Informal letter writing (Sec 1/5)

You have just received a letter from your pen pal in London, Shirley. She mentioned that she is keen to pursue her secondary education overseas. In her letter, she mentioned the following:

• She aspires to take on a career in the area of Information Technology.

• She has keen interest in the arts, especially music.

• She dreads the rainy season in London as it always looks so grey.

• She has a great love for outdoor activities. She enjoys the sun and the sea and would love to spend her weekends by the beach playing volleyball.

• She enjoys tasting a variety of food.

Write a letter to her persuading her to come to Singapore to study in your school.

Your letter must cover the requirements of the five aspects in detail.

Set your letter out correctly, in clear, accurate English and in a friendly tone to inform Shirley more about Singapore and your school.

Sample 1: by Zhi Ru

Chin Zhi Ru
Blk 8 Tanah Suma
#06-1234
Singapore 118805

27th August 2006

Dearest Shirley,
Hello. How are you? Well, I am fine. You wrote in your letter that you want to pursue your secondary education overseas. Why don’t you come to Singapore to pursue your secondary education? It would be a whole lot of fun studying here. It is a small city but it is really nice.

Are you sure that you want to study Information Technology and make it your future career? You can take up this subject in the secondary school. You can also join the school’s band or Chinese Orchestra and learn about different kinds of musical instruments and take part in the Singapore’s Youth Festival Competition to compete with other schools.

Dread London’s rainy season? Singapore has a tropical climate so you can see the sun shining above you everyday! If you like, we can play volley ball together at the beach in the sun every weekend. Here, you can play all you want!

Singapore is a multi-racial country. There are different races in Singapore like the Chinese, Malays, Indians, Eurasians and so on. We are really lucky to be a multi-racial country as we get to taste different types of food and celebrate different kinds of festivals. There is a wide variety of food here like the Malays’ mee rebus and longtong, the Indians’ roti prata and many more. So don’t you worry that you will be eating the same kind of food everyday!

I hope that you will really consider pursuing your studies in Singapore. I have to go now. Bye!

Yours Sincerely,
Zhi Ru

Teacher’s comments: Well-written piece of work, Zhi Ru! Your points have been nicely elaborated though you can develop them in even greater detail to score even higher. Language wise, this is a very coherent piece of work. Good, keep it up!

Sample 2: by Eunice Choy

Eunice Choy
Block 782 Pasir Ris st 71
#03-582
Singapore 510782

24th August 2006

Hello Shirley,

How have you been? I received your letter two days ago and learned that you are keen to pursue your secondary education overseas. I am glad to hear that. Would you like to come to Singapore? You can study in my school. I will also be glad to see you for the first time and we can spend a great deal of time with each other. Oh! What fun we will have together!

I know that you aspire to take up a job in the area of Information Technology. Information Technology is a good area to learn all about new technology like computers, radios, televisions and many more. It is a good choice of career for you, especially since you are a girl. You know, whenever you have a problem with a computer, for instance, you will know what to do with it. In Singapore schools, we even have computer lessons and Design and Technology lessons. Computer lessons teach us how to use the computer and it different functions. Design and Technology classes teach us how to make practical items like the pencil holder, a wooden block with a hook and so on. We use various kinds of tools and learn about their functions too. It is so exciting and interesting! Would you like to join in the fun too?

I also understand that you are very passionate about music. That is good because in my school, we have music lessons twice a week. I have an interest in music too. I will always be so fidgety during the lessons before music as I cannot wait for the lesson to come and know what we will be learning that day. My music teacher is Mr Peter Lee. He is a really friendly teacher. You will like him the moment you see him. A bright twinkle is always in his eyes and his mouth is always curved upwards into a broad smile. His lessons are very fun and enjoyable too. Just last week, I learned that there are many instruments in the Orchestra family. This Orchestra family is split into a few groups. They are the String, Woodwind, Brass and Percussion instruments. I also learned the different sounds that different instruments make. It was so fun that when the bell rang for the end of lesson, I was utterly disappointed!

It is good that you enjoy the sun and the sea. It is healthy to spend your weekends by the beach playing volleyball. Exercising and playing games strengthen the body and build up our muscles. As the saying goes, “Eat well, study well and rest well.” We must eat, rest and study adequately. That is to say, we must eat enough nutritious food, study hard and have enough sleep and rest too. This is the only way to stay fit and trim!

I heard from you that the rainy season in London always looks so grey and you do not like it. If you come to Singapore, you do not need to worry anymore, because most of the time, we have fine weather. Even though it can be quite humid at times, it still allows you to go out for outdoor activities. We also have beautiful beaches have in Singapore. You can come to Singapore and we can have a picnic on the beach and then play a game of volleyball. How about that?

After that, I can bring you to a huge seafood restaurant to have a sumptuous meal. You will get a chance to taste a variety of seafood here and I bet you will enjoy tasting them. There is prawn, crab, eel, fish, crayfish and other delicacies that you can feast on.

I got to go now. I am looking forward to your reply and hope that I have been successful in persuading you to come to Singapore.

Love,
Eunice

Teacher’s comments: Eunice, this is a very mature piece of writing. Each point has been very well elaborated. I enjoy reading your writings. Keep up your excellent work!

