1234 Main Street, New Delhi
India
Email: [Your Email]
Phone: [Your Phone Number]
November 10, 2023Embassy of Italy
New Delhi
IndiaSubject: Application for Schengen Tourist Visa – Amina Patel, Passport No: YZ123456Dear Visa Officer,
I am writing to respectfully submit my application for a Schengen tourist visa for my planned visit to Italy, which is scheduled from February 1 to February 16, 2024. My intention is to experience Italy’s renowned cultural heritage, stunning landscapes, and culinary delights.
The primary objective of my journey is tourism and leisure. I am eager to delve into the local culture, sample authentic cuisine, and visit illustrious sites, including the Colosseum in Rome. As an avid admirer of European history and architecture, this trip represents a long-awaited dream.
I am currently employed as a Marketing Executive at ABC Corporation in New Delhi, a position I have held since January 15, 2020. Enclosed is a letter from my employer, verifying my employment, the approval of my leave for this period, and my commitment to return to my position following my vacation.
Please find attached the necessary documents to support my visa application:
● A duly completed and signed Schengen visa application form, along with passport-sized photographs.
● My valid passport, which includes my travel history.
● Comprehensive travel insurance with a minimum coverage of €30,000.
● Round-trip flight reservations: Tokyo to Rome and return (February 1-16, 2024) via Japan Airlines.
● Confirmed hotel bookings for the duration of my stay in Italy.
● Employment and leave certificates from ABC Corporation.
● Financial documents demonstrating my economic stability, including Income Tax Returns, recent payslips, and bank statements.
Planned Itinerary:
● [February 1, 2024]: Departure from New Delhi to Rome.
● [February 2-4, 2024]: Exploring Rome.
● [February 5-8, 2024]: Travel to and stay in Venice.
● [February 9-12, 2024]: Visit Florence and Tuscany region.
● [February 13-15, 2024]: Return to Rome; final exploration and shopping.
● [February 16, 2024]: Departure from Rome to New Delhi.
I am genuinely excited about this trip and have taken through steps to ensure a well-organized and hassle-free journey. Should you require any additional information or clarification, please do not hesitate to contact me.
I appreciate your consideration of my visa application and look forward to a positive response.
Sincerely,
Amina Patel
[Address in India]
[Contact Information]
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By: Alex Case | Category: English Language Examinations | Topic: IELTS
Last Updated: 13th Sep. 2024
Tips and useful phrases for starting, ending, and writing the body of polite letters in IELTS General Writing Task 1
This article gives tips on how to write suitably formal and polite letters to impress the examiner in IELTS General Writing Task 1, with advice on starting, ending and the body of answers to tasks like this:
“You recently attended an international conference in a hotel abroad. When you returned home, you realised that you had lost your workplace security badge at the hotel.
Write a letter to the manager of the hotel. In your letter
Write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Sir or Madam,”
For information on formal letters more generally, see Formal Letter Format: How to Write a Formal Letter - UsingEnglish.com and for teaching materials on IELTS letters, see Teaching IELTS Writing: Interactive Classroom Activities (2nd Edition) - UsingEnglish.com
Before you start writing, you need to make sure that a formal letter is needed. This is easy with tasks like the one above which tell you to use “Dear Sir or Madam,”, as this opening greeting is always followed by a formal letter. There is also one official task that tells you to start with a specific title plus family name (e.g. “Dear Ms Jackson,”) and so clearly must be formal.
Tasks which tell you to use “Dear…,” (with the dot dot dot) are usually letters to people you know such as friends and so should be informal. However, there have been a few official practice exams in which you are told to use “Dear…,” but the letter should probably be formal such as a job application. There are also situations where different levels of formality are possible and so a formal letter is one possibility, such as writing to a boss and writing a job application to someone who you have met.
If you are told to start with “Dear…,” and decide that a formal letter is most suitable, that must always be “Dear + title + family name,”, as in:
Note that “Dear…,” and “Dear Sir or Madam,” are always given with a comma at the end, so this should always be used in your letter.
Although in real life we sometimes use “Dear + full name,”, for example if we don’t know someone’s preferred title, this should be avoided in formal IELTS letters as it looks slightly less formal and doesn’t show that you know how to use titles. Opening greetings without names like “Dear manager,” are not standard in English and so should be avoided.
Before moving onto the body of the letter and dealing with the points given in the three bullet points in the task, you also need an opening line. In formal letters, the most common suitable opening line is one giving the topic of the letter, as in:
Note that contractions such as “I’m writing…” are more informal and so should be avoided throughout formal IELTS letters.
Although we sometimes do so in real formal letters, there is never any need to start formal IELTS letters with small talk-like phrases such as “I hope this letter finds you well”. However, it is sometimes nice to start with mentioning the last contact with that person, as in “It was a pleasure to meet you…” and “Thank you for… yesterday”.
