Improving letter writing skill through eliciting exercises for grade 10 students”

I. Introduction
Nowadays, in the integration period and with the globalization trend,
foreign languages, especially English, play a very important role in society.
English becomes an international language. It is used in many fields such as
business, trade, communications, tourism and diplomatic activities, etc... . In
2015, there were 54 sovereign states and 27 non-sovereign entities where
English was an official language. Of the approximately 1.5 billion people who
speak English, less than 400 million use it as a first language. That means over 1
billion speak it as a secondary language. Therefore, English is an ology which is
never saturated due to its newness and popularity in all fields. Our Party and
government showed their particular interest in teaching and learning foreign
languages.
English is considered as a main subject at upper secondary school. It is
also one of three primary subjects in the GCSE exam.
In addition, The Common European Framework of Reference for
Languages:
Learning,
Teaching,
Assessment,[1] abbreviated
in English as CEFR or CEF or CEFRL, is a guideline used to describe
achievements of learners of foreign languages across Europe and, increasingly,
in other countries.
As with the growing degree of office automation and diffuse use of
electronic media, such as e-mails, written business communication is becoming
a key element to promote synergies, relationships and disseminating information
about products and services. Task recognition and the definition of strategies
and suitable vocabularies are some of the activities that office workers deal with
each time a communicative intent has to be effectively transferred and
understood by a given addressee. This paper introduces a web-based intelligent
training system based on the constructivism theory and self-directed learning
paradigms for assisting company workers in the drafting business letters-writing

task. A case-based engine suggests ad hoc rhetorical letters that users have the
chance to adapt to their particular contexts and save them into user-defined case
libraries.
Teaching English with the communicative approach is our aim. How to
improve all skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) completely for our
students is our duty. All skills are important and it is necessary for us to develop
them. Curricula and textbooks are issued with a view to carrying out this aim
successfully. However, writing skill seems to be one of the most difficult skills
for students. Most writing tasks, for example writing letters, are not interesting
enough to attract them. They do not know how to deal with these tasks: They do
not know how to write a formal or an informal letter. They mistake the words or
phrases they can use in each form of letter, either, etc… “What can I do to help
my students?” “In what way do my students write them well?” “What should I
do to make these writing tasks easier and more attractive?” The best way I did to

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assist them is that I used the exercises to lead them to the way of writing each
type of letters.
I would like to share my teaching experience “Improving letter writing
skill through eliciting exercises for grade 10 students” in the hope that my
colleagues can apply in teaching and we can discuss more to get the best result
in teaching students how to write letters.

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II. Content
Chapter 1: Theoretical and practical background

1.1. Theoretical background
1.1.1. “Letter”
Definition of “letter”
The term "letter" has also multiple meanings:
 A letter is a written or printed communication addressed to a person or
organization and usually transmitted by mail. ()
 A letter is a written message from one person to another, usually put in an
envelope and sent by post. (Cambridge Dictionary)
 A letter is a written or printed message to someone. (Laban Dictionary)
Letters are often used to express the writer’s ideas, feelings or emotion to
the receivers.
 A letter is a written message from one party to another containing
information. Letters promote the preservation of communication between both
parties; they may bring friends or relatives closer together, enrich professional
relationships and provide a means of self-expression. Letters contribute to the
protection and conservation of literacy.[1] Letters have been sent
since antiquity and
are
mentioned
in
the Iliad.[2] Works
by
[3]
both Herodotus and Thucydides also mention letters.
1.1.2. Writing a letter
History of letter writing
Historically, letters have existed from the time of ancient India, ancient
Egypt and Sumer, through Rome, Greece and China, up to the present day.
During the seventeenth and eighteenth century, letters were used to self-educate.
Letters were a way to practice critical reading, self-expressive writing, polemical

