In the light of the requirements of the GIA for ninth-graders and the Unified State Examination for school graduates, teaching and mastering writing skills has become very relevant. Teachers and high school students pay special attention to developing the skills of writing personal letters and essays in English, because it is these types of written work that are laid down in the KIMs of the GIA and the Unified State Examination. This page is designed to help you successfully complete these types of assignments.

So, how to properly draw up and write a letter in English in order to score the most points when passing the GIA and the Unified State Examination?

1. You need to know the rules for the design and structure of letters of a personal nature.

2. It is necessary to know the criteria and schemes for evaluating writing, prescribed in the materials for the exam.

3. You need to have a basic vocabulary. To write a letter, you do not need to know English perfectly, moreover, a letter can be written even if you have a limited vocabulary.

1. Rules for the design and structure of a personal letter

1. Your address and date are written in the upper right corner of the letter.

house number / apartment number, street name

city, index

For example:

145/4 Esenin Street

Cheboksary 428000

There is an abbreviated version of the address and date that is also correct. Only the name of the city and country can be included in the address, and the date can consist of only digits:

2. Introduction-greeting.

This part usually consists of 3.4 sentences. First, you write an appeal to the person to whom you must address the letter based on the assignment. For example: Dear Mike,. Please note that a comma is placed after the appeal and the next sentence (that is, in fact, the first sentence of the letter) is written from the red line. But what to write in a greeting? In a greeting, you can thank for the letter, write that you are very happy to receive news from your friend, explain why you have not written for a long time, etc. Roughly it should look like this:

Thanks for your letter, it was nice to hear from you. Sorry I didn't answer for a long time. I was very busy with my schoolwork.

3. The main part.

This part usually consists of two paragraphs. The first one contains answers to a friend's questions. In the second paragraph, it is your turn to ask questions to the interlocutor, this is said in the task. It is usually stipulated how many questions should be asked.

4. Final part. Parting.

Here you can logically complete your letter, wish good luck and say goodbye. It is usually said that it is time for you to go somewhere. It looks something like this: Oh, I have to go now. Mum wants me to do some shopping for her.

On the next line, don't forget to say goodbye to your imaginary friend. The closing sentence of the letter should look something like this:

Hope to hear from you soon

Please note that there is no dot after the name!

Diagram of the structure of a letter of a personal nature:

Criteria and schemes for evaluating a letter

To begin with, before performing any task from the exam, you need to carefully read the task for it.

The task looks like this:

Task C1. You have received a letter from your English-speaking pen-friend Tom who writes:

Write a letter to Tom.

In your letter

answer his questions

ask 3 questions about his trip to Scotland

Write 100 - 140 words.

Remember the rules of letter writing.

a) we read the task itself (highlighted in bold), important things are stipulated in it: 1. the number of words that we must comply with, 100-140 words, as we see. 2. what we should do: read an excerpt from the letter and write a response in which we must answer the questions asked of us and ask 3 of our own.

c) taking into account the requirements for the structure and content of the letter, we write the answer

Criteria for assessing the performance of task C1 (maximum 6 points)

Additional grading scheme for task C1 "Personal letter"

How to write a letter if my vocabulary is small?

The answer is simple - use a ready-made template! It can and should be learned by heart. The template usually already contains 60-70 words, that is, it remains only to add it based on the task and using only 40-50 words. Not such a difficult task, is it?

Template example:

145/4 Esenin Street

Cheboksary 428200

Dear(name),

Thanks for your letter, it was nice to hear from you. I "m sorry I couldn't reply straightaway. I was busy with my schoolwork.

You asked me about(we write about the topic that the person who wrote us the letter is interested in). Well, (answer his questions).

By the way(we ask three of our questions in separate sentences)

Oh, I have to go now. I promised my Mum to clean the bathroom. Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

That's actually the whole secret. Please note that the resulting template contains 67 words, and we only have to add 40-60 words.