Sample 3: Jonathan Wong

Jonathan Wong
Blk 878 Tampines Ave 8
#08-320
Singapore 520878

24th August 2006

Dear Shirley,

How are you? I have just received your letter and I know that you want to go overseas to study. Have you ever considered coming to Singapore to study? Singapore is the perfect place for you as it has all the things you want.

When you come to Singapore, you can study in my school, Coral Secondary School. In Coral, you can study Information Technology. In Coral, there are teachers that are very well-trained in Information Technology and you can approach them when you have any questions. The teachers here are very nice and you do not have to be shy.

In Coral, there are a few CCAs that involve arts and music such as the drama club, the choir, the military band and the Chinese orchestra. These CCAs usually take part in various competitions and they always achieve good results. They will also perform on some special occasions.

I figured from your letter that the rainy season in London is very dreadful. However, in Singapore, most of the time, the weather is fine and it is very sunny. Sometimes, when it is too hot, there will be some rainfall that will cool down the temperature.

During the weekends, we can go to the beach together. The beach in Pasir Ris Park is very close to my home. Many people go there to spend their weekends. We can play beach volleyball or we can go for a dip in the sea. We can also go to various tourist attractions besides going to the beach too.

In Singapore, you do not have to worry about food. There will be food available in all parts of Singapore. The stalls provide a wide range of delicacies. You can also have a taste of the famous satay or laska or the local cuisines.

I sincerely hope that you can come to Singapore and study here, so we can have more time interacting with each other. I hope to hear from you soon.

Regards,
Jonathan Wong

Teacher’s comments: A very good piece of work, Jonathan! All the points have been well-developed and your writing is clear and coherent! Keep up with your excellent work!

Sample 4: Shadirah Bte Zaharum

Jessica Amber
Blk 251
Tampines street 10
#07-104
Singapore 560251

20th August 2006

Dearest Shirley,

How are you? It has been a long time since I last heard from you. By the way, my parents send their regards to you. They really miss you a lot. Food to hear that you are keen to pursue your secondary education abroad. How about coming to Singapore? The secondary schools in Singapore are great! I cannot wait to show you around.

Hey, I know how much you want a career of Information Technology so guess what? There are such courses available in my school which will prove very useful for the career you are currently pursuing. At Coral Secondary School. Which is my school, we also specialize in the arts, especially in music. The school has won many awards for music, all thanks to the school band. As I write, I can almost see a smile spreading across your face! You can join my school’s band as your co-curricula activity because I know that you are keen in music. Surely, you will have a whale of time in my school.

Oh dear! Is the weather in London that gloomy? Well, if you hate the weather in London, you will surely admire and be dazzled by the environment, scenery and weather here in Singapore. Here, the weather is humid and rainy at times but the sun is always shining over this beautiful country. If it gets too hot, the rain will surely cool you off because the temperature here is quite moderate.

Besides the temperature, the variety of food also makes Singapore a unique country. The food shows that Singapore is a multi-racial country. There is the Malay, Chinese, Indian cuisines and more. My mum is also a good cook so if you want to taste the Malay type of food, you can come to my house. I can also bring you around Singapore to have a taste of the different cuisines. You will definitely like the food here.

That is all for now. Do come to Singapore to experience a different culture and taste the different delicacies. I would love to spend the weekends with you at the beach, playing volleyball and just having fun together.

Your pen pal,
Jessica

Teacher’s comments: Very good effort, Shadirah! A clear and coherent piece of writing. Points have also been well-developed. I like how you engage your readers/pen-pal through the questions asked as well as descriptions of how you think the other party is responding. However, point 4 could have been developed in greater detail. Keep up your excellent work!

Sample 5: Zi Xiang

Zi Xiang
Blk 610
Pasir Ris Dive 1
#13-123
Singapore 510610

24th August 206

Dear Shirley,

How are you doing? I am doing great here. I heard that you would like to pursue your secondary education overseas. You also mentioned about those things which you like and dislike. You are so lucky as I have already found a place like this for you—that is my country! It has everything that you like but does not have the things you do not.

As you want to take on a career in the area of Information Technology, come to Singapore! Here in Singapore, technology is very advanced, making it very easy to find an IT course.

As for music, it is everywhere in Singapore. It is quite common to see music classes being offered in places like the shopping centres. You can also learn to play all kinds of instruments and music.

I know that you love feasting on a wide range of food. You know what? This is the best place to be in as Singapore is what people call the “Food Paradise”. There are Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Western and many more types of cuisines available here.

The climate here is a warm one. It is quite constant. There is an absence of four seasons here. In fact, it is sunny all year round and the weather is always suitable for outdoor activities which you love most. The beaches are simply fantastic.

I think that is all for now. I hope that you would consider coming to Singapore to pursue you studies. Hope to receive your reply soon.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,
Zi Xiang

Teacher's comments: Good piece of work, Zi Xiang! All the points have been nicely elaborated. take note however that though this is an informal letter, avoid using phrases/sentences that are too colloquial such as "You love different varieties of food right?" Otherwise, this is good effort. Keep it up!