Welcome to My IELTS Classroom, the podcast where two English experts talk all things IELTS.
I'm Shelley Cornick.
And I'm Nick Long.
And today we are going to look at how you can perfect your informal letter.
How can you change your language to make your letter informal?
How should you modify the five components of your letter to make it informal and, most importantly, what can you do after you've done those basic things to really nail your informal letter?
Hello nick, how are you doing?
Welcome back.
I'm alive.
I survived my operation, everybody.
Yes.
Thank you very much, Nick.
It has been a... To be honest, most of last week is just a blur.
I was on very strong painkillers.
And...
All I can say is I got looked after extremely well by the NHS.
So if there's any potential UK doctors listening.
Well done.
Thank you.
You are going to be entering a system which is absolutely fantastic.
But yes, I'm still in a little bit of pain.
It's going to take a few weeks to recover, but I am feeling a lot better and I'm just grateful that I am the other side.
Yeah, the only way is up.
The only way is up now, exactly.
Um so yes, no work for me.
Last week it's my first day back made lots of mistakes because i got confused with time while i was on all my medication, but hopefully i'll start to feel a bit better.
How was your week?
Last week was very busy.
Was it?
Well, yes, you had to help me.
And this week, it's a bit more relaxed.
One of my groups is starting a week later, so I've got a bit more free time this week, which is nice.
And there's a fair bit of wind I can hear in the background.
Yeah, it's ridiculous.
Like we've had like 50 mile an hour winds today.
Wow.
Yeah, almost getting towards hurricane levels.
And my balcony is a bit ruined.
Okay, well, with my operation and your wind...
There's a lot that's been happening.
But what we're going to do today is I was thinking you know I've had a week to do nothing else but think what could we do in today's lesson?
And I started to think about how we teach our students.
You know, the most important thing really when you're writing a letter is to get the tone of the letter right.
So, you know, in IELTS, they're going to ask you to write one of three types of letters.
It's going to be an informal letter, a semi-formal letter or a formal letter.
And we've had a few really great episodes in the past that have focused on, I think, semi-formal and formal letters.
But what I wanted to do today was look at informal letters, because what I've noticed is that We teach the students the basics of informal letter writing and everyone understands it.
But then when they send their letters for marking, quite often, even when they follow those rules, the letters that students are producing are not really genuinely informal.
And by that, I mean the tone still doesn't feel quite right.
Although they're using.
You know all the things that are given to them in language books about how to modify their language.
When you actually read the letter, you never feel like you're really reading a letter that one friend has written to another friend.
Do you know what I mean?
I know exactly what you mean.
Yeah.
Yes.
And that's really what it should feel like.
I mean, that is the essence of an informal letter.
You are always writing to a friend.
So I thought what we do today.
So I sort of sat back and thought, well, why is that happening?
And I've come up with a few ideas which I think are going to help students, particularly our lovely, you know, general training students who need a seven or higher.
Mm hmm.
A few little tricks you can use.
They're not difficult, but they're really going to make your letter feel genuinely informal and are going to sort of push your score for task achievement at least to a seven and maybe even up to an eight.
Ooh.
Because I know because, if you know, that is why tone is important.
Because if you've got what we call a mixed tone letter, you're never going to be able to score more than a six for task achievement.
And that just means if your letter in places is too formal. you're automatically stuck at a six.
Yes, exactly.
So, before we get on to my little tricks, remember I was on a lot of medication last week, so I'm just hoping that this works, Nick.
But before we get on to our tricks, why don't we talk about the basic things which you know, all students should know and all students should be doing to ensure that their letters are informal?
So let's start with language.
Mm-hmm.
So you know.
So obviously, I think one of the problems that students face is that because they spend so much time focusing on essay writing, because obviously task two is worth a lot more, which is formal writing.
I think that's why students then struggle when they're asked to write an informal letter, because they try and use the same type of language that they've been using in their essays in their informal letters.
And that is a recipe for disaster.
So, just in terms of language, what simple things should students make sure they're doing that's going to ensure that their letters are seen as informal in terms of language?
I think the first thing, the first basic thing is to use contractions.
Exactly.
So 100% that is, you have to be doing that.
So what is a contraction?
What would that look like?
Well, it's like haven't shouldn't doesn't didn't, things like that, rather than did not have not, should not, etc.
Exactly.
