Letter Writing Informal Letter | Format And Easy Steps

Letter writing may feel old-fashioned beside chats and emails, yet a thoughtful informal letter still feels personal and memorable. Students meet this skill in exams, and many people use it to keep in touch with friends or relatives who live far away. Learning the format once makes every future letter quicker and less stressful.

Teachers often write “letter writing informal letter” on the board in exam classes, which can sound vague until you break it into simple stages. This guide walks through those stages, from layout to language, so you can write with confidence whether you are sitting a test or writing to a friend.

What Is An Informal Letter?

An informal letter is a personal message to someone you know well, such as a friend, cousin, sibling, or close neighbour. The purpose can be anything: sharing news, saying thanks, apologising, inviting someone to an event, or just keeping in touch.

The tone stays relaxed and conversational. You can use contractions such as “I’m”, “you’re”, and “we’ll”, and everyday expressions that match how people talk. At the same time, spelling, punctuation, and basic structure still matter, especially in exam tasks where markers look for clear organisation.

Unlike a formal letter, you do not need titles like “Sir” or “Madam”, long reference lines, or strict business phrases. You write to the person by name, show your personality, and still follow a tidy format so the letter is easy to follow.

Letter Writing Informal Letter Format For Students

Whether you write by hand or type, informal letter format follows a familiar pattern. Examiners for tests such as IELTS General Training and school board exams look for this pattern because it shows that you understand how letters work.

Basic Layout Of An Informal Letter

The table below shows the main parts of a typical informal letter and what each part does.

Part Of Letter	Purpose	Example Line
Sender’s Address	Shows where you are writing from	24 Lake Road, Dhaka
Date	Records when you wrote the letter	11 December 2025
Greeting / Salutation	Opens the letter in a friendly way	Dear Ayesha,
Opening Line	Sets the reason or mood at the start	Thanks for your last letter. It made my day.
Body Paragraphs	Share news, details, and main message	I’ve just started college and the first week was busy.
Closing Line	Rounds off the message politely	Write back when you get a chance.
Sign-off And Name	Ends with a friendly closing and your name	Best wishes, Rahim
Postscript (P.S.)	Adds a short extra note if needed	P.S. Say hi to auntie for me.

Step By Step Informal Letter Layout

1. Write Your Address And Date

Put your address in the top right corner, each part on a separate line. On the next line, write the date in full, such as “11 December 2025”. In some school exams, you can skip the full address and write only town and date if the instructions allow that, but the date should always appear.

2. Add A Natural Greeting

Start on the left side with a greeting that matches your relationship with the reader. Common choices are “Dear Sam,” “Hi Anika,” or “My dear Grandma,”. Finish the line with a comma, then start the next line for your opening sentence.

3. Open With A Friendly Line

Your first sentence sets the tone and usually mentions why you are writing. You can thank the person for a letter, refer to shared news, or write a short question about their life. Keep it simple, warm, and clear.

4. Organise The Body Into Short Paragraphs

Group related points into separate paragraphs. One paragraph might describe new school life, another might answer the person’s questions, and another might tell them about an upcoming plan. Short paragraphs make the letter easy to read and help you avoid repeating the same point.

5. Close Politely And Sign

Near the end, write a sentence that invites a reply or sends good wishes. Then add a sign-off phrase such as “Best wishes,” “Lots of love,” or “Take care,” followed by your first name on the next line.

If your exam question says “letter writing informal letter about a trip”, read the task slowly and underline the reason for writing. That single line will guide the content of each paragraph so that you answer every part of the task.

Informal Letter Writing Examples And Tone

Tone means how your letter sounds when someone reads it. In informal letters, the tone is relaxed but still respectful. You write as you would speak to that person in real life, just with better spelling and punctuation than in a chat message.

Choosing The Right Greeting And Sign-Off

Your greeting and sign-off show how close you are to the reader. For close friends, “Hi Rafi,” or “Hey Sara,” feels natural. For older relatives, “Dear Uncle Imran,” or “My dear Nani,” may fit better. At the end, match the style: “Lots of love,” for family, “Best wishes,” or “Take care,” for friends and cousins.

Language Choices In Informal Letters

You can use contractions, idioms, and phrasal verbs, just as you do in conversation. Slang, emojis, and internet abbreviations such as “LOL” or “u” are risky in exams, because many markers treat them as incorrect language. Guides such as the British Council letter to a friend model show that natural language can still stay clear and tidy.