writing and also exchange ideas with like-minded others. For some people,
letters were seen as a written performance. For others, it was not only seen as a
performance but also as a way of communication and a method of gaining
feedback. Letters make up several of the books of the Bible. Archives of
correspondence, whether for personal, diplomatic, or business reasons, serve
as primary sources for historians. At certain times, the writing of letters has risen
to be an art form and a genre of literature, for instance in
Byzantine epistolography.[4]
In the ancient world letters were written on a various different materials,
including metal, lead, wax-coated wooden tablets, pottery fragments, animal
skin, and papyrus. From Ovid, we learn that Acontius used an apple for his letter
to Cydippe.[5]
As communication technology has diversified, posted letters have become
less important as a routine form of communication. For example, the
development of the telegraph drastically shortened the time taken to send a
communication, by sending it between distant points as an electrical signal. At

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the telegraph office closest to the destination, the signal was converted back into
writing on paper and delivered to the recipient. The next step was
the telex which avoided the need for local delivery. Then followed
the fax (facsimile) machine: a letter could be transferred electrically from the
sender to the receiver through the telephone network as an image. Today,
the internet, by means of email, plays a large part in written communications;
however, these email communications are not generally referred to as letters but
rather as e-mail (or email) messages, messages or simply emails or e-mails, with
only the term "letter" generally being reserved for communications on paper.
The study of letter writing

Due to the timelessness and universality of letter writing, there is a wealth
of letters and instructional materials (for example, manuals, as in the
medieval ars dictaminis) on letter writing throughout history. The study of letter
writing usually involves both the study of rhetoric and grammar.[6]
1.2. Practical background
Letters is such a written message that we sent to person who are far away
from us and we want to convey our message to them in a clear and forceful
manner. We usually write letters to our friends and relatives. Although advent of
IT-Telephones, Mobile SMS’s and Chat- has reduced the importance of personal
letter writing as we can send our messages through these mediums very easily
but this art is still required where there is need of formal communication. Some
time we have to send an application in the school for grant of leave and at other
time we have to complaint about someone. Same way we get a lot of chance
where we have to send formal letter. Thus this art of letter writing is no more an
ornamental accomplishment but something that every educated person must
acquire for practical purposes.
How to Write a Letter
The most important element of writing a good letter is your ability to
identify and write to your audience. If you are writing a letter to your love
interest, it will be crafted in an entirely different manner than if you are writing a
letter to the human resources department of a large corporation. Learning to
write a good letter also takes practice, knowledge about proper form and the
ability to put into words your feelings, thoughts, and/or ideas. If you learn the
basic parts of a letter, it will help you to create letters for a variety of audiences
and occasions.
1.2.1. The Presentation of the Letter
The presentation of the letter can be hand-written for informal letters
(friendly letters) that are addressed to friends and family members, especially
thank-you letters.
Formal letters which are written on behalf of businesses or to professional

contacts (business letters) should always be typed. The letter should also be free
of grammatical and spelling errors, so proofreading it after it is written is of the
utmost importance.

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Parts of the Letter:
If writing an email, Your Address, Date, and Inside Address should be
ommited.
Your Address
At the top of your letter, you will put your address, so the reader will
know where to send their reply to.
Date
Put the date on which the letter was written in the format Month Day Year
i.e. June, 7, 2014.
Inside Address
The inside address is only required for a paper business letter and will
include the address of the person you are writing to along with the name of the
recipient, their title and company name. If you are not sure who the letter should
be addressed to either leave it blank or try to put in a title, i.e. "Director of
Human Resources".
The Greeting
The greeting will address the recipient that the letter is being sent to. This
is usually completed in the form of "Dear Anne" or "Hey Anne", for less formal
letters.
The Introductory Paragraph
The first paragraph and will generally outline the purpose for the letter
and the reason that the letter is being sent. This can address any issues that are
outstanding and is used to set the tone for the entire rest of the letter. In this first