Sample completed task C1:

You have received a letter from your English-speaking pen-friend Tom who writes:

In Great Britain, most young people want to become independent from their parents as soon as possible. Could you tell me what you and your friends think about not relying on your parents? Are you ready to leave your family immediately after you finish school? Is it easy to rent a house or an apartment for students in Russia?

As for the latest news, I have just returned from a trip to Scotland...

Write a letter to Tom.

answer his questions

ask 3 questions about his trip to Scotland

Write 100 - 140 words.

Remember the rules of letter writing.

145/4 Esenin Street

Cheboksary 428000

I "m sorry I couldn't reply straightaway. I was busy with my schoolwork.

I "m only 16 and I can" t help relying on my parents now, but most of my friends and I dream to be independent. As soon as I leave school, I "ll go to university. If I find a part-time job, I" m ready to leave my family and start living on my own. Of course, it "s hard financially to rent a house or an apartment in Russia, especially if you are a student and don" t have much money, but I "m prepared for this.

Well, I "m happy to hear you" ve finally fulfilled your dream - a trip to Scotland! How long were you there? What places did you visit? Did you try on a kilt?

Oh, I have to go now. Mum wants me to do some shopping for her.

Hope to hear from you soon

Educational videos. USE in English. Personal letter. Rules of the game.

How to write a personal letter in GIA-9 format?

GIA task in English (writing a letter)

Task C1

Rules for writing a letter GIA-9 in English

Criteria for evaluating the GIA letter in English

• solution of a communicative task - maximum score - 3 points. Complete answers were given to the three questions asked. The appeal, the final phrase and the signature are correctly chosen. There is gratitude, mention of previous contacts, and hope for future contacts is expressed.
• organization of the text - 2 points. The text is logically built and divided into paragraphs. Correctly used language means to convey the logical connection. The formatting of the text is correct.
• lexical and grammatical design of the text - 3 points. A variety of vocabulary and grammatical structures were used, corresponding to the set communicative task.
• spelling and punctuation - 2 points. There are practically no spelling and punctuation errors (no more than 2 are allowed, which do not impede understanding of the text).

The structure of the letter GIA-9 in English

• Sender's address.
• The date the letter was written.
• Appeals.
• The main text of the letter - the body of the letter:
  • Thanks for the letter received.
  • Link to previous contacts.
  • Answers to a friend's questions.
  • Sorry for the end of the letter.
  • Phrase about future contacts.
• Closing phrase
• Signatures - your name.

The sender's address in the GIA-9 letter in English

• 1st line - apartment number,
• 2nd line - house number, then street name,
• 3rd line - first the city, then the postal code,
• 4th line - country.

See also:

Date in the GIA-9 letter in English

Appeal in the letter GIA-9 in English

The main text of the GIA-9 letter in English

At the beginning of the letter to the GIA, you must also include a link to previous contacts:

Closing Phrase in GIA English Letter

An example of a GIA-9 letter in English

Criteria for assessing the written part of the exam in English assignment 39 and 40 (from a speech at a meeting of the MO teachers English language of the Leninsky district of Nizhny Novgorod)

Section 4 "Letter "consists of two tasks and is a small written work: writing a personal letter (task 39 ) and a written statement with elements of reasoning "My opinion" (task40 ).

When grading an assignment39 (personal letter) countedthree criteria:

1. "Content" - maximum amount -2 points,

2. "Text organization" - maximum amount -2 points.

3. "Language design" - maximum -2 points.

When grading an assignment40 (written statement with elements of reasoning) are taken into accountfive criteria:

1. "Content" - decision KZ (K1) - maximum number - 3 points,

2. "Text organization" - (K2) maximum number - 3 points,

3. "Vocabulary" - (K3) - maximum number - 3 points,

4. "Grammar" - (K4) maximum number - 3 points,

Letter – answer student

September 20

Dear Bill,

Thank you for your letter. Well, I shall answer your questions.

I have already decided on my career. I want to be a translator of English. It was not a problem to chose this profession because I like English. Also I want to be a teacher of English. It's a good idea too.

