FCE email and letter writing: formal and informal examples
The FCE email or letter is a Part 2 option in B2 First Writing: a 140 to 190 word reply to a friend, an employer, a college or an editor. Whether it is a formal letter or an informal email, the key is a register that suits that reader from the greeting to the last line.
- Task
- Part 2 option
- Words
- 140–190
- Register
- Formal or informal
- Marks
- 20 (4 criteria × 5)
What the FCE email and letter task asks you to do
In Part 2 of the Writing paper you choose one task from three, and one of them may be an email or a letter. The prompt, no more than 70 words, describes a situation and a reader. Often it is part of an email from an English-speaking friend asking for advice or information; sometimes it is an advert or announcement you are replying to, such as a summer job, a course or a request from a college principal or the editor of a magazine.
The key to this task is register: your language must suit the reader and stay consistent from the first line to the last. An email to a friend can use contractions, phrasal verbs and a chatty tone. A letter applying for a job needs full sentences, polite formulas and no slang. Whatever the register, every point or question in the prompt must be answered, and you should open and close the way a real email or letter would. You do not need to write postal addresses.
How it is marked: out of 20, with 0–5 each for Content, Communicative Achievement, Organisation and Language. Communicative Achievement depends heavily on register: a perfectly accurate email that sounds like a formal report when it is written to a friend will not score highly.
An FCE email example (informal)
Read the task, decide on your register, and plan one paragraph for each of Alex's questions. Then open the model email.
You have received this email from your English-speaking friend, Alex.
My cousin is coming to study in your city for six months from September. She's a bit nervous because she doesn't know anyone there. What advice would you give her about making friends? And what's the best way to get around the city? Thanks! Alex
Write your email.
Show the answer and explanation
Model email (165 words)
Hi Alex,
Great to hear from you! Your cousin is going to love it here, I promise.
The best way to make friends is to join something as soon as she arrives. The university has dozens of clubs, from hiking to board games, and most of them hold a free welcome evening in the first week. If she's into sport, the volleyball club is really friendly – I played with them for a year. It's also worth saying yes to every invitation at the start, even when she's tired. That's how I met most of my friends.
As for getting around, forget about taxis – they're expensive and the traffic is terrible. She should get a monthly student pass, which covers buses and the metro. Honestly, though, the centre is so small that she'll be able to walk almost everywhere.
Why don't you give her my number? I'd be happy to meet her for a coffee and show her around in her first week.
Take care,
Marta
Why it works
- Content: both questions are answered in full (making friends, getting around) with specific, useful advice, and the offer at the end responds naturally to the cousin's nerves.
- Communicative Achievement: a friendly, informal register from start to finish: contractions, phrasal verbs (get around, show her around), direct advice and a natural opening and sign-off.
- Organisation: one paragraph per question, a short opening and closing, and signals such as As for… and Honestly, though that move the reader on.
- Language: a range of advice structures (The best way to… is to…, It's worth + -ing, She should…, Why don't you…?), so… that…, and a non-defining relative clause.
How to write a B2 email or letter
- 01
Decide who you are writing to and why. The reader decides the register, and the register decides almost every other choice you make.
- 02
Underline every question or point in the prompt. In emails from friends there are usually two or three, sometimes hidden in the middle of a sentence.
- 03
Plan the layout: a greeting and a short opening line, one paragraph for each point, then a closing line and a sign-off.
- 04
Choose an opening and closing that match the register: Hi Alex … Take care, or Dear Ms Patel … Yours sincerely.
- 05
Keep the register consistent. Read your answer once just for tone: one "Cheers!" in a formal letter, or one "I am writing to inform you" in an email to a friend, stands out.
- 06
Check that every point is answered and that the email would make sense to the reader without the prompt.
Mistakes in FCE emails and letters
Mixing registers. Starting with "Dear Sir or Madam" and finishing with "See you soon!" is a common way to lose Communicative Achievement marks.
Missing a point. Friends' emails often ask two questions and mention a third thing in passing. An answer that ignores one of them cannot get full Content marks.
Long memorised openings. "I hope this email finds you well and that you and your family are in good health" uses twenty words that do not answer the task.
Confusing the formal sign-offs. In British English, Yours faithfully follows Dear Sir or Madam, and Yours sincerely follows a name such as Dear Mr Lee.
Formal or informal: openings, closings and key phrases
| Informal (friend) | Formal (employer, principal, editor) | |
|---|---|---|
| Greeting | Hi Alex, / Dear Alex, | Dear Sir or Madam, / Dear Ms Patel, |
| Opening line | Great to hear from you! / Thanks for your email. | I am writing to apply for… / I am writing in response to… |
| Changing topic | Anyway,… / As for… | With regard to… / I would also like to mention… |
| Asking | Can you let me know…? | I would be grateful if you could tell me… |
| Suggesting | Why don't you…? / You should… | I would suggest that… / It might be helpful to… |
| Closing line | Can't wait to hear from you. / Write back soon! | I look forward to hearing from you. |
| Sign-off | Take care, / Love, / Best wishes, | Yours faithfully, (no name) / Yours sincerely, (name known) |
The same message in two registers
The best way to understand register is to see one idea written twice.
- Informal: "Sorry I didn't reply sooner – things have been crazy at work."
Formal: "I apologise for the delay in replying to your letter." - Informal: "Can you tell me when the course starts?"
Formal: "I would be grateful if you could let me know the start date of the course." - Informal: "I've done loads of babysitting, so I'm used to kids."
Formal: "I have considerable experience of looking after young children." - Informal: "Let me know what you think!"
Formal: "Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require further information."
Practise the email or letter in full FCE Writing tests
Every one of our six FCE Writing tests includes an email or letter among the three Part 2 tasks. Each paper is timed at 80 minutes, and your text gets an expert evaluation on the four Cambridge criteria.
- Test 1 (email): a reply to Alex, ‘I’m going to share a flat with two other students next month’
- Test 2 (letter): Your English-speaking exchange coordinator, Ms Reed, is bringing a group of students to your…
- Test 3 (email): a reply to Jamie, ‘I’m organising a meal at home for eight relatives next weekend’
- Test 4 (letter): Your class is organising a celebration at the end of the school year.
- Test 5 (email): a reply to Chris, ‘I’ll be visiting your town for one day next Saturday’
- Test 6 (letter): The manager of your youth club, Ms Grant, wants to improve the club’s website.
FCE email and letter questions
Is the FCE email formal or informal?
It depends on the reader in the task. An email to a friend should be informal; a letter to an employer, a college principal or an editor should be formal or semi-formal. Decide before you start, then keep the same style throughout.
How do I start and finish an FCE formal letter?
Use Dear Sir or Madam with Yours faithfully when you do not know the name, and Dear Mr or Ms plus the surname with Yours sincerely when you do. A closing line such as I look forward to hearing from you comes before the sign-off.
Do I need to write addresses in an FCE letter?
No. Start with the greeting and finish with the sign-off and your name. Addresses add nothing to your mark.
How many words should a B2 email be?
140 to 190 words, the same as every task in the B2 First Writing paper.
Sources
- B2 First Handbook for Teachers (Cambridge University Press & Assessment), pages 26–33
- B2 First exam format (cambridgeenglish.org)
CambridgeMock is independent and not affiliated with Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Facts on this page are checked against the official documents above; the practice items and advice are our own.
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