paragraph, the summary of the letter can be found and the intentions which will
be displayed through the rest of the letter should be outlined. From the first
paragraph of the letter, the recipient should be able to note the tone of the letter.
The Body
The body of the letter will expand upon the introductory paragraph and
you can extend your thoughts and feelings further when it comes to the letter.
The body of the letter will usually be just a few paragraphs for most letters.
The Closing Paragraph
In the closing paragraph of the letter, you will close the letter and finish
any thoughts that have been mentioned.
The Complimentary Close
The complimentary close of the letter comes in various forms from yours
truly, if you are familiar with the recipient, to a traditional sincerely which is a
versatile closing that can be used in a variety of letters detailing many situations.
1.2.2. Rules for all letters
- It is important that your handwriting be neat and clear.
- The writer's address is written in the top right-hand corner.
- Leave a space between the address and date.
- Spell out the month in full, e.g. 15th February 2006
- Begin the letter Dear . . . . , on the left-hand side.

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- The first paragraph of the letter begins under the person's name.
- A formal letter usually ends with either: Yours sincerely, or Yours faithfully,
followed by your signature. (Note: 'Yours', always begins with a capital letter,
but 'sincerely' and 'faithfully' begin with a small letter.
- Always use plain unlined paper and the same colour envelopes. A large size
writing pad is best for most letters.

- Write your letter in blue or black pen only.
- Revise the rules for using capital letters.
- Always use paragraphs when writing a letter
1.3. The situation
Have you ever wondered, when these smart phones, SMS, email and other
modes of transmitting information was not available to the people, then how
they convey their messages to others? You might have known about letters,
which are used by individuals earlier to interchange information, however,
nowadays their use is confined to business and official purposes only. Letters
are a form of verbal and written communication, which contains information or
message, send by one party to another, to convey the message.
There are two types of letters, i.e. formal letters and informal letters. The
former is used for professional purposes, while the latter is used for personal
purposes.
Definition of Formal Letters
A formal letter is any letter written in the professional language, with a
prescribed format for a formal purpose, i.e. it can be a recommendation letter,
enquiry letter, complaint letter, cover letter and so on. All business letters are
formal, but vice versa is not possible. Such letters are used for a variety of
reasons like a formal invitation, proposal, reference, making a complaint or
inquiry, applying for a job. While writing a formal letter one should keep in
mind the following things:
 It should be in specified format.
 It should avoid the use of unnecessary words.
 It should be straight to the point.
 It should be relevant and objective.
 It should be complex and thorough.
 It should be polite, even if it is a complaint letter.
 It should be free from any mistakes, i.e. grammatical or spelling.
Definition of Informal Letters

An informal letter is a letter written to someone; we know fairly well. The
letter can be used for some reasons like conveying message, news, giving
advice, congratulate recipient, request information, asking questions, etc. It is a
personal letter, written to whom you are familiar with, like friends, siblings,
parents or any other closed one. There is no specific format prescribed for
writing this letter.

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While writing an informal letter, one can afford to be friendly, and make
use personal or emotional tone. Slang or colloquial terms, codes, abbreviations,
etc. can also be used at the time of writing it, depending on the familiarity with
the recipient.
In the writing tasks in Tieng Anh 10 there are some letter writing tasks.
Students find it difficult to write them.
UNIT 4: SPECIAL EDUCATION - Writing a letter of complaint
After studying for two weeks at English for Today Center, you notice that
everything is worse than what the advertisement says. Write a letter of
complaint about that.