But I want to have a break and enjoy myself before I go to a University. I want to travel alone or with my parents. What about you? What are your future planning of traveling? Would you like to visit my country? It will be nice if we meet soon.

Hope to hear from you soon

Yours, Vika

Job analysis 1.

What is expected of the student?

Give a detailed message and answer all the questions of a friend;

Request information;

Use an informal style;

Follow the format of an informal letter.

Comments on a personal letter

A personal letter is evaluated according to three criteria: the content and organization of the text and the language design of the text of a personal letter. However, the check of the work begins with counting the number of words in the completed task. The required volume is given in the task for the student (No. 39:100-140 words).

In a personal letter, the word count starts with the first word of the address and ends with the signature; numbers count as one word. In general, all words are counted, including articles, conjunctions, prepositions, etc. Short forms of verbs are counted as one word. After making sure that the required volume is met, we proceed to the assessment of the completed task.

Assessingfirst criterion - content (solution of a communicative task), we must answer next questions:

1. whether the content reflects all aspects specified in the assignment;

2. whether the style is chosen correctly, taking into account the purpose of the statement and (for personal writing, this is an informal style);

3. whether the norms accepted in the language are observed ;

4. whether the required scope of the statement is observed.

It is necessary to formulate all aspects of the content that the examinee must disclose in his personal letter. To do this, you need to analyze the incentive letter and the additional task that is given after it.

We will immediately note whether this aspect of the content is reflected in the analyzed work and how fully it is reflected:

1. Is there a message that the student has already chosen a future profession? – Yes: I have already decided on my career.

2. Is there a message about who the author of the letter wants to be? – Yes: I want to be a translator of English. Also I want to be a teacher of English.

3. Is there a message why the author wants to become a translator and teacher? – Yes, but the argumentation is incomplete and weak in the first case, why she wants to become a translator: “because I like English” and is absent altogether in the second case, why she wants to become a teacher.

1. Is the address given in the correct form in accordance with the informal style? Given correctly.

2. Is the closing phrase given in the correct form according to the informal style? - Yes, it is given correctly.

3. Is the correct form given, only the writer's name? - Dana.

4. According to the third component of the solution of the communicative task (the norms of politeness adopted in the language):

And, finally, does the volume of the statement correspond to the task and the requirements specified in the task? - Corresponds.

Summing up according to the content criterion: a maximum of 2 points is given for the content, the analyzed work can be evaluated with 1 point, since it does not contain a detailed argument why the examinee chose this profession.

The second criterion by which a personal letter is evaluated is the organization of the text. Evaluating the task according to this criterion, we must answer the following questions:

1. How logical is the statement as a whole? - In general, the letter is logical, but in the first paragraph, two phrases are not quite logically connected and some more sentence is required between them.

2. Are logical links present and used correctly? - They are present, but minimally. Generally used correctly.

3. Is the text divided into paragraphs? - The letter is divided into paragraphs, the division is logical, the paragraphs are clearly marked with a red line. However, it was desirable to separate questions to a friend in a separate paragraph.

4. Does the design of the text comply with the norms adopted in the country of the language being studied? This last question requires detail:

A) Appeal on a separate line - corresponds.

B) The final phrase on a separate line - corresponds.

C) The signature on a separate line does not match.

E) Date - corresponds.

Let's summarize the text organization criterion: the maximum score for this criterion is 2 points, the student will receive 1 point with some stretch. The rating was lowered for the lack of an address, for not giving a signature on a separate line and some violation of logic.

The third criterion by which a personal letter is evaluated is the language design of the text. Evaluating the work according to this criterion, we must evaluate: the correspondence of the used vocabulary and grammatical structures to the task.

In this letter, we see a grammatical error (tochose), incorrect construction of the question (Whatareyourfutureplanning...) from the point of view of both grammar and vocabulary, a spelling error in the wordtraveling. The maximum score for this criterion is 1 point.

Thus, for completing task No. 39, the author of a personal letter receives 3 points.

