In Part 2 you may choose to write a letter. At C1 it can serve many purposes: a complaint, a job or course application, a request, an enquiry, a recommendation, or a reply to something published. You usually write to a company, an organisation, an official or an editor, and the task tells you who and why.
The register depends on that reader, but it is almost always formal or semi-formal: polite, clear and purposeful. Whatever the letter's aim, the reader should finish it knowing exactly what you want them to do.
Every task sets a purpose and usually two or three points: explain the problem and ask for a refund, describe your experience and say why you want the place, outline an idea and ask for support. Underline each one; each needs clear treatment.
Then state that purpose in your opening sentence, so the reader knows from line one whether you are complaining, applying, requesting or persuading.
A complaint sets out the facts and ends with the action you expect. An application links your experience to what the organisation needs. A request or persuasive letter explains the idea, shows who benefits and makes a specific ask.
A letter to an editor responds to something published: say what you are reacting to, give your view with reasons and examples, and suggest what should change.
Most C1 letters are formal: full forms, polite modals and no slang. Pair Dear Sir or Madam with Yours faithfully, and a name (Dear Ms Patel) with Yours sincerely. A letter to an editor may be slightly warmer, but never chatty.
Be firm but courteous. In a complaint, dates, promises and what actually happened persuade more than angry adjectives. In an application, support each skill with a brief example instead of a string of adjectives.
Give each point of the task its own paragraph with a clear topic sentence, and finish with a paragraph that says exactly what you want: a refund, an interview, a reply, a decision.
Guide the reader with linking phrases such as furthermore, in addition to this, as a result and for this reason, and refer back with this or such rather than repeating the same nouns.
Show a range of formal structures: passives, indirect questions (I would be grateful if you could tell me whether...), conditionals and the occasional inversion (Should you require..., Had I been informed...).
Pick precise vocabulary (reimbursement, eligible, considerable inconvenience) and check dependent prepositions, which are frequent slips: apply for, complain about, enquire about, responsible for.
Examiners mark Content (every point covered), Communicative Achievement (the right tone for this reader and purpose), Organisation (logical paragraphs and letter layout) and Language (range and accuracy).
Common traps: never saying what you want, slipping into informal phrases, pairing Dear Sir or Madam with Yours sincerely, and telling a long story with no clear point.
Your town's library plans to cancel its free evening language exchange sessions to save money. Write a letter to the head of library services explaining what the sessions mean to local people, persuading her to keep them and suggesting ways to reduce their cost.
Dear Ms Harding, I am writing with regard to the recent announcement that the library's weekly language exchange evenings will be discontinued at the end of this term. As a regular participant for the past two years, I would like to explain why I believe this decision should be reconsidered. The sessions have become far more than a chance to practise a foreign language. Every Thursday, around forty people, many of them recent arrivals in the town, meet local residents in a relaxed setting. For newcomers who might otherwise feel isolated, these evenings are often their first real contact with the community. I have personally seen several friendships, and even two job offers, come about as a direct result. I fully appreciate that the library is under considerable financial pressure. However, I am confident that the programme could continue at a fraction of its current cost. Experienced participants, myself included, would be willing to run the sessions as volunteers, which would remove the need for paid staff. In addition, a voluntary contribution of one or two pounds per evening would easily cover refreshments and materials. Were the evenings to disappear, the town would lose one of the few free spaces where people of different backgrounds genuinely mix. I would therefore ask you to postpone your decision until these alternatives have been explored, and I would be glad to meet you to discuss them in more detail. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely, Laura Mendez
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