Le Thi Linh – 10A1 wrote:
Student’s writing

Errors
1. She only wrote the
part which is required
to complete .
2. Some spelling
mistakes:

- adversiment →
advertisement
- cascettle →cassette
classrom
→
classroom
- finisho → finishes
3. Grammar errors:
Vietnam
→
Vietnamese
- classrom are →
classrooms are

UNIT 6: AN EXCURSION – Writing a confirmation letter
Read the situations and write a confirmation letter responding to each of them

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1.
Lan is going to have a birthday party at 8:00 p.m on Saturday. She asks
you to buy her two bunches of bananas, three kilos of oranges, ten mangoes, and
bring them to her house an hour before the party. You agree to help her.
Vu Thi Trang – 10A12 wrote:
Student’s writing

Errors
1. Grammar errors:
- I’m is → You are

- for → for it
- will you buy →
will buy you
2. Copy the request
of the task, not the
writing
“bring
them to her house
an hour before the
party. You agree to
help me”

UNIT 8: THE STORY OF MY VILLAGE – Writing an informal letter:
Giving directions
Your house is A on the map. Write a letter to Jim, telling him the way to your
house from Roston Railway Station.

Bui Anh Quan – 10A1 wrote:

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Student’s writing

Errors
1. Shouldn’t use
“You can take a
taxi” when giving
the directions.
2. Some mistakes:

- souvenir →
souvenir shop
- home → house
- beside to → next
to
- ,my house is
beside to → .My
house is next to it.

UNIT 10: CONSERVATION – Writing a letter of invitation
Nam invites his friend – Lam, who is now living in a different town, to spend a
weekend with him. Help Nam to write a letter, using the cues below.
Dear Lam,
we/ not meet/ since/ you/ move.
I/ miss/ a lot.
we/ both/ have/some days-off/ between/ two terms/ soon.
if/ not make/ other plans/ why/ not spend/ weekend/ together?
feel/ like/ visit/ forest/ near/ my grandparents’/ again?
Look/ quite different/ now/ because/ very many young trees/ plant/ the TreePlanting Festivals.
Do come/ if/ find/ possible/ and/ I/ make/ all/ preperations.
Give/ love/ your parents.
Your friends,
Nam
Truong Văn Kien – 10A1 wrote:
Student’s writing
Errors
1. He hadn’t
finishes
his
writing yet.

2. Grammar
errors:
- are move →
moved
- are we not
→ don’t we
- in → omit
“in”

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UNIT 11: NATIONAL PARKS – Writing a letter of acceptance or refusal
One of your friends has invited you to go for a picnic to Cuc Phuong National
Park next weekend. Write a reply letter accepting or declining his/ her
invitation
Dang Thi Khanh Linh – 10A12 wrote:
Student’s writing
Errors
Some errors:
- fresh air there
→ the fresh air
there
- make → do
- revising and
reviewing
→
revising (because
“revising”
has

closest meaning to
“reviewing”

Chapter 2: The solution
In order to improve writing skill in writing letters for students, I guided
students distinguish formal and informal letters and carried out some eliciting
exercises in optional classes at classes 10A1 in this school-year (2016-2017) so
that students can realize the form of letters. I gave out posters and handouts with
the eliciting exercises for these writing tasks. In order to help students
distinguish these types of letters profoundly, I often ask them revise and repeat
these notes when the letter writing is given out.
First, I ask students to complete this table in order to realize which letter is
formal and which is informal
Exercise 1: Complete this table
Allotted time: 2-5 minutes
- written in formal language, in the stipulated format, for official purpose
- written in an friendly manner, to someone you are familiar with
- Personal Communication
- Professional Communication
- No prescribed format.
- Written in prescribed format only.
- First person - Business letters, third person - others.
- Business, college/institute, employer, organizations, etc.
- Friends, family, acquaintances etc.