So the negatives we want to contract.
Also, you know, instead of saying I am or you are or she is, I'm, you're, he's.
She's.
Yeah, you definitely have to be using contractions.
That's the first thing.
Good.
What else other ways can we modify our language?
Colloquial language is good to use as well.
Yes.
Which is the opposite, isn't it, to essays?
Exactly the opposite, yeah.
Yeah.
So in essays, you always want to be using sort of more formal types of language.
But in a letter, definitely feel free to use idioms, colloquialisms.
I mean, it's still an exam.
So I would say, you know, don't swear or use slang.
But, you know, anything that makes your letter sound natural is what you should be doing.
And if you're not sure what colloquial language is, go and have a listen to the episode that we recorded about formality in letters, because we've been through all of this before.
This is really just a little review.
So we're going to be using contractions.
We're going to be using colloquial language, phrasal verbs if we can.
What else could we do in terms of our language?
Discourse markers.
Right.
So I would say one of the main mistakes that students make is that because they've been writing essays, they'll use transition signals in their informal letters.
So they'll be saying you know writing to a friend and using words like therefore, or thus, or in addition.
Would you use those words when you're writing to a friend, Nick?
Absolutely not.
No.
So what you really want to be using, instead of those sort of like formal cohesive devices, are words which link your sentences, but they're more, I would say.
They're called discourse markers because they sound more like you're having a discussion.
So it'd be words like interestingly or anyway, or just things which move your letter forward in a chatty way rather than an essay way.
So what about ones like so and also and stuff like that?
Which you wouldn't be able to do in a formal letter or a semi-formal letter.
So yes, I definitely think the way that we join our sentences is different.
We've got a nice lesson about that in our course.
The other thing I would say is is that informal letters tend to have sentences which are slightly shorter than formal letters.
Now there's obviously a balance, because we still need to show the examiner our range of grammar structures.
Yes.
But often in letters, that's more about tense rather than traditional complex sentences.
So I would just say don't be afraid of having slightly shorter sentences in an informal letter.
We tend not to write really, really long sentences with extra relative clauses.
I don't think if we're writing to a friend.
Do you agree?
Yeah, I agree completely.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Right.
One place, I think, where some students go wrong is good writers know that informal letters are written almost as we speak, you know, because that's how we sort of write to our friends, isn't it?
It's sort of it feels like they're a voice, you know.
Whoever's reading it should hear your voice in their head.
But that means you need to be careful, because if you want to pause and add some extra information, don't just use a comma.
You're still going to get penalized from using comma splices.
So, you know, never join two clauses with only a comma in a letter.
If you want to add some extra information, put a little dash.
That's right.
So those are things, in terms of our language, that every student should be doing to make sure that their tone of their letter is correct.
In terms of the components of our letter.
I mean, the great thing about letters is they've always got the same five ingredients.
They do.
You're always going to start with a greeting.
Mm-hmm.
To open the letter.
Then you're going to have a little paragraph, the opener, which basically says the purpose of why you're writing.
Then you're going to have the body.
That's where you're going to address all of the bullets.
And then you're going to have a little, a little closer to sort of a couple of sentences or a sentence to sort of draw the letter to an end.
And then the sign off.
One place I think students can go really wrong is in these areas because, to be honest, the four of those components basically the greeting, the opener, the closer and the sign-off They're kind of fixed right.
You shouldn't really be thinking about those things.
But you want to make sure that they are the right tone.
And I sometimes feel that students just automatically start using formal.
Particularly closers seem to be the struggle.
So let's just go through.
Those four elements.
And we'll just give students just a quick sort of guide as to the type of thing we're expecting.
So for the greeting, how would you open or start a letter to a friend?
It's going to be hey, isn't it?
Or hi, or hey or hi.
You know, they may say start your letter dear.
If they say that, just say dear and then add the word but something like hey nick, dear nick.
Um, that's how we're going to start it.
How will we sign it off at the very, very end?
What will the last words be something?
Well, i mean, it depends on the friend, but it might be something like take care, see you soon, Yeah.
Big kisses.
Lots of love.
I mean, any of those work, really.
I mean, you can't really go wrong, I think, with the greeting and the sign-off, I hope.
The opener, I mean...
This is a place where students can definitely go wrong.
Okay.
So really remember you are writing to a friend.
