E-MAIL (Question 3): the format with every element, and a complete worked example.

THE SKELETON

1. TO: — an e-mail address.
2. SUBJECT: — one informative line. THE ELEMENT MOST OFTEN OMITTED, and it is worth a mark on its own.
3. SALUTATION — "Respected Sir," / "Dear Madam," / "Dear Ravi,", according to who is addressed.
4. BODY — two or three short paragraphs.
5. CLOSE — "Thanking you," then "Yours sincerely," for a named person.
6. NAME AND DESIGNATION, and the institution if you write on its behalf.

MARKS DIVISION (5 marks) Format — about 2 marks (the To and Subject lines carry much of this). Content — about 2 marks: every detail the question asks for. Expression — about 1 mark: courteous, formal, concise.

THE SUBJECT LINE SHOULD INFORM, NOT DECORATE. "Invitation to judge our competition" tells the reader everything; "An important request" tells them nothing.

CONSISTENCY: Question 3 usually sets a notice and an e-mail on the SAME event. Keep the date, venue and details identical between the two — examiners notice when they disagree.

WORKED MODEL

To: rkchatterjee.author@email.com Subject: Invitation to judge our Inter-School Story Writing Competition

Respected Sir,

I am writing on behalf of St. Xavier’s High School, Kolkata, to invite you to be the Chief Judge at our Inter-School Story Writing Competition, to be held in the school Assembly Hall on Saturday, 5 April 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Eight schools from the city will take part, and about forty students are expected to compete. As an author whose short stories our students read and admire, you would be the ideal person to assess their work, and a few words from you afterwards would mean a great deal to them.

The judging would require approximately two hours, and transport to and from the venue will be arranged at your convenience.

We should be honoured if you could accept. I look forward to your reply.

Thanking you,

Yours sincerely, Ananya Sen Head Girl St. Xavier’s High School, Kolkata

CONTENT CHECKLIST FOR AN INVITATION E-MAIL the EVENT, named the DATE, TIME and VENUE the ROLE you are offering — actually ask the person to judge. A surprising number of candidates describe the event beautifully and never issue the invitation. WHY this person — one sentence of genuine reason is worth more than a paragraph of flattery. the PRACTICAL arrangements — how long it will take, transport, what happens next.

REGISTER: an e-mail to a stranger is FORMAL. Short sentences and plain courtesy, no emojis, no "Hi Sir", no exclamation marks.

Use "Yours sincerely" when you address a named individual and "Yours faithfully" when you address an office.