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-

First, second or third person.
Active
Long and complex
Concise
Used
Passive
Short and simple
Large or concise
Avoided

Comparison Table
BASIS FOR
FORMAL LETTER
INFORMAL LETTER
COMPARISON
Meaning
Objective
Format
Written in
Written to
Voice
Sentences
Size
Contractions
and
Abbreviations
Key: See (Appendix 1)
After doing this exercise, students can identify formal and informal
letters. So, before start writing letter, first of all, they should identify who is the
recipient. If they are having a professional relationship with the recipient, then

they should go for a formal letter, whereas if the recipient is someone very close
to them or they know the recipient well, then the informal letter is the right
choice for them.
Then, I give students some other exercises to know how to use language
in each type of letters.
Exercise 2: Ticking
Allotted time: 1-2 minutes
FORMAL
INFORMAL
LETTER
LETTER
One address (yours)
Two addresses (yours and the recipient's)
Love/Yours/Best wishes + first name
Dear Sir/Madam
Dear Mr/Mrs + surname
Dear + first name

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Yours faithfully + full name
Yours sincerely + full name
Key: See (Appendix 2)
Exercise 3: Letter Writing Quiz. Put a tick in the box beside the correct
answer.
Allotted time: 1-2 minutes
1. When you write an informal or formal letter you always put your address on:
A. The top left
B. The bottom left

C. The top right hand corner hand corner hand corner
2. The date of a letter always goes:
A. Under your address B. Under your signature C. Under the greeting
3. When you do not know the name of the person you are writing to you begin
your letter with:
A. Dear Sir
B. Hi
C. Dear Sir/Madam
4. In a formal letter when you know the name of the person you are writing to
the sign off you use is:
A. Yours faithfully
B. Yours sincerely
C. Lots of Love
5. You are writing to a person called Ronan Quinn, who is the Manager at
Sports World. You want to complain about a tracksuit you bought. The colour
has faded after one wash. How would you begin the letter?
A. Dear Ronan
B. Dear Mr Quinn
C. Dear Quinn
6. You are writing to the Principal of a school. Which sign-off would you use?
A. Yours faithfully
B. Your friend
C. Love
7. You are writing to the manager of Max Petrol Station to ask about vacancies
for part-time work. It's on Summerhill Road, Castletown, Dublin 4. You don't
know the name of the manager. How would you address your envelope?
A. Max Petrol Station
B. The Manager
C. The Manager
Summerhill Road

Max Petrol Station
Summerhill Road
Castletown
Summerhill Road
Castletown
Dublin 4
Castletown
Dublin 4
Dublin 4
Key: See (Appendix 3)
Exercise 4: Divide the following expressions into formal (F) and informal (I).
Allotted time: 2-5 minutes
Beginning
 It was great to hear from you. __
 I am writing with reference to your letter of 25 May. __
 Thanks for writing to me. __
Congratulations
 Well done! __
 I would like to offer congratulations on your recent promotion. __
 Please allow me to congratulate you on your recent success. __

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Advice / suggestion
 Why not try __
 What about going __
 It is recommended that you contact __
 You could visit __
 I urge you to consider the points I have made. __

 If I were you I’d __
Linkers
 Moreover, __
 Then again, __
 Furthermore, __
 Better still, __
 What’s more, __
 Additionally, __
Endings
 Do drop me a line if you have time. __
 I look forward to hearing from you without delay. __
 Hope to hear from you soon. __
 Keep in touch. __
 I hope to hear from you at your earliest convenience. __
Key: See (Appendix 4)
Exercise 5: Put these words into the right columns with the suitable pairs:
Allotted time: 2-3 minutes
find out , inform me, put up, cancel, kids, contact, set up, obtain, go up,
apologize, make up, postpone, request, ask for, compensate, check up on ,
establish, delay, discover, handle, drop, investigate, get, tolerate, say sorry,
increase, let me know , children, get in touch, deal with
Formal letters
Informal letters

Key: See (Appendix 5)
Lastly, I can give more exercises or some useful language for each unit if
necessary. For instance:
UNIT 4: SPECIAL EDUCATION - Writing a letter of complaint
Useful language for Letters of Complaint
Exercise 6: Put these phrases into the right headings:

Allotted time: 8-10 minutes
Opening Remarks Useful phrases
Linking words
Closing Remarks

- I look forward to receiving a prompt reply

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- I should have been informed that...
- I would therefore be grateful if you could give me a full refund...
- However
- I am writing to complain about/regarding/on account of/because of/on the
subject of...
- I was very disappointed to find that...
- Finally
- I am writing to draw your attention to...
- To make matters worse...
- I am writing in connection with...
- I demand a full refund...
- Besides
- I look forward to hearing your early reply
- I am writing to express my strong dissatisfaction with...
- I hope/assume you will replace...
- I would like a full refund as soon as possible...
- Furthermore
- I look forward to hearing from you in your earliest convenience to offer me a
complete refund
- I would like to have all or part of my money refunded...

