Secondary School Situational Writing Guide: How to Write Informal Email

Situational Writing is one of the most structured components of your English Paper 1, and you can use this structure to your advantage. Unlike the Continuous Writing section where you are building an entire narrative from scratch, Situational Writing gives you a clear framework to work with. You know exactly who you’re writing to, why you’re writing, and what points you need to cover. Your job is to take these elements and craft a response that’s appropriate, complete, and well-expressed.

What makes Situational Writing valuable is that it mirrors real communication skills you’ll use throughout your personal, academic and professional life. Knowing how to write clear, purposeful emails is an essential skill. This component tests your ability to adapt your writing to different contexts and audiences, a skill that extends far beyond the exam hall.

This blog post focuses specifically on informal emails. Informal emails are written to people you know personally, such as friends, relatives, or classmates. While the tone is friendly and conversational, your email still needs to be well-organized, grammatically sound, and comprehensive. We’ll walk you through on how to craft informal emails that meet all the assessment criteria while maintaining a natural voice.

If you need a quick reference for other formats (letter, report, speech, proposal) check out this cheat sheet!

Step By Step Guide to Writing an Informal Email for Secondary School

Step 1: Understand the Question Fully

Start by reading the email prompt carefully to understand exactly what you’re being asked to do. Identify who you’re writing to: is it a friend, schoolmate or perhaps a family member? Next, figure out the context and purpose: why are you sending this email in the first place? The most important thing for you to do is to pay close attention to those bullet points. Each one represents a required element that must appear in your email. Miss one, and you’ll lose marks for content. Finally, be mindful of your tone. Since you are writing an informal email, you will want to sound warm, friendly, and casual, like you’re chatting with someone you know well.

Step 2: Write your Email Header (To, From, Date, Subject)

You must include the complete email header before your salutation. This establishes the email format clearly for teachers and examiners.

First, create realistic email addresses that match the names provided in the question. Then, use a date that makes sense for the scenario. You do not have to use the actual exam date in your email. For example, if the question mentions December holidays, choose a date in December or slightly earlier to make your email feel authentic. Next, keep your subject line concise (around 5 to 8 words) and make sure it clearly reflects what the email is about so the recipient knows at a glance why you’re writing.

Header format

To: recipient@email.com
From: sender@email.com
Date: [Date suited to the context]
Subject: [Brief, relevant subject line]

Step 3: The Use of an Appropriate Salutation

Choose a greeting that is warm and personal without being too stiff or too casual. Avoid formal phrases like “Dear Sir/Madam,” which feel out of place in friendly correspondence, but also avoid overly relaxed greetings such as “Hey,” “Wassup,” or “Yo,” which can come across as unprofessional in an academic setting. The best choice is to opt for is a simple “Dear [Name]” or “Dear [Title]” e.g. Dear Auntie and Uncle if no name is provided.

This structure scores highly because it provides a clear cause-and-effect chain. Examiners can follow the logic: warning given, warning ignored, problem occurs, character responds. The story practically writes itself, and the lesson emerges organically from events rather than being tacked on at the end.

Step 3: Write an Engaging Introduction

Your introduction should fulfil three key things: acknowledge your relationship with the recipient, establish the context for your email, and clearly state your purpose for writing. When you include all three elements right at the start, your reader immediately understands what’s happening.

A strong introduction typically follows this pattern:

• Brief friendly greeting: Start with a warm, personal comment.

“I hope this email finds you well.”
“It was wonderful seeing you at the family gathering last month.”
“I hope you’re enjoying your school holidays!”

• Context-setting: If relevant, acknowledge something that sets up your email.

Thank them for a previous interaction: “Thank you for agreeing to help organize the event.”
Reference a shared experience: “Since we’ve both been talking about trying new activities…”
Acknowledge their situation: “I know you’ve been looking for interesting ways to spend the holidays.”

• Clear purpose statement: Tell them directly why you’re writing.

If choosing or recommending something, state your choice/recommendation in the first paragraph. Don’t make the examiner hunt for it. Also, be specific: clearly name what you are choosing or recommending. For example, write “I recommend joining the school photography club” or “I choose to go bowling”.

Step 4: Develop Your Body Paragraph

After your introduction paragraph, it’s time to dive into the main body where you’ll tackle each bullet point from the question. These points could be anything from explaining how you’ll carry out an activity, sharing reasons for your choice or recommendation, highlighting benefits, or describing why something is fun or educational.

A helpful tip is to start a new paragraph for each content point to keep your email organized and easy to read. But don’t just tick off each point with a quick sentence. Take the time to expand on it with clear details, examples, or explanations that bring your ideas to life.

As you write, pay close attention to the tone the question is calling for. If it asks you to show enthusiasm, let your excitement shine through with positive words, lively expressions and well-placed exclamation marks. If it wants you to be persuasive, lean into strong reasons and compelling benefits. Matching your tone to the task requirements ensures you’re not just covering the content points but presenting them in exactly the way the question requires.

Step 5: Write a Purposeful Closing Paragraph

After covering all your content points, it’s time to write your final paragraph. This is where you link back to the purpose of your email and bring it to a natural close. In most cases, you’ll need to encourage the recipient to respond or take some kind of action, so be clear about what you’re hoping they’ll do next.

Effective closing lines:

For invitations:
“I really hope you can make it.”
“It wouldn’t be the same without you there. Do confirm your attendance soon!”

For recommendations:
“I genuinely believe you’ll enjoy this experience. Let me know if you’d like me to introduce you to the other members!”
“What do you think of this suggestion? I’d be happy to go with you to the first session if you’d like some company.”

For requests:
“I’d really appreciate your help with this. Please let me know if you’re able to assist.”
“Thank you for considering my request. I look forward to hearing from you soon.”

General friendly closings:
“Hope to hear from you soon!”
“Looking forward to your reply!”
“Take care and stay in touch!”

Step 6: End with an Appropriate Sign-Off

The last step after your final paragraph is to sign off appropriately. Avoid using overly formal closings like “Yours faithfully” which are reserved for formal emails/letters to unknown recipients. Instead, choose warm but respectful options like “Best wishes,” “Lots of love,” “Cheers” or simply “Best” that match the friendly tone of your message. Remember to leave a line after your sign-off and then write your name.

You’re Done! What’s Next?

After writing your name, you’re all done! Take a few moments to check your work carefully to make sure you didn’t make any spelling, grammar, or punctuation mistakes, and that you’ve included all the required content points. We hope this step-by-step guide has helped you feel more confident about writing informal emails for your exams.

If you’d like extra practice with Secondary School Situational Writing, WRITERS AT WORK is here to support you every step of the way. Through our Comprehensive English Programmes, students can practise different types of Situational Writing and receive detailed, personalised feedback from experienced teachers. This guided practice helps you master the right tone, structure, and language, so you can approach every email, letter, report, and article with ease.

Join WRITERS AT WORK today and take the next step towards becoming a more confident and capable writer!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. How many marks is Situational Writing worth in O-Level?

Situational Writing is worth 30 marks out of the total 70 marks for O-Level English Paper 1 (Writing).

Q2. What is the word count for Situational Writing?

You are advised to write between 250 and 350 words for situational writing. This range gives you enough space to address all the required content points thoroughly while keeping your writing focused and concise.

Q3. Is there a difference between formal and informal emails in situational writing?

Yes. Formal and informal emails are written for different audiences and use different tones and language.