a compassionate and professional tone

Avoid using the passive voice (for example, ‘You can write a letter.’ not ‘A letter
can be written by you.’)

Use the pronoun ‘we’ or ‘the organisation is happy to....’ or ‘the resort ...’

Use the active voice (for example, ‘We made a mistake with your delivery.’ not
‘A mistake was made with the delivery.’)

Be careful when using the pronoun ‘you’ as it sounds accusatory in some
instances

Use the pronoun ‘you’ to create a closer relationship to the reader (for
example, ‘You can use the internet facilities for free.’ not ‘Clients can use the
internet for free.’)
Slide 13
2.3
Discuss the type of language preferred
in business letters in English
You should use:

Language that is unambiguous and concise

Active voice rather than passive, for example, “I will discuss
the matter with my staff.” not “The matter will be discussed.”

Friendly language that avoids difficult vocabulary and complex
sentences

Language that is specific rather than general, for example, “I will get
back to you by close of business today.” not “I will get back to you
later.”

Non-offensive or sexist language

Polite language; not bossy or demanding language

Offers of assistance in the last paragraph, for example, “Feel free to
contact us for further information.”

Correct grammar and spelling with a clear order and cohesion of ideas

Correct spelling and punctuation
Slide 14
2.4 Plan a response to a business
letter
After carefully reading the letter or email that you have received,
it is important to plan how you will respond. Before writing your
response you should:

Read the letter again and identify all of the main points

Determine the purpose of the response

Identify the audience or reader

Note down everything you need to include in the response

Make sure that you cover all parts of the letter

Put your points in a logical order

Determine the correct format for the response
Slide 15
Summarising the main points
When summarising a letter or text you must remember to:

Only include the most important points from the original
text

Keep the summary as short as possible

Do not include any extra information that is not in the
original text, or any personal opinions about the topic

Leave out descriptive words, such as adjectives and
adverbs

Write the summary in your own words
Slide 16
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Slide 17
3.1 Apply an appropriate format
for a business letter in English
It is important to:

Use the appropriate format for the style of letter

Write the sender’s and receiver’s address in as much detail
as possible and in the correct order

Write the month of the date in words not figures

Use the correct title for the receiver

Use the correct salutation and close, for example,
Dear/Sir with Yours faithfully
Dear Mr/Ms. Smith with Yours sincerely

Include your job title, if appropriate, in the signature block

Leave a space between paragraphs
Slide 18
3.2 Use an appropriate friendly and
professional tone when writing a
business letter in English
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to enquire about our booking request which we belatedly lodged
with your establishment earlier this month. Although we sent our booking
several days ago, we are as of yet to receive a reply confirming our
forthcoming lodgings. This may be due to the fact that you are currently
being bombarded with requests and are thus pressed for time to engage in
correspondence informing us that our booking is granted. We are currently
in the midst of arranging our travel itinerary and it would be most gracious of
you if you could acknowledge our room booking so as to be able to
complete our preparations knowing that we have a roof over our heads
when we arrive.
Yours sincerely,
Baron Munster
Slide 19
Tone
Baron,
I already emailed you two hours ago and confirmed your booking.
CHECK your emails in future before you blame others for not doing their
job!
Regards,
Anne
Slide 20
3.3
Use the type of language preferred
in business letters, including correct
spelling, punctuation and grammar
When writing business correspondence you should:

Include the necessary information that responds to the
reader of the letter

Always plan before you write

Make sure the information is in a logical order

Use simple and polite language

Make sure that the your writing is clear, concise and easy to
understand

Avoid using colloquial language or being too informal

Avoid using pompous or overly formal language

Be accurate in your writing using correct titles, names, figures,
dates and times

Check your writing when you have completed the letter and pay
attention to spelling, grammar and punctuation
Slide 21
What is a paragraph?
A paragraph is a group of sentences.
In a good paragraph, every sentence is
about the same topic.
For example, if the topic is about the best
tourist spots in Russia, then every sentence
in the paragraph is about those tourist
spots.
Slide 22