So in a formal letter, the only thing you really need to do in an opener is tell the reader why you're writing right.
So it's, State the purpose of your letter.
So if you're writing a letter of complaint, you might want to introduce yourself.
You know, my name is Michelle Cornick and I'm writing today to complain about the wardrobe that I bought from your website.
You've told them who you are.
You've told them why you're writing.
If you're writing to a friend though Nick, would you just go straight into telling them why you're writing?
Probably not, to be honest.
Yeah.
Unless it kind of, it depends on the type of letter, I would say.
Okay.
Yeah.
But I think the best way to start would just be to have some informal chit chat or something like that.
Yeah.
I mean, I think usually when we write to a friend before we tell them you know I'm writing to let you know that I've lost your favorite jumper.
We should have a little bit of chit chat, you know, and this is something which you can just learn, isn't it?
I mean, you can use the same chit chat for most letters, right?
You know, dear John.
I hope you're well.
I'm sorry I haven't written recently.
I've been rushed off my feet at work.
Anyway, I'm writing to let you know that sadly, I've misplaced the jumper you lent me last month.
So you can start with some sort of friendly chit chat.
All I'd say is, is just make sure that the chit chat you're using is relevant.
Yeah.
You know, sometimes I read chitchat and it's okay to memorize it.
But, you know, some letters are asking you to respond to a previous letter, right?
So you know, if it says like your friend has written to ask you advice about going to university, right?
Don't then in your chitchat ask them, how's work?
Because they're probably not at work.
Do you know what I mean?
So just be careful that your chitchat is relevant.
Yeah.
And I do think if the prompt asks you to respond to a previous letter, make sure you reference that.
Yes, 100%.
You know, so your chat, your chit chat could just be thanks for your letter.
It was so lovely to hear about you and the kids.
Of course, I'd be very happy to give you some advice about going to university.
That is it.
You don't need to add extra chit chat, I think, if you're thanking them for writing.
So the openers can be a problem in terms of relevance, I think, for the chit chat.
But definitely, definitely the place where I see most mistakes is in the closer.
So it seems that I don't know if you've noticed this, but students just seem to automatically end letters.
With very formal closing statements.
So, I don't know, can you think of sort of like a bad way to end an informal letter?
An informal letter, a bad way.
Something like, thank you in advance for your help or something like that.
Yes.
Or I look forward to receiving your reply promptly or something like that.
Absolutely.
Right.
Those are great closes for semi-formal or formal letters.
But if any friend said to me, thank you in advance for your help, I would say who has kidnapped my friend?
That's just not the way we speak to friends.
OK, so you should know how to end letters properly appropriately, and the different types of letters.
So a letter of thanks, a letter of apology.
If you don't know how to do that, go to our website and find our second lesson in the letter writing course.
It's free.
If you click on that, there are some resources underneath the video and you can download our free opener and closer worksheets.
You don't even have to think of them yourself, but you should be able to end letters well.
Because, to be honest, if you've used contractions, used discourse markers, have got great ideas, addressed all of the prompts brilliantly, but you end your letter by saying I look forward to receiving your reply.
I still think you're going to get a six for task achievement.
Because you've messed up the tone.
Because you've mixed the tone of your letter.
Yes, exactly.
So...
Those things are the absolute basics.
All right.
Every general training student listening to this, I hope, should have already known those things and should be focusing on those things when they're writing their informal letters.
But, as I said before, even when students do that, I think they're still producing letters differently.
That feel, I'm going to say manufactured, Nick.
Like they feel like IELTS letters.
Yeah, I know exactly what you mean.
Like nobody in the history of the world would ever have actually written a letter like this to a friend.
And I get it, right?
It's weird to write letters.
Nobody writes letters these days.
Like, come on.
And you're in an exam and you want to show the examiner your best language.
But I still think what many students do is that, particularly when they're given a prompt that asks them to give a lot of information to their friend, they end up giving the information so that they're addressing the prompt, but they do it in a way that is really dry.
And it just makes it feel like It's not actually a letter.
It's somebody in an exam room writing a letter.
Yeah.
So let me try and show you what I mean.
So Nick, could you read this prompt?
I can't remember which Cambridge book it's from.
It's from a recent one.
It might be 10 or 11.
So the task is your friend has been offered a place on a course at the university where you studied.
He or she would like your advice about finding a place to live.
