FREE 11-PAGE SAMPLE
Email Writing Kit
Read the complete sample below, or download the print-ready PDF.
A six-step route from task to final check
How to use this kit
Work through the pages in order: decode the task, decide what matters, plan each paragraph, write, learn from the model and check your response.
- 01Decode
- 02Decide
- 03Plan
- 04Write
- 05Learn
- 06Check
Role, reader, purpose and requirements
Original practice task
- You are
- Alex Wong, Student Library Ambassador at Harbour View Secondary School
- You are writing to
- Ms Priya Das, Programme Manager at Evergreen Community Library
- Your purpose
- Propose a partnership for a new intergenerational reading programme and request a planning meeting.
Your email must:
- Explain the need for the programme using the student survey.
- Outline two programme features and explain why they suit both age groups.
- Request one form of support and propose a practical next step.
Four original sources to select and adapt
Mini Data File
School librarian’s email
Students want more chances to discuss books beyond lessons. The school can provide 24 student volunteers and a venue on Friday afternoons.
Student survey
68% would join if activities were social and practical; 57% want to hear real-life stories from older residents; most prefer sessions under 90 minutes.
Care-centre note
Residents enjoy sharing memories but some need large-print materials and a slower pace. Twelve residents are interested in a trial session.
Programme idea
Stories Across Generations: paired reading, a memory-object conversation, and a jointly written “neighbourhood story” display.
Decode before you write
The 60-Second Brief
Before writing, complete the brief in your own words.
- My role
- My reader
- My relationship with the reader
- My purpose
- The three things I must include
- The response I want
Choose evidence for a reason
Select & Adapt
Source information earns its place only when it helps you fulfil a task requirement.
| Requirement | Useful source detail | How I will adapt it |
|---|---|---|
| Explain the need for the programme using the student survey. | ||
| Outline two programme features and explain why they suit both age groups. | ||
| Request one form of support and propose a practical next step. |
Professional without sounding stiff
Style · Tone · Register
too casualprofessional + warmtoo stiff
- State the purpose early.
- Use courteous modal questions for requests.
- Prefer specific verbs and concrete next steps.
- Sound confident without assuming agreement.
Give every paragraph one clear job
Paragraph-purpose plan
Opening
Establish role, shared purpose and reason for writing.
Need
Select survey evidence to show why the partnership is worthwhile.
Programme
Explain two features and adapt them to both groups.
Action
Make a specific request and propose a low-risk next step.
Understand why the choices work
Annotated model response
Subject: Partnership proposal: Stories Across Generations
Dear Ms Das,
I am writing as a Student Library Ambassador at Harbour View Secondary School to propose a small partnership between our school and Evergreen Community Library. We hope to pilot Stories Across Generations, a reading exchange that brings students and older residents together through books and personal memories.
Our recent survey suggests that the programme would meet a genuine need. Sixty-eight per cent of students said they would join a reading activity if it were social and practical, while 57% were especially interested in hearing real-life stories from older people. We can provide 24 trained student volunteers and a school venue on Friday afternoons.
The trial would include paired reading using large-print extracts, followed by a guided memory-object conversation. Participants would then create a short neighbourhood story for a shared display. These activities give students a clear role, allow residents to contribute at a comfortable pace and produce something both groups can feel proud of.
Could the library help us select accessible reading extracts and provide one staff member to advise the student facilitators? If the idea is suitable, may we arrange a 30-minute planning meeting next week and run one 75-minute pilot in November?
Thank you for considering the proposal. I would be pleased to send a draft session plan before we meet.
Yours sincerely, Alex Wong Student Library Ambassador at Harbour View Secondary School
Upgrade vague or awkward writing
Language transformations
Vague
We want to do a reading activity.
Purposeful
We hope to pilot a reading exchange that brings students and older residents together.
Data dump
68% said yes and 57% liked stories.
Adapted evidence
The survey shows strong interest in a social activity built around real-life stories.
Demanding
Please send a staff member.
Professional request
Could the library provide one staff member to advise the student facilitators?
Unclear next step
Please reply soon.
Actionable close
May we arrange a 30-minute planning meeting next week?
Check the task, reader and language
Final checklist
- Role and relationship are clear.
- Purpose appears in the opening.
- Every task requirement is covered.
- Evidence is selected, not copied.
- Tone is polite and confident.
- Paragraphs each have one job.
- Request and next step are specific.
- Names, dates and details are checked.