A. The Informal Letter
Introduction
An informal letter is a personal letter written to someone we know well. This could be a friend, brother, sister, cousin or classmate. In the GCE Ordinary Level examination, you may be asked to write a letter to a friend or relative to give advice, share information, describe an experience or discuss a particular situation. In such a case, your language should be simple, friendly and suitable for the person you are writing to.
Features or layout of a good Informal Letter
An informal letter should have:
- Writer’s Address and Date. The writer’s address should be written at the top right-hand corner of the page, followed by the date. Always a skip a line below the address before writing the date.
- This is a casual greeting and should begin with either “Dear, Hi or Hello” followed by the name of the person you are writing to.
Examples: Dear John, Dear Mary, Hello Best Friend E.T.C.
- A well-developed Body: Begin with a friendly introduction and state the reason for writing the letter. Continue your letter by presenting your ideas clearly, using the selected relevant material, respecting the word limit and the number of paragraphs.
- Closing: Always end your informal letter with a friendly expression followed by your name or initials or your name.
Examples: Your Best Friend, Your Son, Your Classmate, E.T.C.
Practical Exercise
Consider that your best friend, Manka Joys, is a Form Five student of Government Bilingual High School Kumbo. You just learned that she has decided to drop out of school after the GCE Ordinary Level examination to get married. She believes that marriage will give her a better future and that continuing her education is no longer necessary. You are worried about her decision and want to encourage her to complete her education before getting married. Selecting what is relevant from the passage below, write a letter to her advising her on the importance of completing her education and encouraging her to reconsider her decision. Write in two paragraphs of not more than 150 words. Your name is Lukong Marvis and your Address is P.O. Box 46, Kumbo.
Stimulus material
- Education can provide better opportunities in life.
- Marriage automatically guarantees a successful future.
- Completing secondary education can help a young person prepare for future studies or training.
- Dropping out of school may limit future career opportunities.
- A person can continue with education and plan marriage responsibly later.
- Friends and social media always give the best advice about marriage.
- Education can help young people become more independent and responsible.
- Making an important life decision requires careful consideration.
- Marriage should never prevent a person from achieving personal and educational goals.
- School has no importance once a person decides to get married.
Note: Points 2, 6 and 10 are irrelevant.
Sample Answer
Lukong Marvis,
P.O. Box 46, Kumbo.
10th September, 2026.
Dear Manka,
How are you doing? I hope you are all doing well. I learned that you have decided to drop out of school after the GCE Ordinary Level examination to get married. I am really concerned about this decision and would like you to reconsider it. Firstly, education can provide you with better opportunities in life and prepare you for a successful career. Again, completing your secondary education will enable you to continue with higher education or professional training in the future. Furthermore, dropping out of school may limit your career opportunities and make it more difficult for you to become financially independent.
My dear, do not choose between education and your future. You can complete your education and plan marriage responsibly later. Finally, I advise you to take your time and think carefully before making such an important decision. I hope you will consider my advice and continue your education.
Your Best Friend,
L. M.