CAE: Writing a Letter: Formal vs Informal

There are several types of letter you may have to write for CAE writing task:
- a letter to the editor of a newspaper or magazine;
- a letter of application or giving a reference for someone applying for a job;
- a letter to the director(s) of an organization or to a colledge principal;
- an informal letter to a friend.
 According to this, the style of your writng must vary: from extremely formal (if you write, for example, to the head of a company and your aim is to complaint) to relatevely formal (a letter to the editor) to quite informal (if you write to a friend).
In the table below I give examples of formal and informal expressions for every part of letter.

 

Part of Letter	FORMAL LETTER		INFORMAL LETTER
	You don't know the person's name	You know the person's name	A friend	A very close friend or relative
Salutation	Dear Sir or Madam,	Dear Mr Emmett, Dear Ms Brown,	Dear Charlie,	Hi / Hello Matt,
Reason for writing	- I am writing with regard / reference to the article which appeared (when / where) - I am writing to express my concern about / dissatisfaction with / disappointment with / disapproval of / apologies for... (motivation) - I am writing on behalf of (who) who have had concerns about...  - I am writing in response to your (advertisement in the Times). - I should like to apply for the position of (tourist guide).		- Great / Lovely to hear from you  (after so long). - It was great to get your letter / Thanks (a lot) for your letter asking about.../ Thanks for the lovely letter that I received yesterday. - Sorry for not writing for so long / Sorry I haven't written / haven't been in touch for so long. - Sorry to hear about your...
Body 2-3 paragraphs	Linking Words
	To begin with / Firstly / In the first place / Secondly / Next / In addition / Moreover / Further more / What is more / In the same way as / Similarly / Lastly / Finally Although / However / Nevertheless / Nonetheless / Whereas Thus / Therefore / Consequently / Accordingly / Unfortunately		One thing / Another thing (was that...) Besides / Also / Apart from this / that / And / And then / Besides / Just as In the end / On top of that But / So / On the other hand Anyway / at any rate / because / because of
Ending	- I trust/very much hope you will (consider our ideas and suggestions) - I would appreciate it / be grateful if you would  - It seems only fair that you should... - I look forward to receiving a response from you / I would be grateful for a reply at your earliest convenience. - In light of the above I feel I am entitled to (a full refund and a formal apology )		- I must go now / I’d better get going / I’ll finish now as I’m running out of space - Phone me as soon as possible / Write back soon and let me know how it goes - Can’t wait to see you again - Bye for now - (Give my) love / regards to.../ Remember me to...
Signing off	Yours faithfully	Yours sincerely Yours	Best wishes All the best Regards Kind regards	Love With love Lots of love All my love