Task 40 for the student

. Youhave 40 minutestocommentthefollowingstatement.

It’ sreportedthatbillionsofdollarsare spent on space exploration projects every year. Some people believe that this money should be used to solve problems on Earth.

What is your opinion? What problems should humanity solve first of all?

Write200-250 words.

Use the followingplan :

Make an introduction (state the problem)

Express your personal opinion and give 2-3 reasons for your opinion

Express an opposing opinion and give 1-2 reasons for this opposing opinion
- explain why you don't agree with the opposing opinion

Make a conclusion restating your position

The text of the written statement made by the student with elements of reasoning

Nowadays a lot of people spend their money on new projects or researches. For example, billions of dollars are spent on space exploration projects every year. I think it's not right. Our Earth needs some help from goverments from different countries. People have a lot of problems in medicine. We have illnesses like cancer with which people don't know how to fight We will know everything about spaces, but nothing about our health, our life on Earth. Is that right? No, I think. We should take care about each other and our government should spend money on people, on life’s troubles. Government should spend money on our grandmothers and grandfathers, take care about nature, because we have problems with atmosphere. We know about pollution but we don't want to find the solution about this problem. We should take care of our animals who are in danger. We should take care of poverty, we shall think about it. A lot of people need our help, our money, because they don't have something to eat. We should think about children, whose parents denied from them when they were born. They are lonely and need our help. To sum up I think that we can spend our money on new projects but we should remember one rule “we are people and we need each other.We need help from each other.”

Comments on the completed task

A written statement with elements of reasoning, in this case an opinion essay, is evaluated according to five criteria:content, text organization, vocabulary, grammar, and punctuation. However, the test of work begins with counting the number of words in the completed task. The required volume is given in the task for the student (200-250 words ).

After making sure that the required volume is met, we proceed to the assessment of the completed task.

Assessing the workfirst criterion - content (solution of a communicative task), we must answer the following questions:

Ø Does the content of this essay correspond to the proposed communicative task? The Supplementary Marking Scheme proposes the following questions that detail the content of this item:

1. Is there an introduction with a problem statement? - Yes, however, the author did not even rephrase the problem, which is indicated in the instructions for the task. Moreover, the first and second phrases of the introduction carry practically the same information (the second phrase somewhat clarifies the first).

As for the argument, it is presented somewhat chaotically and not always logically. There is a phrase that the Earth needs the help of governments of different countries, but this thesis is not argued and the author immediately proceeds to the fact that people have health problems, and it is not known how to treat, for example, cancer. From here, the author concludes that people should take care of each other, and the government should spend money on life's troubles. The following is a list of problems that the government should address: grandparents, caring for nature, poverty, abandoned children. The reasoning is weak or non-existent, and the problems themselves are poorly formulated.

Ø Does the essay present other points of view and explain why the author does not agree with them? - The essay does not present a different point of view on this issue and there is no argument for disagreeing with it.

Ø Is there a conclusion with a conclusion? - There is a conclusion, but it somewhat contradicts the content of the introduction and the main part, since if earlier it was said that you need to spend money on people and nature, then in the conclusion it is concluded that you can spend money on new projects (it is not clear which ones) and that we should help each other.

The second part of the conclusion has nothing to do with the communicative task. Thus, the communicative task is only partially completed, and the content of the essay can be assessed at 1 point.

Second criterion Essay evaluation -text organization . The main question: "Does the organization of the text comply with generally accepted rules?" needs to be detailed:

1 Is there a division into paragraphs and is it done correctly?

2. Is the essay logical and are the means used correctly

logical connection: building consistency is hindered by the lack of

paragraphs, the use of logical links is minimal.

In general, this criterion will be given 1 point.

The third criterion by which a written statement with elements of reasoning is evaluated islexical speech formatting. Evaluating according to this criterion, the expert must answer the following questions:

1. Does the vocabulary correspond to the set communicative task? - In general, corresponds;

2. Is the vocabulary sufficient, how diverse is it, does it correspond to a high level? - In general, yes. The vocabulary is relatively diverse, but there are unjustified repetitions of words and phrases, such as "take care", "need", "think".