- I am afraid to say I have numbers of complaints about...
- I feel I am entitled to a partial refund in addition to an apology for the
inconvenience caused
- In addition
- I would be grateful if you could...
- I believe you can appreciate how disappointed I was when...
- I am sorry to say that I was very disappointed with...
- I hope that I will not be forced to take further action
- I insist you replace the item at once...
- Moreover
- I am not satisfied with...
- Firstly
- I would like to hear your explanation for the above problems...
- I was appalled at...
- I hope we can sort this matter out amicably
- Even though
- I feel I must protest/complain about...
- We ought to discuss the matter...
- Secondly
- I trust the situation will improve...
- I hope the matter will be resolved...
- The first problem was... Another problem was... The most visible problem...
- I hope you will understand that I was very dissatisfied...

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Key: See (Appendix 6)
UNIT 6: AN EXCURSION – Writing a confirmation letter
Useful Language

Exercise 7: Brainstorming
Allotted time: 5-7 minutes
agreement

agreement

A confirmation letter
Help
Lan

Lend
Minh
a
book

on time

later time
UNIT 8: THE STORY OF MY VILLAGE – Writing an informal letter:
Giving directions
Useful Language
- Keep walking until you reach … .
- Go along … until you reach … .
- Go as far as … and then … .
- Go straight to … (over/ across/ past) … .
- Keep straight on for … meters.
- Walk past the … then look on your right/ left.
- Turn right/ left (at …).
- Take the first/ second turning on (to) the right/ left.
- Keep to the path/ footpath/ footway/ pathway.

- When you get to the …, turn right/ left.
- It’s just around the corner.

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- It’s next to/ opposite/ (right) behind the … . You can’t miss it.
- A crossing/ pedestrian crossing/ a zebra crossing
- A one-way street
- A roundabout/ traffic circle/ rotary
- A T-junction
- Traffic lights
UNIT 10: CONSERVATION – Writing a letter of invitation
Useful Language for Informal Letters of Invitation
Exercise 8: Tick into the right headings:
Allotted time: 1-2 minutes
Useful language
Opening
Closing
Remarks Remarks
- I hope you'll be able to make it...
- I'm writing to invite you to...
- Hope you can come
- I'd love it if you could come to...
- Looking forward to seeing you then
- Please let me know as soon as possible
- We're organising a ... and would love it if you
could come
Key: See (Appendix 7)
UNIT 11: NATIONAL PARKS – Writing a letter of acceptance or refusal

Useful Language for Letters Accepting or Refusing an Invitation
Exercise 9: Put these structures into the right column
Allotted time: 1-2 minutes
Accepting
an Useful language
Refusing
an
Invitation
Invitation
Opening Closing
Opening Closing
1. Thank for the invitation, but...
2. See you then
3. I hope we can get together
some other time
4. Thanks for the invitation to ...
5. It sounds lovely...
6. I'm really sorry we'll have to
miss it
7. We're really looking forward
to it
8. Thanks for inviting me to ...,
but I'm afraid I can't come
Key: See (Appendix 8)
Chapter 3: Discussion

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3.1. Effect

After practicing these changes in my lectures, my students have made
some progress in their writings. Their writings not only contained fewer
mistakes but also showed a right style. They know how to write a letter and are
confident to write as well.
UNIT 4: SPECIAL EDUCATION - Writing a letter of complaint
After studying for two weeks at English for Today Center, you notice that
everything is worse than what the advertisement says. Write a letter of
complaint about that.
Dau Thi Viet Ha – 10A1 wrote:
Student’s writing
Comments
1.
A
full
writing with:
- enough ideas
clear
complaint
2. Some errors:
- repeats: there
are…
- not only start
late but also
finish early →
.It not only
starts late but
also
finishes
early.