Between the opening greeting and opening line and then between each subsequent part of the letter, you should leave a blank line or an indent of a few spaces. An indent is more traditional in letters but a blank line is modern style and leaves more room for editing, so both options have advantages.
Formal phrases to start body paragraphs include:
These medium-formality opening paragraph phrases are also suitable for formal letters:
In IELTS formal letter body paragraphs, the most common functions in the official practice tests are (in order):
Polite versions of these functions also often show good general tactics for being polite/ formal. For example, when giving negative feedback/ complaining, you should use the useful tactic of being indirect, as in:
We can also make opinions language more polite by being indirect, as in:
However, with opinions it is also okay to be more direct, as long as you use suitably formal language like:
Apologies and giving bad news are good examples of being more formal by using longer single words and language that is unlike normal speech (not idioms made of short words like “let you know”), as in:
Thanking also is more polite with longer words, as in the formal example phrases:
These phrases are also formal enough for thanking in formal letters:
With requests, you have to be even more careful than usual not to use language for commands/ instructions/ demands when you just want to ask for help (so not “Please send me…”, not “Would you please…?”, etc). Suitably polite request phrases include:
Formal phrases for giving advice include:
These suggestions phrases are also suitable in formal situations:
You don’t have to be so careful when doing positive things like giving positive feedback and complimenting, but these formal phrases are good ways of showing your range of language:
Positive sentences related to invitations and arrangements can also be quite neutral and direct, but particularly polite forms including:
As with informal letters, each body paragraph needs at least two sentences, including adding additional information to the topic of each. This most commonly means giving reasons such as explaining cause and effect, for which formal phrases include:
These medium-formality phrases are also useful in formal letters:
More general formal adding further information phrases include:
After three body paragraphs of at least two sentences each, you will need three ending parts to finish your letter:
Formal closing lines include:
The closing greeting “Yours faithfully,” is only used to end letters that start without their name, in other words letters starting with “Dear Sir or Madam,”. In contrast, “Yours sincerely,” is only used after “Dear title + family name,”. If you get confused, “Sincerely yours,” and “Best regards,” are less impressive but match both situations and so are safer choices.
The most formal way of putting your name at the end are (with most formal top):
We don’t put our title before our own name, so not “Mr Alex Case” X.
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General purpose cover letter example Use this sample general cover letter as inspiration to help you compose your own: Jane Chi 705 Oleander Ct. Portland, OR 97216 555-807-5165 [email protected] June 1, 2019 Michael Cortez Talent Acquisition TopTier Data Analysts, Inc. 9307 Washington Blvd. Seattle, WA 98109 Dear Mr. Cortez, I am a hard-working and determined professional seeking an ...
Here's how to address your cover letter: List the hiring manager's contact information at the top - Include the company's address as well as the hiring manager's phone number and email. Address the hiring manager by name - Even if you don't have time to fully customize every cover letter you send out, at least make sure to address ...
Here are the basics on how to write a general cover letter for multiple jobs: Use a template provided above and adjust it. Start with "Dear" and the name of the hiring manager ("Dear Hiring Manager" is a last resort.) Use the company's name throughout your cover letter to make it non-generic.
When You're Attending a Job Fair #3. When You're Applying Through a Referral General Cover Letter Text Template Steps to Writing a General Cover Letter #1. Add Contact Information #2. Address the Hiring Manager #3. Start with a Strong Opening #4. Use the Body for Details #5.
Here are some tips to keep in mind when crafting a master cover letter: 1. Minimize Work By Keeping Most of the Wording. The best thing about having a general cover letter is that you can keep almost 90% of the wording the same, and still create a personalized cover letter.
A resume is just another sheet of paper without a cover letter to show your human side. Use these 3 generic cover letter samples to write your own non-general cover letter fast. 1. Generic Cover Letter Examples. 2. Use General Cover Letter Templates—But Don't Submit One. 3. Create and Use a Master Cover Letter.
Here's an example of a generic cover letter for an internship placement. Dear hiring manager, I am thrilled to submit my application for the internship scheme at your company. As a current student at New York University, I am keen to bring my work ethic and enthusiasm for learning to your workplace.
Follow these steps for how to create a generic cover letter: 1. Understand what a generic or general-purpose cover letter is. Generic or general-purpose letters allow you to discuss your qualifications without focus on a specific role. The purpose of a cover letter is to highlight your most impressive qualifications that are relevant to various ...
How to Use a Free Cover Letter Template. To use one of our professionally-designed cover letter templates, simply: Select the template you like and click on "View Template."; Download it as a Word Doc or Google Doc, and select the option of your choice under "How to download this template" (If you want to use a Google Doc, make sure to select the color option you want before making a ...