3. Does the author follow the rules , word combinations (collocations) are the words used correctly in a particular context and do errors (if any) affect the understanding of the content? - In this essay, there are errors in the use of words in a specific context. One mistake, namely, in the sentence: “People have a lot of problems in medicine” can affect the understanding of the content, since the author does not mean medicine in general, but health problems. A number of errors are of a lexico-grammatical nature and can be attributed to both vocabulary and grammar, for example, prepositions.

If we attribute lexical and grammatical errors to vocabulary, then in this case, vocabulary can be assessed with 1 point (at the same time, we do not have the right to reduce points for the same lexical and grammatical errors a second time - according to the criterion of grammatical formation of speech).

Fourth criterion , by which a written statement with elements of reasoning is evaluated, isgrammar speech. Evaluating the answer according to this criterion, the expert must answer the following questions:

1. Is the choice of using grammatical means appropriate in accordance with the purpose of the statement? - In general, yes.

2. How diverse are the grammatical means and does their complexity correspond to a high level? - Grammatical means are rather monotonous and do not fully correspond to a high level. The author often uses the same type of grammatical constructions, for example, with should.

3. How correctly and accurately are grammatical means used? - There are errors in several sections of grammar, for example, in word order, in complex sentences, the use of indefinite , uncountable nouns. However, in general, these errors do not affect the understanding of the content.

According to this criterion, the answer can be estimated at 2 points.

Byfifth criterion – spelling and punctuation – the work will be rated 1 point (maximum score is 2), as there are errors in spelling and punctuation (no comma after For example).

Thus, the performance of task 40 as a whole can be assessed as7 points.

Exercise №39 for student

You have 20 minutes to do this task.

You have received a letter from your New Zealand pen-friend Ann who writes

…We are going to visit Moscow in September. What's the weather like then? Do we need to bring our warm coats? My Mum is a vegetarian, she eats lots of fruit. What sort of fruit will she find in Russia? My Dad would like you to tell us what we could visit in a week.

By the way, yesterday I bought the necessary vegetables and cooked Russian borsch. Thank you for the recipe. Everyone liked it very much…

Write a letter to Ann.

In your letter

Answer her questions

Ask3 questions about her favorite food.

Write100-140 words.

Remember the rules of letter writing.

1. Check the work of the graduate, put down points for all criteria in the Supplementary Assessment Scheme. ( Appendix 3)

New Zealand

August 24, 2009

Dear Ann,

Thanks for your letter. You are going to Moscow in September! It's great!

September is a month of Indian summer. It's time for fruits and vegetables. Everywhere in Moscow shops you can bye apples, bananas, pears, grapes, cucumber, tomatoes, beetroot, cabbage and what not. The forecast says that September this year will be warm and clean with a lot of sunshine. I think you will need only light summer clothes and a light jacket for evening walks. To your father I sent a map with Moscow sights. You can study it and choose the most interesting places for you to visit.

I'm glad that you liked a Russian borsch. Are you a vegetarian? What is your favorite food? What national cuisine do you prefer?

Got to go - my dad's calling me. See you soon!

best wishes,

Tamara

Written statement with elements of reasoning "Your opinion"

Exercise for student

№40

You have 40 minutes to do this task.

Comment on the following statement.

Some of my friends say there's nothing better than reading a good book while others would rather watch its film version.

What is your opinion? How would you prefer to get to know the characters and the plot of the book?

Write200-250 words.

Use the following plan

make an introduction (state the problem)

express your personal opinion and give reasons for it

give arguments for the other point of view and explain why you don't agree with it

Draw a conclusion

2. Check the work of the graduate, put down points for all criteria in the Supplementary Assessment Scheme. ( Appendix 4)

Many people think that reading book is better than seeing film version of this book.