Write an email to your friend and in your email, describe where you lived when you were a student at the university.
Recommend the best way for him or her to look for accommodation and warn him or her of mistakes students make when choosing accommodation.
Actually, it was from book 16.
We spoke about this one, I think.
Oh, we did.
I remember this one.
Yes, I do recognize this one.
Because I think we said that warn was a new function which we hadn't seen before.
So what we're going to focus on today is how to address the bullets and how to write the body of our letter in a way that feels genuinely informal.
Mm-hmm.
So what I have done Nick is I have written the body of this.
So we're not going to worry about the greeting and the opener and the sign off or any of those things.
We're just literally going to focus on the body.
So I'm going to read my three mini body paragraphs here.
And then at the end of it, and again, these are good.
They don't have grammar mistakes.
They address the bullets.
They're on topic.
But I want you to tell me when I finish if this actually really feels like I'm writing to a friend or not.
Okay?
So, when I was a student, I lived in the halls of residence on Coburg Road.
The room was quite large and I had my own bathroom.
It was also a good way to make friends as there are social events every weekend.
I think you should start by contacting the university to see if you can get a room in the halls.
If that doesn't work, you can always look in the local newspaper to see if there are any rooms to rent in a private house.
There are some things you should avoid.
Make sure that you don't sign a contract for 12 months.
You only want to rent for nine as you will go home in the summer.
Also, lots of students choose a flat that is close to the university, but you can usually find a better apartment at a cheaper rate if you go outside the university area.
So all of the bullets have been addressed.
Mm-hmm, everything's kind of good.
I've used contractions, i've used more colloquial, like language, some shorter sentences, but would you, does that really feel like if i, if you, were the friend reading that letter and i was the voice in your head?
Does it sound friendly or that i'm actually writing to you?
Nick, my friend, it sounds very matter of fact, Exactly.
That's a great way of saying it.
It sounds very, very cold, matter of fact.
Like I said, more almost like an information leaflet.
It's like you're writing to somebody that you don't really like that much.
It's cold.
I agree.
Okay.
So this is about 150 words.
So we're already at 150 quite a lot of words.
So what i don't want to do is to add a lot more detail.
But what could i do then?
What simple tricks could i maybe use to transform this into something that feels a little bit friendlier?
Well, we need to add something.
We need to make it a lot more personal than it is now Exactly.
And I think that is, I think you've hit the nail on the head.
I think the way to transform these informal letters is to make them genuinely personal.
Mm hmm.
Now I usually tell students the way to do that is to imagine that they're really writing to a friend, right?
So you're not writing an IELTS letter.
You're actually writing to see them in your head, your best friend, okay?
But I've understood that even when I tell students to do that, they don't necessarily...
Understand what that means.
So I would say, when you're writing, you know, let's not think about letters, because we don't do that.
But when you're writing an email to a friend or sending them a text message Nick, what simple things do you do to make your language or make your message feel personal?
Well, I guess the one thing you could say is that you base what you say based off your relationship with them.
Yeah.
So you know what your friend likes, what your friend doesn't like.
Yes.
And stuff like that.
You know what's going to annoy them or upset them or make them laugh or something like that.
You've got a history with them, haven't you?
Exactly.
So I think when I speak to my friends, I constantly refer to that history.
And I think if students could start doing that and I think you've just gone through some brilliant ways of doing that
So adding some personal comments.
So, you know, like you said, acknowledging what your friend likes or doesn't like.
Or commenting on how your friend might feel when they do these things, right?
Or adding something about a previous experience that you've shared together.
You know, do you remember when, blah, blah, blah.
And just in general, making the letter personal, personal and, I guess specific, right like it's your letter to your friend, so you should be referencing things you have shared with your friend.
Yeah exactly, Does that make sense, Nick?
A hundred percent.
Yeah.
I mean, it sounds very easy, but I can understand why it's not because it's such a weird situation.
Yeah.
And it's difficult to transplant that, like talking with your friends every day to an exam.
It sounds quite difficult to do, I think.
Well, and also what you're really doing is, is You're kind of playing a game really, aren't you?
You're sort of inventing a friend and adding these details.
But honestly, if you can do this, I think it's transformational.
So what I've done is I've taken that text and I will put this obviously on our blog.
So if you go to blogmyeltsclassroomcom, you can see the first version and then the updated version.