A cover letter should include the following parts: Header. Salutation. Introduction. Body paragraph. Closing paragraph. Letter ending and signature. The following cover letter samples and examples will show you how to write a cover letter for many employment circumstances. Browse cover letters by job title for inspiration.
1. Letter header. In every generic cover letter for a job application, you will need to provide the details listed below: Date written. Your info (full name, phone number, email, and address) Recipient's info (full name and job title) Company name and physical address. 2.
Generic cover letter template - Human resources coordinator Dear [Hiring Manager], I'm excited to apply for the Human Resources Coordinator position at [Company]. With my strong organizational skills and experience in HR administration, I'm confident in my ability to provide valuable support to your team and contribute to the success of your ...
60+ Cover Letter Examples in 2024 [For All Professions] Top ↑ 21 Cover Letter Examples #1. Career Change Cover Letter Example #2. Recent Graduate Cover Letter Example #3. Middle Management Cover Letter Example #4. Business Manager Cover Letter Example #5. Ph.D. Cover Letter Example #6. Senior Executive Cover Letter Example #7.
When editing your general cover letter, you should change the salutation to address the hiring manager by name (e.g., "Dear Ms. or Dear Mr. Smith"). 2. The date on the letter. Make sure the date on your cover letter is current. 3. The name of the company you're applying to.
Middle paragraph (s) Closing paragraph. Letter ending and signature. Your cover letter should be one page long and use a simple, professional font, such as Arial or Helvetica, 10 to 12 points in size. Your letter should be left-aligned with single spacing and one-inch margins. Show Transcript.
General full text-only cover letter example. Adaptable full general cover letter example. Dear Mr. North, My experience of managing teams through change has taught me that if you put people first, everything else will fall into place. I led a team through a turbulent 18 months of downsizing at Labsworth, while a blistering period of growth at ...
General Cover Letter (Text Version) Adam Applicant 123 Main Street Anytown, CA 12345 555-555-5555 [email protected]. July 14, 2020. Beauford Lee Head of Academic Affairs Business City College 123 Business Rd. Business City, NY 54321. Dear Mr. Lee:
1. General cover letter example. This general cover letter was written by a candidate with two years of work experience. In the example, the candidate is applying for a mid-level digital marketing position. In the first paragraph, the applicant: used the hiring manager's name (showing that effort was put into locating it)
The purpose of the intro is to explain who you are, how you've got to know about the job opportunity, and what makes you qualified. Keep it short and sweet up to 2-3 sentences max. You generic cover letter can go like this: My name is Joan Smith and I'd like to get considered for the [position name] at [company name].
Whatever you decide to open with, make it memorable. 2. A clear pitch. Use the next few paragraphs of your cover letter to "hit them with the strongest results you have that are aligned with the opportunity," Godfred says. Ryan Kahn, Muse career coach and founder of The Hired Group, calls this your pitch.
Good example of a generic cover letter. Date. Dear Sir or Madam. I am a hard-working and determined professional seeking an opportunity to succeed in a dynamic company such as yours. I am confident that my knowledge, ability and experience allow me to deliver successful results for any company in a range of administrative positions.
3. Open with a salutation. Next, greet the reader of your cover letter. If you're unsure who to address the cover letter to or want to make it as generalised as possible, you can use the greeting 'to whom it may concern.'. Ideally, you want to find the name of the recruiter to address them specifically.
Avoid copying and pasting these as your own because no two careers are alike, and your cover letter needs to be properly targeted to the job you want. But you can absolutely use them as inspiration for writing your own short cover letter. Entry-level short cover letter sample. First & Last Name. Bennington, NE 68007 | (123) 456-7890 | email ...
General Cover Letter That's Not Generic: Free Samples (2024) A resume is just another sheet of paper without a cover letter to show your human side. Use these 3 generic cover letter samples to write your own non-general cover letter fast. Tom Gerencer. Career Expert. 06/12/2024
Template 1: General Substitute Teacher Cover Letter with No Experience. Dear [Principal's Name], I am writing to apply for the position of substitute teacher at [School Name]. While I may not have formal teaching experience, I bring a diverse set of skills from my background in [related field]. I am highly organized, possess excellent ...
Amina Patel 1234 Main Street, New Delhi India Email: [Your Email] Phone: [Your Phone Number] November 10, 2023Embassy of Italy New Delhi IndiaSubject: Application for Schengen Tourist Visa - Amina Patel, Passport No: YZ123456Dear Visa Officer,. I am writing to respectfully submit my application for a Schengen tourist visa for my planned visit to Italy, which is scheduled from February 1 to ...
Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses. Begin your letter as follows: Dear Sir or Madam," For information on formal letters more generally, see Formal Letter Format: How to Write a Formal Letter - UsingEnglish.com and for teaching materials on IELTS letters, see Teaching IELTS Writing: Interactive Classroom Activities (2nd Edition) - UsingEnglish.com