A Sample of Formal Letter

Formal letters are usually compact and consise. Here is a sample on how

a formal letter should be written for SPM Examination purpose.

Question

You are the Secretary of the Residents’ Association in your housing estate.

Write a letter to the director of the local municipal council to complain

about the problems you and the other residents are facing.

In your letter, include the details below:

■ rubbish not collected

causes terrible stench

stray cats and dogs scatter rubbish

■ clogged drains

breeding ground for mosquitoes

increase in cases of dengue fever

■ street lights not working

cause accidents at night

increase in crime

■ playground not well- maintained

overgrown grass

playground equipment damaged

When writing your letter, you should remember to:

set it out in the correct format

include all the points given

address the letter to the director of the local municipal council

Answer

Zain Isma,

32, Jalan Laksamana,

Taman Mega,

86000 Kluang,

Johor

The Director,

Kluang Municipal Council,

Aras 2 Bangunan Muhibbah,

86000 Kluang,

JOHOR.

15 SEPTEMBER 2009

Dear Sir,

Poor Maintenance of Taman Jayadiri

I am writing this letter on behalf of the residents of Taman Mega to

complain about the dismal conditions we have been putting up with for

the past three months.

2. One of the main problems of the residents concerns uncollected rubbish

(point 1). Initially, rubbish was collected three times a week. However,

since August this year the garbage collectors have only been coming once

a week. Our litter bins are always filled to the brim and we have no choice

but to leave the bags of rubbish next to the bins. The rotting waste causes

a terrible stench (point 2). Furthermore, stray cats and dogs scatter the

rubbish (point 3) in searching for food. This leads to unhealthy

environment in the neighbourhood.

3. Most of the drains in Taman Mega are clogged (point 4) with rubbish

resulting the water becoming stagnant. It is not uncommon to see bottles,

dry leaves and plastic bags among others in these drains. There is an

urgent need to clear these drains as the stagnant water is an ideal

breeding ground for mosquitoes (point 5). The residents are worried as

there has been a sharp increase in dengue cases (point 6) documented in

the last two months.

4. The street lights along several roads are not working (point 7) as well.

This has caused several accidents at night (point 8), mostly involving

motorcyclists as they are unable to see in the dark. Apart from that, the

dark streets have led to another problem; an increase in crime (point 9).

Several residents, especially women, have fallen victim to snatch thieves.

5. Lastly, the one and only playground in our area is not well-maintained

(point 10). The grass is overgrown (point 11) as it has not been cut for

almost three months. In addition, the playground equipment is damaged

(point 12). Many of the see-saws and swings have been spoiled by the act

of vandalism.

I hope the council will look into our complaints and take prompt action to

solve our problems.

Thank you.

Yours faithfully,

Zain Isma

(ZAIN ISMA)