Try to sound like yourself on a good day: relaxed, polite, and specific. Instead of “Everything is fine,” share one or two small details, such as a new hobby, a short trip, or a funny moment from class. These details bring the letter to life and give your reader something to reply to.

Common Situations For Informal Letters

Informal letters appear both in daily life and in exams. Here are common reasons to write one, along with short content ideas:

• Thanking A Friend: Mention the gift or favour, say how it helped you, and share a short update linked to it.
• Inviting Someone: Explain what the event is, when and where it happens, and why you want them there.
• Sharing News: Tell them about a new school, job, city, or hobby. Include how you feel and what changes next.
• Apologising: Say what happened, accept your mistake, and suggest how you plan to fix or avoid it.
• Congratulating: Mention the achievement, say how pleased you are for them, and maybe plan how to celebrate.

Many exam boards use these situations in prompts. Resources such as the IELTS informal letter format guide show typical tasks where you write to a friend about travel, study plans, or shared experiences.

Sample Informal Letter You Can Adapt

Reading a full sample helps you see how all the parts fit together on one page. Here is a simple informal letter from one friend to another about starting at a new school.

24 Lake Road
Dhaka
11 December 2025

Dear Mina,

Thanks for your last letter. It was great to hear from you after such a long time.

You asked about my new school, so I’ll tell you a bit about it. The campus is bigger than my old one, and on the first day I kept walking into the wrong rooms. The teachers were kind about it and helped me reach the right classes.

My classmates seem friendly. A few of us eat lunch together under a big tree near the library. We chat about music, homework, and sometimes just laugh about silly things that happen in class.

I’ve also joined the English club. We meet twice a week to practise speaking and to write short stories. I think it will help with exam writing and it is a nice way to relax after lessons.

How are things on your side? Are you still learning guitar? If you keep practising, maybe you can play something for me when we meet in the holidays.

Write back when you can. I miss our walks home after school.

Best wishes,
Samir
  

This sample stays informal through the use of contractions, simple vocabulary, and natural expressions. Paragraphs stay short and each one follows a clear idea: school building, classmates, club, and then questions for the friend. You can adapt this pattern for nearly any topic by swapping in your own details.

When teachers set a “letter writing informal letter” task in class, practise by planning a short letter like the one above. Within a few attempts, the structure will feel familiar and planning time in exams will shrink.

Informal And Formal Letters Side By Side

Students sometimes mix informal and formal styles, which can confuse readers and lower marks. The table below shows how the two styles differ in greeting, tone, and closing.

Feature	Informal Letter	Formal Letter
Reader	Friend, relative, close contact	Teacher, manager, office, company
Greeting	Dear Rafi, / Hi Sara,	Dear Sir or Madam, / Dear Ms Rahman,
Tone	Relaxed, conversational	Neutral, polite, more formal vocabulary
Language	Contractions, everyday phrases	Full forms, no slang, more formal phrases
Sign-Off	Best wishes, / Lots of love,	Yours faithfully, / Yours sincerely,
Purpose	News, thanks, invitations, casual help	Complaints, requests, applications, formal replies

Before you start writing, ask one quick question: “Do I know this person well in real life?” If the answer is yes, an informal letter usually fits. If the reader is an office, organisation, or someone senior you do not know personally, then switch to a formal style instead.

Practical Writing Checklist For Informal Letters

A short checklist keeps your writing clear and exam ready. Before you hand in your script or send your letter, run through these points:

• Task: Have you answered every part of the question or purpose?
• Layout: Do you have address, date, greeting, body, closing line, and sign-off?
• Paragraphs: Does each paragraph deal with one main idea?
• Tone: Does the language match the relationship with the reader?
• Grammar And Spelling: Have you checked verbs, basic word order, and common spelling mistakes?
• Length: For exams, are you close to the required word range?

If you practise this checklist during homework, it will feel automatic during tests and timed tasks.

Final Thoughts On Informal Letter Writing

Informal letters link people through clear, friendly language. Once you know the format and tone, you can adapt it to school exams, language tests, and personal messages without starting from zero each time. With a little regular practice on real topics from your own life, this style of letter soon becomes one of the most comfortable forms of writing you use.