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Letter to a friend about a class trip

Written by Sara Ahmed (English)

A model informal letter to a friend, with the layout, the paragraph plan and the points that earn marks.

The task

Write a letter to a friend who has moved to another city. Tell him about a class trip that you took to a museum and invite him to visit you.

Points that earn marks

  • Write your address and the date at the top right, and start with Dear and the friend's name.
  • Open with a friendly line, then say why you are writing.
  • Describe the trip in order: the journey, what you saw, and what you liked best.
  • Give details that make the account real, such as the time, the place and what the guide said.
  • Invite the friend to visit, and name a time.
  • Close with kind regards and sign off with Your sincere friend and your first name.
  • Use a warm and natural style, with full sentences and correct spelling.

Model letter

12 Gulberg Road

Faisalabad

20 November

Dear Hamza,

I hope you are well and enjoying your new school. I am writing to tell you about our class trip to the Lahore Museum, which took place last Saturday. I wish you had been with us.

We left school at 7 a.m. in two buses, and the journey took about three hours. When we reached the museum, our teacher divided us into groups of ten, and each group was given a guide. The guide showed us ancient coins, old manuscripts and a beautiful gallery of miniature paintings. The statue of the Fasting Buddha was the most interesting thing for me, because it is so detailed. After lunch in the garden, we had an hour to look around on our own.

I learned more in that one day than I do from many hours in the classroom, and I took many photographs that I will show you. I would like you to visit us in December, so that we can go to the fort together.

Please give my respects to your parents, and write to me soon.

Your sincere friend,

Bilal

About 188 words.

Useful phrases

  • I hope you are well
  • I am writing to tell you about
  • I wish you had been with us
  • The most interesting thing was
  • I would like you to visit us
  • Write to me soon

Common mistakes

  • Writing the address of the friend at the top instead of your own.
  • Using a formal tone with words such as Respected Sir.
  • Telling the story with no details, so that it sounds the same for every trip.
  • Forgetting to invite the friend or to close the letter politely.
  • Using slang and short forms, which lose marks in an examination.