I think reading book is better because you see characters of heroes. You see them eyes author. moreover, you know all about them and about the situation, which that happened. In films we don't see all the details, as a result of we don't understand the hero. In addition reading give us satisfaction, develop our brain. Books give us life experience. In order to we will not make mistakes. I like reading. I agree with our government which taught us literature and Art in general.

On the other hand reading is very boring and reading spent very long time. Now people are very busy and they want to be fashionable and cool. Mass Media now it is very cool, fashionable and modern and glamour. All want to go on TV sets or TV shows, they want to be super star. Films are bad now. They films in very short time whereas they dropped out information from plot of book Essentially, they want to play a very good film, but they change book with her heroes. I think our media mustn't play films with bad plot.

To sum, I think people need in good literature. People must read books, because it is very attractive.

Appendix 1

Unified scale for assessing the performance of tasks 39, 40 of the section "Letter"

Points

Content - K1

Text organization - K2

Vocabulary -K3

Grammar-K4

Spelling and punctuation-K5

K5

3 points

The task was completed in full: the content reflects all the aspects specified in the task; the stylistic design of the speech is chosen correctly, taking into account the purpose of the statement and the addressee; the norms of politeness accepted in the language are observed.

The statement is logical; the means of logical connection are used correctly; the text is correctly divided into paragraphs; the format of the statement is chosen correctly.

The vocabulary used is appropriate for the task at hand; there are practically no violations in the use of vocabulary.

Grammar structures are used in accordance with the task. Virtually no errors.

2 points

Assignment completed: some aspects specified in the assignment are not fully disclosed; there are separate violations of the style of speech; the norms of politeness accepted in the language are mostly observed.

The statement is basically logical; there are some shortcomings in the use of logical links; there are some shortcomings in dividing the text into paragraphs; there are some violations of the format of the statement.

The vocabulary used corresponds to the task, however, there are some inaccuracies in the use of words or the vocabulary is limited, but the vocabulary is used correctly.

There are a number of grammatical errors that do not make it difficult to understand the text.

There are no spelling errors. The text is divided into sentences with correct punctuation.

1 point

The task was not completed completely: the content does not reflect all the aspects indicated in the task; violations of the style of speech are quite common; Generally, the norms of politeness accepted in the language are not respected.

The statement is not always logical; there are numerous errors in the use of logical links, their choice is limited; there is no division of the text into paragraphs; There are numerous errors in the format of the statement.

Unnecessarily limited vocabulary used; there are often violations in the use of vocabulary, or some of them may make it difficult to understand the text.

Either elementary-level errors are common, or the errors are few but make the text difficult to understand.

There are a number of spelling and/or punctuation errors that slightly hinder understanding of the text.

0 points

The task was not completed: the content does not reflect those aspects that are specified in the task or does not correspond to the required volume

There is no logic in the construction of the statement; the format of the statement is not respected.

Extremely limited vocabulary does not allow to complete the task.

Grammar rules are not followed.

Spelling and punctuation rules are not respected.

Annex 2

Supplemental Marking Scheme for Assignment 39 "Personal Letter"

(Maximum score - 6)

FULL NAME OF THE EXPERT____________________________________________ CODE OF THE EXPERT_________________

Form number

1. Content

Information about

Information about the motives for choosing this profession

Questions about travel plans

The volume of the statement corresponds to the task

Address (correct form according to informal style)

Closing phrase (correct form according to informal style)

Signature (correct form, author's name only)

Final score

(maximum score - 2)

2. TEXT ORGANIZATION

Logic

Division into paragraphs

Means of logical connection

Appeal on a separate line

Final phrase on a separate line

Signature on a separate line

date under address

Final score

(maximum score - 2)

Language design of the text - ( maximum score -2)

Hello dear readers!

Today we will carry out Task 33 from Section 4 of the OGE in English. This assignment is a personal letter in response to an incentive letter.

I want to immediately note some differences between this task for the OGE and the USE.