UNIT 8: THE STORY OF MY VILLAGE – Writing an informal letter:
Giving directions
Your house is A on the map. Write a letter to Jim, telling him the way to your
house from Roston Railway Station.
Cao Pham Ha My – 10A1 wrote:
Student’s writing

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Comments


1. A good writing
2. One mistake need
correcting:
I’m so happy → I’m so
happy to hear

UNIT 10: CONSERVATION – Writing a letter of invitation
Nam invites his friend – Lam, who is now living in a different town, to spend a
weekend with him. Help Nam to write a letter, using the cues below.
Le Thanh Huyen – 10A1 wrote:
Student’s writing
Comments
Well-done

3.2. Comments from teachers and students

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I made a survey to know what students find about writing lessons by the
questionnaire (Appendix 9) and had some replied information as below.
Most students know that writing lessons help them not only practise
writing skill but also develop all skills fully. They also stated that writing is very
important but it is sometimes difficult. As a result, although they prepared the
lesson before the class, they still had difficulties when doing the task. Therefore,
they did not participate in writing lessons actively.
When I carried out the survey with class 10A1 – a rather good at English
class with 40 students, 28 students believe that the writing lessons are very
important - containing 70%, 12 students think they are not very important containing 30% and noone finds they are not important at all. While only 2
students in this class never prepare the lesson before class – containing 5.0%,
37.5% sometimes carry out, the left always or often do this work – containing
57.5%. However, a large number of the students (92,5% with 37 students) find it
difficult to write a letter before they do the given eliciting exercises. Through the
questionnaire, students also said that there are 3 main reasons that make them
difficult to write letters. 100% (38 students) in this class assume that “lack of
vocabulary and you don’t know how to write” and “You have a mistake in using
vocabulary for each type of letters” are the main reasons. With the reason “You
don’t know how to write”, 5 students always (12.5%), 28 students sometimes
(70%) and 7 students never (17.5%).
These students stated that the way of using eliciting exercises was carried out in
the writing lessons such as Unit 4 – Special Education (Tieng Anh 10-Page 44),
Unit 6 – An excursion (Tieng Anh 10-Page 62) and Unit 11 – National Parks
(Tieng Anh 10-Page 112) they find it easier and more exciting when writing. 33
students (86,9%) agreed that using eliciting exercises not only help them define
the type of letters exactly but also makes letter writing easier.
For the teachers who observed the class (Appendix 10), they also appreciated
the way that I guided my students to write a letter. Most of them agreed strongly
or apparently with the criteria given in the observation sheet, especially

objectives, materials, activities and techniques.
These figures have already shown that using eliciting exercises in writing a letter
can help students practise this skill more effectively.

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III. Conclusion
Realizing the difficulties students faced in writing a letter, I tried to find
out a good way for them to solve their problem. This technique has helped my
students find their tasks easier to do, so they feel more confident to take part in
the lessons.
I present this teaching experience with a view to sharing my own
experiment in teaching students how to write a letter with colleagues though
everything has its strong points and weak ones.
Because of the shortage of time, this method must have some mistakes
that I cannot realize. I’m willing to receive readers’ comments and if possible,
you can add some more techniques so that I can improve it. I hope this method
will help you and your students find it easier and more interesting in writing a
letter.
If the writing tasks have available cues, teacher can elicit some more
useful expression to make the lesson more interesting and attractive. I think it is
also a good way to motivate students’ studying spirit which brings much benefit
in teaching and learning.
Sầm Sơn, April 4th, 2018
Writer

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