Informal Letter: Definition, Format, & Examples

An informal letter is a personal letter that is written to friends, family, or other close acquaintances. It is typically written in a casual and friendly tone and does not follow any specific format. However, there are some basic parts that all informal letters should include.

And those parts are listed in the next section of the blog.

Parts of an Informal Letter

The following are the basic parts of an informal letter:

• Sender’s address: This is the address of the person who is writing the letter. It is usually written in the top left corner of the page.
• Date: The date of the letter is written below the sender’s address.
• Recipient’s address: This is the address of the person who is receiving the letter. It is usually written in the top right corner of the page.
• Salutation: The salutation is the greeting that you use to address the recipient of the letter. It is usually followed by the recipient’s name.
• Body: The body of the letter is where you write the main content of your letter. This is where you can share news, ask questions, or just chat with the recipient.
• Closing: The closing is the farewell that you use to end your letter. It is usually followed by your signature.

How to Write an Informal Letter?

Here are some tips on how to write an informal letter:

• Use a casual and friendly tone. This is not a formal letter, so there is no need to use formal language or grammar.
• Start by introducing yourself and saying hello.
• Share some news or updates about your life.
• Ask the recipient about their life.
• End the letter with a friendly closing and your signature.

Samples of Informal letter questions asked in the IELTS General exam are:

Structural Breakdown of an Informal Letter

The proper format for writing an informal letter is given below:

Informal Letter Format

Salutation

The letter’s opening salutation should begin with ‘dear, Hi, Hey, etc’ and use the first name of the receiver.

For example:

Dear Jasmeet

Or

Hi Jasmeet

Body Paragraph 1

This is also known as the opening paragraph. It includes the purpose of the letter and what you are going to discuss in the letter. You can paraphrase the question and begin the letter with expressions like ‘How are you?’, ‘I hope you are in good health,’ etc.

Body Paragraph 2

This paragraph includes the supporting details covering all the bullet points mentioned below the question. Close the paragraph with 1 or 2 concluding lines.

The complementary closure

This closure is not mandatory, but you can include a few words or a single line. It can help you enhance your test scores. For example: Looking forward to hearing from you

Closing Salutation

The closing salutation of the informal letter includes your best wishes and your name along with it. For example: Warm Regards

A Brief Explanation of the Structure of the Informal Letter

The tone of the letter

The tone of the informal letter should be friendly. But it does not mean you can use abbreviations and acronyms like ‘bcz,’ ‘LOL,’ ‘IDK,’ ‘luv,’ ‘ASAP,’ etc. But in order to show the examiner that you are aware of writing informal letters, you can use contractions like ‘I’m,” I’d,” she’s/he’s’ etc.

Check more samples: IELTS Informal Letters

Context and the types of letters or essays and so forth and so on are very important to know and to practice all such formats and patterns. Here we have our IELTS online classes just for you.

Also, check :

• Formal
• Semi Formal
• Informal

Here are the 10 examples for the IELTS General Writing Task 1 Sample Informal Letters:

• Example 1
• Example 2
• Example 3
• Example 4
• Example 5
• Example 6
• Example 7
• Example 8
• Example 9
• Example 10