Letter Writing for SBI PO Descriptive Paper Introduction

The key to the success in the era of globalization is communication. And

correspondence (letters) is perhaps the most important component of
communication. Even in the age of modern technological innovations like email, internet and long distance connectivity, letters still carry the maximum
load of personal and business communication.

Whatever be the medium of carrying the message, the message has to be

properly written to convey the required meaning and complete sense. One
has liberty to write personal letters as one wants, but business or formal
letters have to follow some norms in order to make appropriate impact.
It is said that letter writing is nothing but an art. Even though letters have
transformed into e-mails and SMSs, the art still remains, only the medium
has changed. Letters can be broadly classified into formal letters and
informal letters.
Formal Letters : As the name suggests, formal letters include business letters, official letters,
applications, complaints, letter to editors, letters written to people whom we want to convey
certain important information.
Informal Letters : Informal letters include personal letters, letters that are written to our friends
and

family.

While formal letters follow certain format, one can be flexible while writing informal letters.
nonetheless, letter writing is a skill that needs to be honed over time with practice. It is a
pleasurable task once you know the basic rules. Letter writing almost embarks you on a journey
of words, be it hand-written or typed, this is one activity that helps you communicate so
beautifully.
There are several types of letters that are being asked for SBI PO Exam.

Those are :
o

Application and Appreciation

Enquirers and Requests

Complaint and Recommendation

Sales and Promotion

Welcome or Invitation Letters

Some times they will ask you to write a letter to your brother / friend by describing
something

There are two elements to a letter. Format and Body. The format refers to the style in which the
letter is written, and the body refers to the content of the letter.
Lesson 2 : Personal / Informal Letter Writing
o

Examples of Personal / Informal Letter Writing

Letter Writing Techniques for SBI PO Exams Personal Letters / Informal Letters
Personal Letters (or) Informal Letters : These are letters that do not have
many rules. Since you are writing to your friends and family, you are free to
choose your tone and content. Write your full name and address even if it is an
informal letter.
Divide your letter in small paragraphs. Keep your writing simple. Make a good
choice of words especially if you are writing an apology letter to express your
condolences in case of a death.
Date : The Date is placed in the top right end of the page.
Salutation : On the extreme left side of the page, a few spaces below the date.
It can be 'Dear Ram' or 'My Dear Mummy/Ma' (but not mother). You always
address your mother, father, brother by a name, not by relationship.
Body : Start a space or two below the salutation. Indent all the paragraphs.
Closing : Most people close the letter with phrases like 'Yours affectionately /
With love / All the best / Take care' etc. These words should be a few spaces

below the last line of the text, on the right side. (Now a days left side closing
has also become popular).
This is the basic structure of a letter. you can modify it according to the purpose
for which it is written and the person to whom it is addressed.
Note : If you are writing a letter for job application (formal letter), then you
may need to attach your resume along with the letter and also mention the
same in it. Furthermore, you try to write as simply and as clearly as possible,
and not to make the letter longer than necessary. Remember not to use
informal langaute like contractions.
Now lets have a look at some Examples of Informal Letters here
Format of the Letter

Personal / Informal Letter Writing Examples for SBI

PO Exam
1.
2 December, 2013
Dear Dad,
Greetings. I am quite comfortable in my new hostel. My roommate is also a
vegetarian and non-smoker. So no problems. The place is very hot, so I am
planning to buy a cooler. A good cooler costs about Rs. 4000. I know you have
spent quite a lot on my education, but this is also a necessary expenditure. I hope

you will be able to send me the money by the weekend. Sorry for the trouble. Say
hi to mom and didi.
Love
.............

Note : Dont laugh at above letter. SBI asked this letter in one of its PO Exam's
descriptive section :) And try to avoid closings like your loving son, your caring
brother etc.. because these may sound artificial...
Now lets have a look at another letter...
2 December, 2013
Hi Raj,
Long time no see and no talk, and no mails too. What's up man? Very busy in
studies or movies?The news is that I am coming to Bombay on the 11th, for three
days and will be staying at the Taj. Keep your evenings free and we will paint the
town red. Hope you have saved enough money to take me for outings. Worried?
Just joking! At least keep yourself free.
Take Care

Krishna

Note : You can use the starting of the above letter (bold) for any informal letter
which you are writing to your friend. And you can start any thing (which was asked
in the exam to convey) by using The News is that. These simple points will help
you getting good marks in the exam.. In our next post we shall discuss about
formal letter writing techniques. All the best.

Lesson 3 : Formal Letter Writing Tips - Business Letters

Business Letter Writing Tips

Business letters are formal letters. In business or formal letters, one has to be
quite particular about both format and the body. A business letter may contain
some or all of the following elements.

Letter Head
Usually printed on the top center portion of the page containing the address of
the Business house. In the absence of the letter head, write your address on top
of the date line.

Address
1. Your Address : The return address should be written in the top right-hand
corner of the letter.
2. The Address of the person you are writing to : The inside address
should be written on the left, starting below your address.

Date .............
Different people put the date on different sides of the page. You can write this
on the right or the left on the line after the address you are writing to. Write the
month as a word.

Subject.....................
To indicate the 'sujbect' of the letter, write 'subject' between the inside address
and salutation, or in the middle of the page. Subject line is useful in business
letters as it indicates the main purpose of the letter.

Reference...............
Used when referring to an earlier communication; should be placed below the
subject

Salutation or Greeting
1. Dear Sir or Madam : If you don't know the name of the person you are
writing to, use this. It is always advisable to try to find out a name.
2. Dear Miss Sharma : If you know the name, use the title (Mr, Mrs, Miss or
Ms, Dr etc.) and the surname only. If you are writing to a woman and do
not know if she uses Mrs. or Miss, you can use Ms, which is for married and
single women.
Leave one or two spaces between the inside address and salutation.

Body
Indent all paragraphs. A business letter should be simple direct to the point (no
need to enquire about the person's health and the weather conditions in his
home town :P), precise and yet complete in all the respects. It should contain
all the necessary informatin that the recieving party needs, so that the
necessity of any further clarification should not arise. No slangs or short forms
should be (hi dude, how r u bro etc). The language should be formal, but avoid
all hackneyed phrases.

First Paragraphs
The first paragraph shoudl be short and state the purpose of the letter - to
make an enquiry, complain, requrest something etc.

The paragraph or paragraphs in the middle of the letter should contain the
relevant information behind the writing of the letter. Most letters in English are
not very long. So keep the information to the essentials and concentrate on
organizing it in a clear and logical manner rather than expanding too much.

Last Paragraph
The last paragraph of a formal letter should state what action you expect the
recipient to take - to refund, send you information etc.

Closing
Closing should be one line below the text followed by signatures and then the
name written below, along with designation, if necessary.
1. Yours faithfully : If you do not know the name of the person, end the
letter this way
2. Yours sincerely : If you know the name of the person, end the letter this
way
o

Note

: Your's

Faithfully

and

Your's

Sincerely

are

wrong

expressions.
3. Your Signature : Its not advisable to write your name and details in
competitive exams. In the letter itself they clearly mention NOT TO USE
YOUR NAME and OTHER DETAILS. Even if they don't ask, its better not to
use your details. Just putxxxxxxxxxxx instead of your details.