How to Write an Informal Letter for Junior Cycle English

Junior Cycle English · Functional Writing

An informal letter is one of the friendliest tasks you can be asked to write. You are writing to someone you know and like, so the words should sound like you actually talking. This page shows you how to keep that warm voice while still organising your letter properly.

When it comes up

Section B of your exam asks you to write for a purpose. One common option is an informal letter. You might be asked to write to a friend, a cousin, or a relative about your news, an event, or something that happened to you.

The key word is informal. This is not a letter to a company or a principal. It is a letter to someone close to you. That changes everything about how you write it, so read the question carefully and notice who you are writing to.

The layout

An informal letter has a simple shape. Get it right and you have marks before you write a single sentence of news.

• Your address goes in the top right corner.
• The date sits just under your address.
• A warm greeting starts the letter, such as “Dear Anna,”.
• The body comes next, written in clear paragraphs.
• A friendly sign-off ends it, such as “Talk soon,”, “Lots of love,” or “Your friend,”.
• Your first name goes on the last line. No surname needed for a friend.

Notice the greeting and the sign-off. They set the tone. A stiff opening makes the whole thing sound cold, so keep them warm.

Getting the register right

Register means the level of formality. For an informal letter, the register is chatty, warm and personal. Write the way you would speak to that person.

Contractions are welcome here. Use “I’m”, “you’d” and “we’re” freely. Show your personality. Ask questions. React. Let the reader hear a real voice on the page.

But warm does not mean messy. It is still organised writing, not a pile of random thoughts thrown onto a page. You can sound relaxed and still plan your paragraphs. The best letters do both.

A worked opening

Here is a short opening I made up to show you the idea. Read it, then notice why it works.

Dear Niamh, I still can’t believe what you told me on the phone. A whole summer in Donegal with your cousins? You lucky thing. Things here are quieter, but I have my own bit of news, and I have been dying to tell someone who will actually understand it. An invented example to show the warm, personal register

Look at what is happening. It opens by reacting to her news, not with the writer’s own. It uses contractions and a question. It teases the news to come, which pulls the reader on. It sounds like a real person, yet every sentence is doing a job. That is informal writing that is still structured.

How to structure it

A warm tone needs a clear plan underneath it. Here is a simple shape that works every time.

Open by reacting

Start with them, not you. React to their news, or ask how they are getting on. This makes the letter feel like a real reply, not a report.

Give your own news in paragraphs

Now share what is happening with you. Put one idea per paragraph. One paragraph for the big event, another for how you felt, another for what happens next. Paragraphs keep your warm letter readable.

Close with a forward look

End by looking ahead. Mention seeing them soon, or ask them to write back. A line like “Write back soon and tell me everything” leaves the reader smiling.

The mistakes that cost marks

Most lost marks come from a handful of slips. Watch for these.

• Writing it too formally. If it reads like a complaint to a shop, the register is wrong. Loosen up.
• Having no real voice. A flat, faceless letter wins nothing. Let your personality through.
• Rambling with no paragraphs. One long block is hard to read. Break it up.
• Forgetting the warm sign-off. Do not just stop. Close with care and your name.

Using This in the Exam

You will not have long to plan, so make the layout automatic. Address and date go top right before you think about anything else. Then jot three or four quick paragraph ideas in the margin, and write.

How to use it: Spend two minutes planning. Write the address and date from memory, then list your paragraph topics: react to their news, my big news, how I felt, write back soon. Follow your own list and the letter almost writes itself, warm and organised at the same time.

In short

An informal letter is a chance to sound like yourself. Get the layout right, keep the register warm, open by reacting to them, give your news in clear paragraphs, and close with a friendly line. Be chatty, be personal, but stay organised. Do that and the marks follow.