But I just added a few things that soften this letter and make it feel more personal.
So for the first paragraph I'm now going to say if you remember, when I was a student I lived in the halls of residence on Coburg Road.
So what have I added to that sentence, Nick?
Literally just added, if you remember at the beginning.
Yeah.
That's it.
And it instantly makes it more personal.
Exactly.
Rather than say when I was a student, which is cold and distant, like that person can't remember.
If you remember when I was a student, I lived in the halls of residence on Coburg Road.
Great.
The room was quite large and I had my own bathroom.
It was also a great way to make friends as there are social events every weekend.
That's how I met John and Pete, who were at my birthday party in September.
So that sentence at the end completely not necessary in some respects because it's not adding or addressing the bullet.
Mm hmm.
But that little comment, that's how I met John and Pete who were at my birthday party in September.
What's that doing, Nick?
Again, that's making a reference to a shared experience that you've had, because you assume that your friend was also at the birthday party and met them.
So you're connecting what you're saying in the bullet point to a memory to make it more personal.
Yes.
To make it more personal.
Brilliant.
So making personal is definitely something you wanna do.
The other thing is, is just making comments, I think, right?
You know like often I have to ask my friends to do things for me which they might not wanna do, or I'll be talking about an experience which I know will be painful for them.
Just commenting on that or showing that to a friend, I think is another way that we make letters informal.
So you know.
The next paragraph is about how I think my friend should start looking for accommodation.
I'm now going to start this by saying, I know it sounds obvious.
But I think you should start by contacting the university to see if you can get a room in halls.
So that little stem at the beginning, Nick, what did I add?
I know it sounds obvious.
Yeah.
How does that soften it?
Why does that work?
Because you know that your friend will think that.
They've probably thought of that already.
Yes.
Right.
Because if my friend said you should start by contacting the university, I'd be a bit like well, of course.
Right.
But if they say look, I know it sounds obvious, but I think you should start by contacting the university.
I feel much warmer.
Right.
Then I'm going to continue.
If that doesn't work, you can always look in the local newspaper to see if there are any rooms to rent in a private house.
I don't mind helping you do this one weekend.
Dash, just let me know.
Mm hmm.
So again, did the prompt ask me to offer to help my friend?
But why would I do that then?
Because it's your friend.
It's your friend.
And now it feels so much more natural, doesn't it?
Mm-hmm.
So again, I know that it sounds obvious.
I don't mind helping you.
These are just simple structures that we can add to sentences.
You know, very often when we're writing to a friend, it's because we're offering advice or help.
So just saying to them directly, I don't mind helping you do this.
Just let me know.
That's just adding layers of reality to this letter.
And my final paragraph where I've got the warning was already quite long.
It was.
Yeah, it was three sentences.
So I don't really want to add much more.
But what I do want to do is I want to make it more specific, and just sometimes adding names of real places can help us do that.
So now i'm going to say there are some things you should avoid.
Make sure that you don't sign a contract for 12 months.
You only want to rent for nine, as i guess you will go back to dorchester in the summer.
What did I say in my original letter, Nick?
You just said you only want to rent for nine months as you will go home in the summer.
Right.
So rather than saying you will go home, why not say where home is?
Yes, definitely.
I guess you will go back to Dorchester.
So not you will, but I guess that's just another way of sort of making a suggestion.
Also, a lot of students choose a flat that is close to the university, but you can usually find a better apartment at a cheaper rate here.
If you go outside Lenton.
Again, in the original letter, I said, if you go outside the university area.
Yes.
And this time again, you've just added a place name, haven't you?
A place name.
It's a simple thing to do.
But now this actually feels like a real...
And if you've got time, you may want to add a final sentence, you know again that references your relationship with your friend.
Something like.
I think you'd like the vibe in Bellgate, as there are lots of small shops and cafes which I know you love.
Again, I think you'd like this.
Because la la la, which I know you love, we're just saying hey, I'm writing to somebody that I know this is a genuine letter.
So I've added there, Nick, 50 words.
Yeah.
We're now up to about 200.
So with the open and the close of the greeting, we're going to be around, I know, 220, 230.
It's at the higher end.
Mm-hmm.
Why is it the higher end though?
Because these are the things which students who are looking for at least a 7 and even an 8 or higher should be adding to their letters to really pump up the tone.
