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A MaargX UPSC Complete Grammar Guide | Rules, Examples & Practice Questions
Letter writing is a structured form of written communication in which a sender conveys a message to one or more recipients using a formally organised layout. As a section of English language assessment, it evaluates a candidate's reading comprehension (to interpret the prompt or situation given), vocabulary, grammatical accuracy, coherence, and ability to calibrate tone and register to context. Unlike free composition, letter writing tests whether a candidate can operate within a defined communicative situation — choosing the right format, opening, body structure, and closing for the specific type of letter demanded.
📄 Download PDFLetter writing is a structured form of written communication in which a sender conveys a message to one or more recipients using a formally organised layout. As a section of English language assessment, it evaluates a candidate's reading comprehension (to interpret the prompt or situation given), vocabulary, grammatical accuracy, coherence, and ability to calibrate tone and register to context. Unlike free composition, letter writing tests whether a candidate can operate within a defined communicative situation — choosing the right format, opening, body structure, and closing for the specific type of letter demanded.
Letters fall into two broad categories, each subdivided further:
| Subtype | Description |
|---|---|
| Official / Government Letters | Addressed to public officials, departments, or government bodies to make a request, lodge a complaint, or seek information. |
| Business Letters | Correspondence between companies or individuals in a commercial context — placing orders, making enquiries, offering appointments, etc. |
| Letters to the Editor | Written to a newspaper or magazine, expressing opinion on a public matter, seeking awareness, or proposing action. Published in a journalistic forum. |
| Job Application / Cover Letters | Formal letters accompanying a résumé, written to a prospective employer expressing interest in a vacancy and highlighting qualifications. |
| Letters of Complaint | Written to bring an issue to official attention and demand redress — to a service provider, authority, or institution. |
| Letters of Enquiry / Request | Written to seek specific information, clarification, or permission from an authority or organisation. |
| Subtype | Description |
|---|---|
| Personal / Friendly Letters | Written to friends or acquaintances sharing personal news, anecdotes, or experiences. |
| Letters to Family Members | Written to parents, siblings, relatives — sharing updates, seeking guidance, expressing feelings. |
| Letters of Invitation | Inviting a friend or relative to an event, celebration, or occasion. |
| Letters of Congratulation / Condolence | Expressing joy at an achievement or sympathy at a loss in a warm, personal tone. |
Every formal letter must include ALL of the following components in order:
| Step | Component | Function |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sender's Address | Full postal address of the writer (no name). Top-left justified. |
| 2 | Date | Written below the sender's address. Format: DD Month YYYY (e.g., 15 May 2026). |
| 3 | Receiver's Address / Designation | The name, designation, and address of the recipient. Left-aligned. |
| 4 | Subject Line | A brief, specific statement of the letter's purpose. Always bold. Begins: Subject: |
| 5 | Salutation | Formal greeting — 'Dear Sir/Madam,' or 'Respected Sir/Madam,' |
| 6 | Body — Paragraph 1 (Introduction) | State the purpose of the letter clearly. Reference any prior communication if relevant. |
| 7 | Body — Paragraph 2 (Main Content) | Elaborate the issue, request, or information with supporting details. |
| 8 | Body — Paragraph 3 (Conclusion) | State the expected action, thank the recipient, or express hope for a reply. |
| 9 | Complimentary Close | 'Yours faithfully,' (when salutation is Sir/Madam) or 'Yours sincerely,' (when name is used). |
| 10 | Signature & Name | Handwritten signature followed by the printed name of the sender. |
| Step | Component | Function |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sender's Address | Top-right or top-left. Only sender's address; no receiver's address needed. |
| 2 | Date | Below the address. May use short form: 15th May, 2026. |
| 3 | Salutation | Warm greeting — 'Dear Riya,' / 'My dear brother,' / 'Dearest Ananya,' |
| 4 | Opening Line | An engaging, personal opening — referring to the last letter received or a recent event. |
| 5 | Body | Conversational, personal content. Multiple paragraphs acceptable. |
| 6 | Closing Line | A warm wrap-up: 'Write back soon,' / 'Looking forward to your reply,' |
| 7 | Complimentary Close | 'Yours affectionately,' / 'With love,' / 'Your friend,' |
| 8 | Signature | First name or nickname only. No designation needed. |
| Feature | Formal Letter | Informal Letter |
|---|---|---|
| Tone | Impersonal, professional, restrained | Personal, warm, conversational |
| Salutation | 'Dear Sir/Madam,' / 'Respected Sir,' | 'Dear [Name],' / 'My dear friend,' |
| Language | Formal vocabulary, no contractions | Everyday vocabulary, contractions allowed |
| Closing | 'Yours faithfully,' / 'Yours sincerely,' | 'Yours affectionately,' / 'With love,' |
| Receiver's address | Mandatory | Not required |
| Subject line | Mandatory | Not required |
| First-person emotion | Avoided; use passive/impersonal constructions | Freely used |
| Paragraphing | Strictly 3 paragraphs (intro/body/close) | Flexible, multi-paragraph acceptable |
| Signature | Full name + designation | First name or nickname only |
Remember: FAITH goes with STRANGERS. When you don't know the person's name (Sir/Madam), use 'Yours faithfully'. When you know their name (Mr./Ms. Sharma), use 'Yours sincerely' — because sincerity implies a personal connection.
