Write an Email — reader, purpose, register
What the email has to do
- Decide two things before you type: who you are writing to and what you want to happen.
- Keep the message focused on the situation. Length alone cannot make a request clear.
- Answer each part of the situation. If it asks you to explain a problem and propose a solution, do both.
An email should tell the reader why you wrote before their second coffee.
An email that answers only one of the situation's two requests has fully addressed the purpose.
Clear sentences cannot supply a missing request. Check the scenario for every action it requires.
Four useful moves
- Why you are writing — in the first sentence, not the third.
- The detail — the facts the reader needs to act.
- The request — what you want, specifically.
- A close — appropriate to the reader. Use as many sentences as the situation needs; four is a planning aid, not a rule.
What belongs in the first sentence of the email?
A reader who knows the purpose reads everything after it correctly. Background before purpose makes them guess.
Match the reader
- To a tutor or an office: polite and slightly indirect. I was wondering whether, would it be possible to, I would be grateful if.
- To a classmate: direct and warm. Dear Sir or Madam to someone whose name you were given is wrong.
- Choose a level of formality that fits the reader and keep it consistent. A polite message can still make a direct request.
The situation names your classmate Sara. How should the email open?
You were given her name and she is a peer. 'Hi Sara' matches that reader; a generic formal salutation does not.
Two habits to drop
- A "maybe" that hides a definite no. If you already know you cannot attend, decline clearly and courteously.
- Burying the action. If you need a replacement room or a reply by Friday, state that request where the reader can find it.
You cannot join a classmate's project. Which reply is clearest in English?
If you already know you cannot join, a vague maybe leaves your classmate unable to plan. Decline clearly, give a reason and stay warm.
How to practise
- Write one email a day to a specified reader: a tutor, an office, a classmate. Then reread it as that person.
- Ask: can the reader tell what happened, what I need and how to respond? Then check accuracy and tone.
- Task description checked on 24 September 2026 against the ETS Writing overview. The example below is original practice material, not an ETS response or a guaranteed score.
Worked example: a room that disappeared
Situation. Your student club booked Room 204 for a Saturday poster workshop. The booking office now says that a maintenance inspection will close the room. Write to the office: explain the workshop, request a room with tables and step-free access, and ask when the replacement can be confirmed.
Subject: Replacement room for Saturday workshop
Hello Booking Team,
Our student club's poster workshop is scheduled for Saturday in Room 204, but I understand the room will be closed for an inspection. We expect twelve participants and need tables for their materials as well as step-free access.
Could you suggest another available room with those features? If possible, please confirm it by Thursday afternoon so we can update the invitation.
Thank you for your help.
Best wishes,
Lin
The first sentence gives the purpose and the change. The second supplies the constraints; the next two sentences ask for a usable alternative and a reply time. The tone is polite without hiding the action. A room full of posters is a workshop; a room without tables is a very long-standing meeting.
In the workshop model, why does Lin mention twelve participants and step-free access?
A replacement must hold the group and be accessible. Those details let the reader act on the request.