Pump up the tone.
A personal flourish.
A personal flourish.
Exactly.
So this is what I want to encourage you to do.
You don't have to use all of these things.
Right.
Honestly just adding a couple, even if it's just starting by making things specific real names, real places, real experiences, or just one sentence that says you know, I know you love X person.
Therefore, I'm sure you'll like this.
Something that just refers to your knowledge of your friend, I think can take your letters to the next level.
So should we have a practice, Nick?
Let's have a practice.
So what we're going to do is, again, you can find this on our website.
Nick's going to read a prompt.
Mm-hmm.
Why don't you start?
Why don't you just read the prompt for us?
So this is the task that we've got right now.
A friend you made while you were studying abroad has written to ask you for help in finding a job in your country.
You have heard about a job in a local company that might be suitable for him or her.
Write a letter to this friend and in your letter tell your friend about the job and what sort of work it involves.
Say why you think the job would be suitable for him or her and explain how to apply for the job.
Beautiful.
So to help you write this letter, I have written for each bullet one or two sentences that address the bullet.
So you could effectively write these sentences, put your pen down and say the letter is finished okay but, as you will hear, there is nothing friendly or very warm about this letter, okay.
So i would recommend that you look at this on our website, because you're going to be adding to this if you can't see our website or blog at the moment.
Maybe just you know, make a note of these sentences bit of dictation practice.
Just write them down.
In fact nick, do you want to answer them or do you want to read them for us?
Yeah okay, okay.
So um, in response, to tell your friend about the job and what sort of work it involves, the job is at the local football club.
You would work on match days in the restaurant serving food and showing the spectators to their seats.
Fairly straightforward.
Yeah.
In the second bullet point, say why you think the job would be suitable.
I think that you would be good for the position because you like working with people and have some experience working in restaurants.
To the point again.
Matter of fact.
Yeah.
And the last one, explain how to apply.
The newspaper said that to apply for the job, you need to complete an application form online.
And here is the address, www.leadunited.com slash jobs.
That was for Nick.
That was for me.
Because he supports Lead.
Because I'm thinking of my friend.
Okay.
So, as I said before...
Actually, those sentences already address the bullets.
And I think that's the important thing.
I think what students focus on sometimes too much is adding lots more information.
Whereas actually I think to get a high score for tone it's better to add lots more connection to your friend, I guess, or things that show or make your letter feel genuine and informal.
So why don't we give everybody now five minutes?
I'm going to ask Nick to do this.
Sorry, Nick.
Sorry.
Okay.
But...
Why don't you take those sentences as the starting point and just think what information could I add?
Could I add something at the beginning of a sentence that makes it sound like I'm talking more to a friend?
Could I add a sentence at the end, like a comment or something that refers either to how my friend might feel or to a previous experience, or to anything really?
That's gonna soften this and make it feel more informal.
So I've done this already.
So when we come back, Nick will read his friendly version.
I will read my friendly version and you can compare it to your friendly version.
And hopefully between us.
We've written something that could score somewhere close to an eight for task achievement.
So just to make it clear, your job, you don't need to, you know, change what's already written.
You just need to add to what's already written to make it sound more personal.
Okay, Nick, how'd you get on?
Pretty fun, actually.
It is fun.
I think this is a really good activity.
If you're a teacher listening to this, I think, giving your students you know words which already address the bullets and then making them informalize.
That writing is a really good little activity.
So why don't I start then?
So I'm guessing we've got completely different letters now, I hope.
We have.
So I will start by reading mine.
So I think my original letter in the body, it was only 71 words.
Mm-hmm.
I've now doubled that to 142, but I haven't focused so much on adding more information about the bullets.
All I focused on is just making this feel like a real letter, okay?
So I am now going to say...
So I'm really bigging up where it is, all right? which I know that you'd love.
So just a nice little comment at the end there, telling him he can watch the match for free.
I think that you would be good for the position because you like working with people and have experience working in restaurants.
More importantly, you're a massive Leeds fan and only live five minutes from the stadium.
So again, a little bit of personal information where he lives.
The newspaper said that to apply for the job, you need to complete an application form online.
Here is the address, www.leedsunited.com.
I had a quick look and it seems straightforward, but just let me know if you need any help filling it out.
So again, just offering to help my friend do what I said.
Big difference, isn't there Nick?
Big difference.