Sender's address → Address of recipient → Subject → Salutation → Body → Complimentary Close + signature. Mnemonic: 'Some Address Some Body Closes Completely.'
Every complaint letter must have: Clear grievance + Concrete evidence (dates, amounts, frequency) + Courteous demand. Miss any C and the letter is incomplete.
Family — Occupation — Recreation — Dreams. Start your informal letter by touching on one of these to create a warm, personal opening that avoids the cliché 'I hope you are fine.'
RULE 1: Use 'Yours faithfully' when the salutation is 'Dear Sir/Madam'. Use 'Yours sincerely' only when the recipient's name is used in the salutation.
Ex. 1 Salutation: 'Dear Sir,' → Closing: 'Yours faithfully,' ✓
Ex. 2 Salutation: 'Dear Mr. Sharma,' → Closing: 'Yours sincerely,' ✓
Ex. 3 Salutation: 'Dear Sir,' + 'Yours sincerely,' → WRONG — mismatch of register.
RULE 2: The Subject line in a formal letter must be specific, concise, and directly state the purpose. It is NOT a sentence — do not use a verb.
Ex. 1 Subject: Application for the Post of Junior Accountant ✓
Ex. 2 Subject: Complaint Regarding Irregular Water Supply in Sector 7 ✓
Ex. 3 Subject: I am writing to complain about the noise. ✗ (Full sentence — incorrect format)
RULE 3: Formal letters must use passive constructions and impersonal language. Avoid first-person emotional expressions.
Ex. 1 'It is brought to your kind notice that...' — correct formal opener ✓
Ex. 2 'I am aggrieved to inform you...' — borderline acceptable; 'aggrieved' is too informal ✗
Ex. 3 'I would like to draw your attention to the deficiency in...' ✓
RULE 4: Never include the sender's name in the sender's address block of a formal letter. The name appears only in the signature line.
Ex. 1 Address block: '14-B, Shastri Nagar, Jaipur — 302016' ✓
Ex. 2 Address block: 'Ramesh Kumar, 14-B, Shastri Nagar, Jaipur' ✗ (Name in address — incorrect)
Ex. 3 Signature section: 'Yours faithfully, [Signature] Ramesh Kumar' ✓
RULE 5: The body of a formal letter must be divided into at least three distinct paragraphs: introduction, elaboration, and conclusion/call to action.
Ex. 1 Para 1: 'I am writing to draw your attention to the deplorable condition of...'
Ex. 2 Para 2: 'The road has been riddled with potholes for the past six months, causing...'
Ex. 3 Para 3: 'I, therefore, request you to take immediate remedial action in this regard.'
RULE 6: Date format in formal letters: write the date in full — DD Month YYYY. Abbreviations (Jan, Feb) and numeric formats (15/05/2026) are not acceptable in formal correspondence.
Ex. 1 15 May 2026 ✓
Ex. 2 15th May, 2026 ✓ (acceptable variant)
Ex. 3 15/05/26 ✗ — numeric shorthand is informal and imprecise
RULE 7: In a letter to the editor, never address the editor by name. The salutation is always 'Dear Sir/Madam,' and the writer signs off with a designation or 'A Concerned Citizen'.
Ex. 1 Salutation: 'Dear Sir/Madam,' ✓
Ex. 2 Closing: 'Yours faithfully, Priya Mehta, A Concerned Resident, Mumbai' ✓
Ex. 3 Salutation: 'Dear Editor Suresh,' ✗ — personal address is not standard for editor letters
RULE 8: Informal letters use warm, personal salutations with the recipient's first name followed by a comma. Titles (Mr., Mrs.) are not used for close friends or family.
