A complete guide on how to write a formal letter for students

We are living through an era of the internet when everything is easily accessible to us. Now, even though we rarely send hand-written letters to our loved ones, but these letters still hold some significance in case you’re trying to reach out to a higher authority with a complaint or a request.

This is the major reason why academic institutions continue to encourage students to write formal letters. If you’re a student in need of some guidance with formal letter writing, then these insights might be beneficial.

What is a formal letter?

A formal letter may help elaborate on an enquiry, a complaint or a request for something that's meaningful to you. A formal letter generally addresses the higher authority with the purpose to come up with a solution.

While writing a formal letter, you must make sure it's not personal and offensive. Also, make it short but not too short. Tell them what they need to know but not what you wanted to share.

How to write a formal letter: A step-by-step process 

Step 1: Mention the sender’s address

If you're not clear how to start your formal letter, this is the step you should remember.  The address of a sender in a formal letter goes at the top-left corner of a page. In this case, make sure you don't write the entire address in a single line and break them into 2-3 lines instead.

The first line should include the house or apartment number. In the second line, write your street address. Thereafter, write your city, state, and zip code on the line below the second one.

Here's an example of the sender's address to give you more clarity.          

16/2, Melville Apartments,

23^rd Avenue,

Seattle, WA 98255

Step 2: Place the date directly below the sender's address

The date should be included beneath the sender’s address. The date is crucial to include in your formal letter because of two reasons.  Firstly, you're trying to get an individual or an organization to perform an action in a timely manner; it will allow the recipient some timeframe to work with. Secondly, the date is necessary if you need to save a copy of the letter for posterity. This is another crucial step that you have to consider when you’re learning how to write a formal complaint letter

Here's how the date is included in the letter:

16/2, Melville Apartments,

23^rd Avenue,

Seattle, WA 98255

17^th January 2020

Step 3: Write the recipient’s name along with his/her job title

After you write the date, leave a little space below and then write the name of the recipient, along with the name of the company. In the next line, write the recipient’s street address, after which you can include the city, state, and zip code.

If you don’t know the recipient’s title, do some background research or call the company to find out.

16/2, Melville Apartments,

23^rd Avenue, Seattle,

WA 98255

17^th January 2020

Mr. Steven Smith

The Principal

Lakeview High School

42^nd Street, Seattle,

WA 98267

Step 4: Include an appropriate salutation

It’s vital that you address your recipient with a proper salutation. "Dear Sir/Madam" works just fine in this case, or if you know the first name of the recipient of your letter, address them directly.  

However, you must ensure that you address them formally using "Rev.", "Mr.", "Dr.", "Mrs.", or "Ms.", and write their full name if known. Add a colon after the salutation and then add a subject line between the salutation and the body of the letter.

16/2, Melville Apartments,

23^rd Avenue, Seattle,

WA 98255

17^th January, 2020

Mr. Steven Smith

The Principal

Lakeview High School

42^nd Street, Seattle,

WA 98267

Dear Sir,

Step 5: Write the main body of the letter

The main section of the letter shouldn’t be more than three paragraphs. If you can't convey the message it in three paragraphs or less, then you're not being concise enough. While writing the body of the main section, keep the following things in mind.

• In the first paragraph of the body of your letter, include a friendly opening and then mention the reason or purpose of the letter. Don’t beat around the bush.
• In the second paragraph, you can incorporate examples to highlight the issue, if possible.
• In the final paragraph, sum up the purpose of writing the letter and suggest how you might want to proceed further.

Step 6: Sign off your letter with a proper salutation

Make sure you leave a space between your salutation and your name for a signature, if possible. Greetings like "sincerely," "yours sincerely," and "warm regards" are all perfect, in this case. Leave a space under your name, and end your letter with the title underneath your signature (if applicable).

Remember to keep everything left justified except for the date and the closing salutation.

An insight into the formal letter example

. A typical template formal letter is listed down below.  

• Sender’s address
• Date
• Name / Designation of recipient
• Address of the sender
• Salutation or greetings
• Subject line
• Body paragraph
• Complimentary close
• Name of the Sender
• Designation (if any)

If you do not know how to write a resignation or a formal complaint letter, here’s an example of a formal letter that you may find useful.

16/2, Melville Apartments,

23^rd Avenue, Seattle,

WA 98255

17^th January, 2020

Mr. Steven Smith

The Principal

Lakeview High School

42^nd Street, Seattle,

WA 98267

Dear Sir,

Sub: Approval for commencing the tree planting project

I am writing to you to seek your permission for initiating a tree-planting project that my club members and I had talked to you in our previous meeting. Our school’s Environment Club has resolved to plant more trees for the sustainability of our environment.

Therefore, I humbly request that you look into it soon because we are almost at the end of the term and we wouldn’t like to end it without achieving this objective.

I am looking forward to a positive response from you.

Thank you

Yours Sincerely,

Amber Peterson

(Environment Club Representative)

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