TIp # 19 Writing Task 1 (General Module) Assessing the foRmality of the Task

 When you first receive your email task, the first thing you should do is assess the formality of the task because you will lose marks if your tone does not fit the audience. Here is a guideline

Assessing Formality on a 1-5 scale
🔎 Familiarity        1   2   3   4  5
☐ Stranger/official → Formal
☐ Friend/family → Informal
🔎 Status Relationship    1   2   3   4   5
☐ Higher status (boss, official) → Formal
☐ Equal/lower status → Informal
🔎 Power Dynamic   1   2   3   4   5
☐ You need them (complaint/request) → Formal
☐ They need you (invitation) → Less formal

Take the following task as an example:

Model Formal Letter (158 words)
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The company you work for is planning to provide special training for staff. You previously booked a room with a colleague but the booking has reserved a single room instead of the twin-bed room.

Write to a hotel manager about a booking issue.

• Give some details about error made
  
• Describe what bed you have requested and give specifics about how and when the booking was made
  
• Give specifics about when you need this rectified
  

Write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Sir or Madam

Here we can see that the familiarity between you and the hotel manger is likely very low which gives you a 5/5 on the formality tone scale
Your power is high because you are a customer and it is hotel that made the mistake. This will give you a 2/5
Your status is likely quite high because it is a manger of a hotel not your manager so it may be 4/5
Your formality is 11/15 or just over 70% so you would call this medium formality