Letter to the editor
Respond publicly to an issue or published view through audience-aware writing.
Write for the situation
Audience
the editor and the publication’s readers
Purpose
Respond publicly to an issue or published view
Register and tone
Respectful, concise and persuasive
Avoid
A private complaint that ignores the public readership
Conventions that help the reader
Address the editor; identify the issue being answered; state a position; develop reasons; close appropriately. These are adaptable guidance: task, audience and purpose decide the choices.
A flexible route through the text
- 1Identify the issue
- 2State your response
- 3Support it and address a concern
- 4Recommend a next step
Language to develop
Choose precise verbs and examples. Connect reasons and consequences, qualify claims when necessary and vary sentence forms without forcing unfamiliar language.
Planning question
How does your response add something to the public discussion?
Model extract · Social organization
This original teaching extract shows selected choices. It is shorter than a complete Paper 1 response and is not an IB-marked exemplar.
Dear Editor,
Your recent article questioned whether peer mentoring is worth the time it requires. I agree that a vague promise to “be friendly” would achieve little. However, that is not the only possible model. A mentor could guide a newcomer through one chosen activity and explain a routine that would otherwise remain confusing. Clear boundaries and brief scheduled meetings would keep the role manageable. Rather than reject mentoring altogether, we should test a focused pilot and listen to participants before deciding.
Yours sincerely,
Alex Morgan
Read as a writer
Find evidence of the intended reader, purpose and register. Identify a convention that makes the text usable.
Explore the content
Underline an example, reason or practical detail. Explain what it contributes, then develop the next paragraph yourself.
Connect it to each core theme
Identities
A school publication has argued against a multilingual welcome project. You want to respond publicly.
Write a letter to the editor for the editor and the publication’s readers. Develop a reasoned position, address an opposing argument and reach a justified conclusion.
Theme connection: how language choices shape belonging.
Planning focus: How does your response add something to the public discussion?
Plan this taskExperiences
A school publication has argued against a student exchange programme. You want to respond publicly.
Write a letter to the editor for the editor and the publication’s readers. Develop a reasoned position, address an opposing argument and reach a justified conclusion.
Theme connection: what students gain from an unfamiliar experience.
Planning focus: How does your response add something to the public discussion?
Plan this taskHuman ingenuity
A school publication has argued against an AI-supported language-learning app. You want to respond publicly.
Write a letter to the editor for the editor and the publication’s readers. Develop a reasoned position, address an opposing argument and reach a justified conclusion.
Theme connection: how technology helps learners and where its limits lie.
Planning focus: How does your response add something to the public discussion?
Plan this taskSocial organization
A school publication has argued against a school peer-mentoring programme. You want to respond publicly.
Write a letter to the editor for the editor and the publication’s readers. Develop a reasoned position, address an opposing argument and reach a justified conclusion.
Theme connection: how a community can support newcomers.
Planning focus: How does your response add something to the public discussion?
Plan this taskSharing the planet
A school publication has argued against a student-led food-waste project. You want to respond publicly.
Write a letter to the editor for the editor and the publication’s readers. Develop a reasoned position, address an opposing argument and reach a justified conclusion.
Theme connection: how individuals and institutions can reduce waste.
Planning focus: How does your response add something to the public discussion?
Plan this taskTeach, practise and refine
- Read a real example of this text type and identify its readership and purpose.
- Annotate the model extract, then discuss how a different audience would change its wording.
- Select a theme task. Plan all required actions before writing; develop examples rather than listing them.
- Draft independently, review audience and task coverage, then revise one paragraph.
Teacher language
How does your response add something to the public discussion?
Support without fixing every sentence
Offer an audience–purpose planning grid, a few useful connectors and oral rehearsal. Then remove the paragraph openings and ask for independent wording. Extend by developing an alternative viewpoint or a justified qualification.
Self-check
- Have I addressed every instruction?
- Do the reader, purpose, tone and conventions match?
- Does each main idea have a developed example or explanation?
- Have I checked verb forms, reference, spelling and punctuation?