Formal email – Reason for writing

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Formal email: reason for writing

Open with the idea that emails have a purpose. Keep the focus of the whole lesson on one useful structure: 'I am writing to + verb'.

If you write an email, what do you want?

Use this as a quick activation after the goal slide. Accept simple words or short phrases. Likely answers: information, help, a price, an internship, an answer, to apply.

Why do people write emails?

• apply for an internship

• ask for information

• ask about a price

• ask a question

The original plan used four situations with images: internship, event information, price, and a question. Collect likely reasons such as ask, information, apply, and request, but do not overteach vocabulary yet.

Today I can...

I can explain why I am writing in a formal email.

I can use the I am wriing to...

The teacher plan listed more than one goal, but keep this slide narrow and clear. The later slides still support short email writing, but this is the single main objective.

Which sentence uses the correct pattern?

A

I am writing ask

B

I am writing to asked

C

I am writing to ask

D

I am writing asking

Checks the key structure from slides 2 to 4: 'I am writing to + verb'. The distractors mirror common errors with missing 'to' or the wrong verb form.

The key sentence pattern

I am writing to + verb (werkwoord)

Examples:

• I am writing to ask.

• I am writing to get information.

• I am writing to apply.

Emphasise the pattern only. Avoid a long grammar explanation. Students just need to recognise and use the structure.

Informal

go the the left

Hey! I wanna know when the interships starts.

Formal

go the the right

Informal

go the the left

I am writing to ask when the internship starts.

Formal

go the the right

Informal

go the the left

Hey, can you tell me the price?

Formal

go the the right

Informal

go the the left

I am writing to ask about the price.

Formal

go the the right

Informal

go the the left

I wanna know when you are open.

Formal

go the the right

Informal

go the the left

Could you please tell me the opening hours?

Formal

go the the right

Formal or informal?

• Hey! I wanna know when the internship starts.

• Hey, can you tell me the price?

• I wanna know when you are open.

Informal

• I am writing to ask when the internship starts.

• I am writing to ask about the price.

• Could you please tell me the opening hours?

Formal

Use this to highlight register. Students do not need a theory of formality; they only need to notice that formal emails use more polite and complete language.

Match!

I am writing to apply for the internship.

I am writing to ask a question.

I am writing to ask for information.

I am writing to request information.

You want information

You want to apply

You have a question

You want something

Matching reason and sentence

• information → I am writing to ask for information.

• apply → I am writing to apply for the internship.

• question → I am writing to ask a question.

• something → I am writing to request information.

For this group, prioritise ask, get information, and apply. 'Request' can be mentioned briefly but does not need emphasis.

Guess the reason

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to ___ about th intership.

A

Ask

B

Asking

C

Asked

D

I am writing asking

Which sentence is formal?

A

Hey, tell me the price

B

I wanna know the price

C

Can you tell me price?

D

I am writing to ask about the price

This checks recognition of formal register after the contrast on slide 5 and the matching on slide 6.

Complete the formal email sentences

Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to apply for the internship. I am writing to ask for information about the school course.

writing

apply

information

write

applying

price

question

Uses only lesson language already shown: writing, apply, information. The blanks focus on load-bearing words, not small grammar words.

Read for key information

Green Valley Riding School
Green Valley Riding School is looking for students who want to do an internship. Students can work from Monday to Friday. The internship starts in October. Students help with the horses and clean the stables.
For more information, contact Green Valley Riding School.

• Monday to Friday

• starts in October

• help with the horses

• clean the stables

This comes from the teacher's short text. Students only need the basic facts because the next slides use them in an email sentence.

Situation cards

Use the situation to complete the sentence:

I am writing to ________.

Examples:

• do an internship at a riding school

• know the price of a horse show

• get information about a school course

The original plan used pair work with cards. Keep the slide as a model for turning situations into one clear reason for writing.

Make it formal

Informal:

I wanna know when I can come.

Formal:

I am writing to ask when I can come.

More examples:

• I am writing to ask about the price.

• I am writing to get information about the internship.

This is a transformation step: students see how a simple everyday sentence changes into a suitable formal email sentence.

Build the sentence

Put the words in the correct order:

I / am / writing / to / ask / about / the internship

Another example:

I / am / writing / to / ask / about / the opening hours

Keep attention on word order in the target structure. The puzzle format helps first-year students notice the fixed pattern.

Which is the formal version?

A

Hey, when can I come?

B

I am writing to ask when I can come

C

I wanna know when I come

D

Can I come when?

Directly checks the transformation from informal to formal from slide 8.

Build the sentence pattern

I am writing to ask about the internship. I am writing to ask about the opening hours.

am

ask

opening hours

is

apply

price

internship

Anchors the fixed order from slide 9 and reuses both examples from the content slide.

Write one reason for writing about a riding school.

Students should turn a situation into one clear reason sentence using the pattern 'I am writing to + verb'. Good answers include: 'I am writing to ask about the price', 'I am writing to get information about the course', or 'I am writing to apply for the internship'.

Find the information

• Where? Green Valley Riding School

• When? October

• Days? Monday to Friday

• Tasks? help with the horses and clean the stables

This slide isolates the useful details from the short text so students can reuse them without being overloaded.

Use the information

Situation:

You want to do an internship at Green Valley Riding School.

Reason for writing:

I am writing to ask about the internship.

Question:

Could you please tell me when the internship starts?

Do not ask for a full email yet. One reason sentence and one polite question are enough at this stage.

Email order

1. Dear Sir or Madam,

2. I am writing to ask about the internship.

3. Could you please tell me when the internship starts?

4. Yours sincerely,

This introduces the basic structure of a formal email without expanding into longer writing features.

A short formal email

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to ask about the internship.

Could you please tell me when the internship starts?

Yours sincerely,

This slide brings the lesson together as one simple model. Leave space for students to personalise the reason and question later.

When does the internship start?

A

In October

B

On Friday

C

In summer

D

Next week

Checks retrieval of key information from slides 10 and 11.

Complete the short formal email

, I am writing to ask about the internship. Could you please tell me when the internship starts? Yours sincerely.

ask

starts

Yours sincerely

Hello

asking

start

Best wishes

Brings together greeting, reason for writing, question detail, and closing from slides 12 to 14.

What is one thing you learned today?

Students should mention one useful learning point from the lesson, such as the pattern 'I am writing to + verb', the difference between formal and informal, or the order of a short email.

What helped you understand this best?

Use this to see what supported understanding best. Students may mention examples, matching, sentence building, or the internship text.

Glossary

formal email - an email written in a polite and professional way

reason for writing - the purpose of your email

internship - a period of work experience to learn a job

apply - to ask officially for a job, course, or internship

information - facts or details you want to know

opening hours - the times when a place is open

price - how much something costs

Glossary

ask - to say that you want an answer or more details

question - something you want to ask

greeting - the words at the beginning of an email

closing - the words at the end of an email

Dear Sir or Madam - a formal greeting when you do not know the name

Yours sincerely - a formal way to end an email