IB English B · Formal letter · SL + HL lesson pack

Use the model to notice purpose, organisation and language choices.

Read like a writer · SL + HL

Model for school principal

Task: SL/HL: maintain a formal register and support the request with relevant reasoning.

Dear Principal,

I am writing on behalf of the student council to request a multilingual information session for families new to the school. Several students have said that important routines are easier to understand when families can ask questions in a familiar language.

We propose a short evening session with translated key slides, student guides and interpreters for questions. The session could begin with a general overview, followed by smaller group conversations. We would be happy to help prepare student contributions, subject to staff review and each contributor’s consent.

Please let us know whether the school would consider a pilot next term.

Yours sincerely,
Kai Chen

1Orient the reader

2Develop the key point

3Close with purpose

Purposeful lexis

on behalf of · We propose · followed by · subject to · Please let us know

Grammar and register

Formal purpose, proposal language, sequencing, cautious condition

Teach the lesson

Notice, rehearse, write and review

Notice · 8 minAnnotate audience, purpose and the three moves. Highlight the linkers and explain what each one connects.

Rehearse · 8 minDiscuss the prompt with a partner. Add one concrete detail and one reason or example.

Plan · 8 minUse three notes to map the moves. Choose a linker because it expresses the relationship you mean.

Write · 18 minDraft a response for the stated reader. Check that each paragraph adds a new purpose or point.

Review · 8 minUnderline the clearest evidence, circle the linking phrases and revise one sentence for precision.

Try it tomorrow

SL/HL: maintain a formal register and support the request with relevant reasoning.

Students mark who will read the text and what that reader needs.
They select two useful linkers from the model and explain their job.
They write a new response with original details, then use the checklist to revise.

Success criteria

Purpose and audience are clear from the opening.
Each requested point is developed with a specific example or reason.
Linkers express a real relationship between ideas.
The ending suits the text type and reader.

Teacher language

Useful language choices

on behalf of · We propose · followed by · subject to · Please let us know

Questions that draw out detail

What does your reader need to know first?
Which example makes this point convincing?
What relationship does this linker show: contrast, cause, sequence or addition?
Does the register fit the reader and purpose?

Feedback focus

Give one response on task coverage, one on organisation and one on a language choice that the learner can use again. Avoid treating a memorised phrase as evidence of control.

Adapt it by level

More support

Rehearse the ideas orally, use a three-box planning frame and offer two optional sentence openings. Keep the model visible while the learner plans.

Greater independence

Remove the frame, change the audience or purpose and ask learners to justify their choices of structure and register.

Course fit

SL and HL adaptations with model, register, purposeful lexis and transfer practice. Follow the current course task, audience, word guidance and assessment criteria. This teaching model is not an official examination response or awarded grade.

Check transfer

Use a fresh prompt and look for the same purposeful decisions expressed in the learner’s own words.

Requesting a multilingual family information session