Welcome to Writing Personal Letters and Emails!
Have you ever wanted to share exciting news with a friend, tell your cousin about your holidays, or say hello to a classmate who moved away? In English, we do this by writing a personal letter or sending an email!
Personal letters and emails belong to the Interpersonal Strand of English writing. Their main purpose is simple and fun: to keep in touch, share feelings, tell stories about our experiences, and show care to people we know well. In this chapter, we will learn how to set up, write, and polish great letters and emails step by step. Don't worry if writing in English feels tricky at first—once you learn the friendly "recipe", you will be able to write wonderful letters with confidence!
Note: If you need to write short reminders or party invites instead, check out the separate chapter on "Notes, cards, invitations & messages".
Part 1: The Parts of a Personal Letter and an Email
Both letters and emails are friendly messages sent to someone you know, like a friend, a classmate, or a family member. They share almost the same structure, like building a house with five neat floors!
1. The Heading or Header
In a Letter: Write the Date in the top right or top left corner (e.g., 12th October 2026 or 12 October 2026). This tells your reader when you wrote to them.
In an Email: Instead of writing the date by hand, an email computer screen has special lines at the top:
• To: The recipient's email address (e.g., amy@schoolmail.com)
• Subject: A very short title telling what the email is about (e.g., My new puppy or Happy birthday!)
2. The Greeting (Salutation)
Always greet the person you are writing to! Start on the left side. Always use a capital letter for the greeting and the person's name, and remember to put a comma after their name:
• Dear Susan,
• Dear Grandma,
• Hi Kelvin,
3. The Opening Paragraph
Start with a warm and polite opening. Ask how the reader is doing or give a friendly reason for writing:
• How are you? I hope you are well.
• Thank you for your lovely letter.
• I am writing to tell you about my exciting weekend!
4. The Body Paragraph(s)
This is the main room of your house where you share your news, feelings, or plans! In Primary 1 to Primary 3 (Key Stage 1), you might write just two or three sentences here (aiming for around 30 words overall). In Primary 4 to Primary 6 (Key Stage 2), you can write one or two paragraphs with main ideas and details (aiming for around 80 words overall):
• Sharing news: Yesterday, my family went to Ocean Park. We saw many colourful fish and pandas.
• Sharing plans: Next Saturday, I am going to have a picnic with my cousins.
5. The Closing and Sign-off
Before you say goodbye, write a short closing sentence, follow it with a sign-off, and write your first name at the bottom:
• Closing sentence: Write soon! / Please email me back soon. / Take care.
• Sign-off (followed by a comma): Love, / Yours, / Best wishes,
• Your name: Peter
Key Takeaway: Every friendly letter or email needs: Greeting \(\rightarrow\) Opening \(\rightarrow\) Body (News/Ideas) \(\rightarrow\) Closing \(\rightarrow\) Sign-off & Name.
Part 2: Helpful Language and Useful Words
Using the right words makes your writing lively, clear, and easy to read. Let's look at the best tools for the job.
Connecting Words (Cohesive Devices)
Connectives are like bridges that join your ideas together smoothly:
• For KS1 (P1–P3): Use simple words like and (to add information), but (to show a difference), and or (to show a choice).
Example: I ate an apple and a banana, but my brother wanted an orange.
• For KS2 (P4–P6): Add more powerful connectors like also, because, so, first, next, then, at last, although, and however.
Example: First, we went to the beach. Next, we built a sandcastle. We were very tired, so we rested under a big tree.
Getting Your Tenses Right
Think carefully about when things happen in your message:
• Present states and feelings (Simple Present): Use this to talk about your daily life, likes, and feelings.
Example: I love my new school. My teacher is very kind.
• Things happening right now (Present Continuous):
Example: I am sitting in my bedroom and writing to you.
• Past events and memories (Simple Past): Use this when telling a story about yesterday, last weekend, or your last holiday.
Example: Last Sunday, I visited the museum and bought a toy robot.
• Future plans and wishes (Future with 'will' or 'be going to'):
Example: We are going to watch a film tomorrow. I hope you will come next time!
Friendly Words to Show Care and Concern
When writing to friends, we often want to ask how they feel or give them good wishes:
• Asking with care: Are you feeling better? / What's wrong?
• Giving comfort: Take care! / Get well soon!
• Holiday wishes: Happy New Year! / Merry Christmas!
Key Takeaway: Match your verb tense to your time word (e.g., yesterday \(\rightarrow\) past tense; tomorrow \(\rightarrow\) future tense) and link your thoughts with handy connectives!
Part 3: Model Examples
Model 1: A Friendly Letter (KS1 Level – about 30 words)
Imagine you are writing a short letter to your friend Susan to tell her about your new pet.
15th March 2026
Dear Susan,
How are you? I have a new pet cat. His name is Mimi. He is small and white. He likes sleeping on my bed.
Write soon.
Love,
Ken
Model 2: A Friendly Email (KS2 Level – about 80 words)
Imagine you are writing an email to your friend David to tell him about Sports Day at your school.
To: david@fastmail.com
Subject: Our exciting Sports Day!
Dear David,
How are you doing? I hope you are having a wonderful week.
Yesterday was our school Sports Day. It was sunny and warm. First, I ran in the 100-metre race. I tried my best and won a silver medal! After that, my classmates and I cheered loudly for our team. We were very happy because our yellow house won the champion cup.
What did you do yesterday? Please email me back soon.
Best wishes,
Leo
Part 4: Common Mistakes to Avoid
Watch out for these common traps when writing your letters and emails:
• Mistake 1: Forgetting commas in greetings and sign-offs
Incorrect: Dear Mary
Correct: Dear Mary, (Always put a comma after the person's name and after words like Love, or Yours,!)
• Mistake 2: Mixing up capital letters
Incorrect: dear peter, / how are you? / i hope you are well.
Correct: Dear Peter, / How are you? / I hope you are well. (Remember: names, the word 'I', and sentence beginnings always need capital letters!)
• Mistake 3: Forgetting the email Subject line
In an email, never leave the Subject blank. Write two to four words so your friend knows what your email is about before opening it.
• Mistake 4: Writing one huge giant block
Always separate your work into neat parts! Keep your greeting, opening, main body, closing, and your own name on separate lines. In KS2, use clear paragraphs to organise your ideas.
Part 5: Quick Review and Checklist
Before you hand in your letter or send your email, be your own detective! Go through this handy checklist:
1. Layout: Did I include a date (for a letter) or a Subject line (for an email)?
2. Greeting: Did I start with Dear [Name], and use a capital letter and a comma?
3. Opening: Did I ask a friendly question or state why I am writing?
4. Body: Did I share my news or ideas clearly using the right tenses (past, present, or future)?
5. Punctuation: Did every sentence begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop, question mark, or exclamation mark?
6. Closing: Did I end with a friendly sign-off (like Best wishes, or Love,) followed by a comma, and my name?
Well done! You now know everything you need to write brilliant personal letters and emails. Grab a piece of paper or open up a computer, and write to a friend today!