Ex. 1 'Dear Priya,' ✓ — correct informal salutation
Ex. 2 'Dear Mrs. Priya Sharma,' ✗ — over-formal for a personal letter to a friend
Ex. 3 'My dear brother,' ✓ — affectionate informal salutation for family
RULE 9: Job application letters must mention the source of the vacancy advertisement in the opening paragraph, and match qualifications to the job description in the body.
Ex. 1 'I am writing in response to your advertisement published in The Hindu dated 10 May 2026...' ✓
Ex. 2 'I wish to apply for the post of...' (without referencing source) — incomplete ✗
Ex. 3 'As advertised in your company's portal on 8 May 2026, I would like to apply for...' ✓
RULE 10: Complaint letters must state the specific grievance, provide concrete evidence or dates, and end with a clear, polite demand for action — not mere expression of dissatisfaction.
Ex. 1 'The electricity supply has been disrupted every evening from 5 PM to 9 PM since 1 May 2026.' ✓ (specific evidence)
Ex. 2 'The service is very bad and I am very unhappy.' ✗ — vague, lacks evidence
Ex. 3 'I, therefore, request you to restore regular power supply within 48 hours.' ✓ (clear demand)
RULE 11: Never use contractions (don't, can't, I'm, we've) in formal letters. Contractions signal informality and are grammatically inappropriate in official correspondence.
Ex. 1 'I do not wish to...' ✓ — full form required
Ex. 2 'I don't wish to...' ✗ — contraction unsuitable in formal register
Ex. 3 'We are unable to process...' ✓ vs. 'We can't process...' ✗
RULE 12: Enclosures or attachments referenced in the letter must be listed at the bottom, below the signature, using the label 'Encl:' or 'Enclosures:'.
Ex. 1 Encl: 1. Résumé 2. Copy of Certificates 3. Passport-size Photograph ✓
Ex. 2 Mentioning documents in the body without listing at end — incomplete ✗
Ex. 3 Enclosures: (i) Demand Draft No. 123456 (ii) Identity Proof ✓
RULE 13: The tone of a letter must remain consistent throughout. Mixing formal and informal register within a single letter is a critical error.
Ex. 1 Formal body ending with: '...looking forward to hearing from you soon, buddy.' ✗ — register collapse
Ex. 2 Consistent formal: '...I await your earliest response in this matter.' ✓
Ex. 3 Consistent informal: '...Can't wait to hear from you! Write back soon.' ✓
RULE 14: Every formal letter body paragraph must begin with a clear topic sentence that states the paragraph's purpose without ambiguity.
Ex. 1 'I wish to bring to your notice a serious deficiency in the civic amenities of our locality.' ✓
Ex. 2 'There are many problems in our area.' ✗ — vague, no clear purpose stated
Ex. 3 'I am writing to request an extension of the submission deadline for...' ✓
RULE 15: In informal letters, the opening paragraph must acknowledge the last received letter OR directly establish the context for writing.
Ex. 1 'I was delighted to receive your letter last week and...' ✓
Ex. 2 'How are you? I hope you are fine.' ✗ — clichéd, avoids establishing context
Ex. 3 'It has been two months since we last spoke, and I thought it was high time I wrote to tell you about...' ✓
| ✗ INCORRECT | ✓ CORRECT |
|---|---|
| Yours Faithfully, (capital F — wrong) | Yours faithfully, (small f — correct) |
| Dear Sir/Madam (no comma) | Dear Sir/Madam, (comma required) |
| Name included in sender's address block | Only address; name only in signature |
| Subject: I am writing to complain about noise. | Subject: Complaint Regarding Excessive Noise Pollution |
| Using don't, can't, isn't in formal body | Using do not, cannot, is not |
| Yours sincerely, after 'Dear Sir/Madam,' | Yours faithfully, after 'Dear Sir/Madam,' |
| 15/05/2026 as date in formal letter | 15 May 2026 |
| Ending formal letter with 'Take care!' | Ending with 'Yours faithfully,' or 'Yours sincerely,' |
| Writing body as one long paragraph | Dividing body into intro, detail, and conclusion paragraphs |
| Addressing editor by name: 'Dear Mr. Joshi,' | Using 'Dear Sir/Madam,' for letters to the editor |
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