Yeah.
Lots of personal comments there.
Lots of personal comments.
Lots of exclamation marks.
Oh, I love an exclamation mark.
All right.
What have you got then to make your same, so the same letter personalized this time by Nick?
I've just basically got similar stuff to you.
I've just worded it a bit differently.
Okay.
Okay, cool.
So I started out by saying I know you said you were a bit of.
I know you said you were a bit sick of working in hospitality after Pizza Hut.
But the jobs at Elland Road exclamation mark, if you fancy it, you would be working on match days in the club restaurant, mainly serving food and showing the fans to their seats nothing too difficult, to be honest, and you get to watch the match for free.
Exclamation mark.
I also, like you said, if you fancy it.
So you're sort of saying different, like hey, i'm making this recommendation but you know, only if you like it kind of thing.
Right cool, I think you would be smashing for the position because I know you like working with people and already have some experience from the old Pizza Hut days, which obviously has a much worse clientele.
So this should be a cakewalk.
A what walk?
A cakewalk.
Is that an expression?
Have you not heard that one before?
No.
Cakewalk.
A piece of cake?
A cakewalk?
Cakewalk, walk in the park.
There are lots of different ones you could use.
Oh my God, I love it.
Okay, brilliant.
It'd be a cakewalk.
I've learned something today.
I just saw the ad in the evening post this afternoon and it said that to apply for the job, you need to complete an application form online.
Here's the address, blah, blah, blah.
It's pretty simple.
It just needs a CV uploaded and asks you to answer a couple of basic questions.
I think you should go for it, mate.
I can help you if you need a hand with anything.
Oh, I love that.
I think you should go for it, mate.
Brilliant.
Okay, I reckon your letter is much more colloquial than mine, which is not a bad thing.
I think that's a great thing.
I reckon as well, it's probably a little bit longer, isn't it?
171.
No, sorry, 174.
So I've added 103 words.
But again, it's still fine.
We're still within decent boundaries.
What Nick has written there is really band nine stuff for people who are aiming for that.
But again, what we've fleshed out or what we've added... is just these connections, isn't it?
Like we said, we haven't really added a lot more about what the job involves.
We haven't really added much more about why the job would suit him.
Although maybe we did a little bit, because we spoke about being a Leeds fan and living from the stadium.
So maybe on that one, we added some more details for the Bullets.
But certainly for the first and the third bullet, the way that we expanded it was more just offering to help our friend.
Making some personal comments.
And I think that's what has completely transformed that original one to something really much better.
Fun exercise, this one.
It's good.
I'm going to send it to a couple of my students.
Wonderful.
All right.
Well, if you've enjoyed this at home, I mean, I would be interested if you've actually sat and done this with us.
Go to the blog.
There's a way you can add comments at the bottom of the blog.
If you copy and paste your extended bullets there, I'll have a look at the first 10 that come in this week.
And I'll mark them and correct them for you so you get a little bit of free language support there.
So if you have done this, brilliant.
I'm going to help you a little bit further if you can.
But this would be my advice.
If you want to really write a genuinely informal letter, adding these personal comments.
They don't have to be, what was it, a cakewalk.
They don't have to be as colloquial as Nick's cakewalk.
But anything that builds that feeling of this is a real letter to a real friend that you know personally is, I promise you, going to take you to that next level.
Okay, well, that was a good one, Nick, I think.
It was fun, yeah.
Okay, good.
So if you've enjoyed this, go on, you can give us a like on Apple Podcasts, couldn't they?
They could.
Tell a friend.
Get a review in five stars.
Okay.
Well, that would be lovely.
And then go and have a rest because well done for taking part in the lesson.
And we'll be back next week with a brand new IELTS lesson.
Until then, bye.
Bye-bye.
Nick and I do not represent IELTS, and everything you heard in this episode is our own personal opinion.
You can find the show notes and transcript for this episode on our blog.
That's blog.myiotsclassroom.com.
And if you're looking for our video courses, speaking lessons and marking service, You can find that at wwwmyiotsclassroomcom.
If you have a question or query or just want to chat, you can email Nick and I at hello at myiotsclassroomcom.
Our theme music is by Heartbeat and our artwork is produced by David Brown.
Have a great week.
Study hard.
And remember, this is my IELTS classroom.
Thanks for listening.
We'll see you next week.
