Write an Email — reader, purpose, register · Rédiger un courriel — lecteur, objectif, registre
A replacement room must meet the workshop’s needs
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A booking office can act on a clear request for tables and step-free access. It cannot infer those requirements from “we have a problem”.
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Decide two things before you type: who you are writing to and · et what you want to happen. Keep the message focused on the situation. Length alone cannot make a request clear.
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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. · Un courriel qui répond à seulement l'une des deux demandes de la situation n'a pas pleinement atteint son objectif.
Clear sentences cannot supply a missing request. Check the scenario for every action it requires. · Des phrases claires ne peuvent pas combler une demande manquante. Vérifiez dans la consigne chaque action requise.
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? · Que doit contenir la première phrase du courriel ?
A reader who knows the purpose reads everything after it correctly. Background before purpose makes them guess. · Un lecteur qui connaît l'objectif comprend tout ce qui suit correctement. Placer le contexte avant l'objectif force le lecteur à deviner.
Match the reader
- To a tutor or an office: polite, with a clear request. Indirect forms are options: I was wondering whether, would it be possible to, I would be grateful if.
- To a classmate: direct and warm. Dear Sir or Madam is impersonal for a named classmate; it is a mismatch of reader and tone, not an ungrammatical salutation. 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? · La situation nomme votre camarade Sara. Comment devrait commencer le courriel ?
You were given her name and she is a peer. 'Hi Sara' matches that reader; a generic formal salutation does not. · Vous avez reçu son nom et c'est un pair. 'Hi Sara' correspond à ce lecteur ; une formule de politesse générique ne convient pas.
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? · Vous ne pouvez pas rejoindre le projet d'un camarade. Quelle réponse est la plus claire en anglais ?
If you already know you cannot join, a vague maybe leaves your classmate unable to plan. Decline clearly, give a reason and stay warm. · Si vous savez déjà que vous ne pouvez pas vous joindre, un 'peut-être' vague empêche votre camarade de planifier. Refusez clairement, donnez une raison et restez bienveillant.
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? · Dans le modèle de l'atelier, pourquoi Lin mentionne-t-il douze participants et l'accès sans obstacle ?
A replacement must hold the group and be accessible. Those details let the reader act on the request. · Un remplacement doit accueillir le groupe et être accessible. Ces détails permettent au lecteur d'agir sur la demande.
An actionable request includes the missing constraint
- The booking-office email already asks for tables, step-free access and confirmation by Thursday. If the office offers a room upstairs with no lift, that offer does not meet the access requirement.
- A useful follow-up says: “Thank you. We need step-free access because one participant cannot use stairs. Is a suitable ground-floor room available?” It names the unmet need without repeating the entire first email.
- Politeness does not require hiding a definite requirement behind maybe. A direct constraint and a courteous request can appear together.
- Give purpose, necessary details and the requested action; check the message from the reader’s position.
- Try the transfer checks below before returning to the explanation. These are original self-checks, with no official score conversion.
Match the three distinctions from the worked case.
A useful follow-up says: “Thank you. We need step-free access because one participant cannot use stairs. Is a suitable ground-floor room available?” It names the unmet need without repeating the entire first email.
The office offers an inaccessible room. What should the follow-up clarify?
The booking-office email already asks for tables, step-free access and confirmation by Thursday. If the office offers a room upstairs with no lift, that offer does not meet the access requirement. A useful follow-up says: “Thank you. We need step-free access because one participant cannot use stairs. Is a suitable ground-floor room available?” It names the unmet need without repeating the entire first email.
Complete the worked-case label: Tables → ____. Use the phrase in the diagram.
Give purpose, necessary details and the requested action; check the message from the reader’s position.