First of all, the volume of the task in grades 9 and 11 is different:

Grade 9: 100 - 120 words

Grade 11: 100 - 140 words

Secondly, in 9th grade you only need to answer the questions in the incentive letter, and in 11th grade you need to answer the questions presented in the incentive letter and ask 3 direct questions on the proposed topic. Questions can be of different types (general, alternative, special, disjunctive) or of the same type (for example, all general). This will not affect your score in any way.

Thirdly, The maximum score that can be obtained for a correctly completed task is

in 9th grade – 10 points

in grade 11 - 6 points

How to write a letter correctly?

Study the tips below, as well as the examples of Task 33 presented in the article, and write your own unique letter.

KNOW-HOW:

1. Write a personal letter to informal style, therefore, you can safely use colloquial phrases and abbreviated forms. For example, Well, you know, Guess what! To tell the truth, he's, I'll, you're, that's why, don't, doesn't, didn't, can't, etc.

IMPORTANT!

• abbreviated form amn ’ t does not exist. Correct option: I ’ m not .
• Full negative form of the verb cannot always spelled out!

1. Let's start writing a letter sender's address(that is, your real or fictitious address), which we place in the upper right corner pages of the answer form No. 2. We write the address in the following order:

flat number(apartment number)

house number, street(house number, street name)

city (town, village) (title locality)

country(the country)

IMPORTANT!

you can use abbreviated address, which consists of the name of the locality and the country.

1. Then, under the address, making a space (skipping the line), you need to indicate the date the letter was written. Explore the possible spellings of the date:

date / month / year (BE) - 01/11/16(one character)

month / date / year (AE) - 11/01/16

1. On a separate line on the left, you need to write an appeal, after which put comma, but not an exclamation point or period. Carefully read the assignment, which will indicate the name of your prospective pen pal. For example,

Dear Roger,

Dear Sue,

1. After applying, be sure to write words of gratitude for the letter received. Please note that words of gratitude are written on a new line with a capital letter, despite the comma after the appeal! In this paragraph, you can apologize for the delay in responding or comment on the news contained in the letter. For example, it can be joy about a successfully played match (I’m really glad your team won the game!) Or regret about my brother’s illness (I regret to hear that your brother is ill at the moment).

The words thanks:

• Thanks for your letter. It looks like if you are having a good time in London.
• Yesterday I received a letter from you. Thanks for it. How are you keeping? /How are you getting on? / How are you doing?
• I'm very happy to get a letter from you. Thank you so much.
• I was glad to hear from you again. Hope you are doing well these days.
• It was nice to hear from you. How's it going to school?
• Thank you for a quick reply. I am pleased to learn that you have passed your exams with flying colours. / Hope the exam (the driving test) was a piece of cake for you!

Apologies for the delay in response:

• Sorry I didn't answer sooner. I was busy preparing for my history (biology) test (exam). / I was quite busy during weekdays because our teachers gave us lots of homework to do.
• Sorry for delay in reply caused by numerous reasons (I had a bad cough / I was out for a few days with the flu / a cold / pneumonia).
• I feel so guilty! I haven’t written to you for such a long time because I had a very tough week at school / because I was busy cramming at my English grammar/ because I had to cram for my Maths test.
• Sorry for my late reply. I was really busy getting ready for my PET exam / music contest / final chess competition.
• Sorry, I didn't mean to take so long to write you back. But I've been so busy doing my Literature project.
• Please, forgive my tardy reply but I was pretty busy with my Chemistry project at school.
• I apologize for taking so long to respond.

1. The main body of the letter (body of the letter) put in a separate paragraph. Read the incentive letter carefully and determine how many questions it contains. Be sure to answer all questions. If one of the questions requires a detailed answer (for example, Do you like reading and why?), then the answer to this question can be put in a separate paragraph. Paragraph division can be done different ways. You can start a new paragraph with a red line, or you can make spaces between paragraphs without highlighting the red line. The main thing is that the examiner visually captures the division of your letter into paragraphs.

1. Be sure to use linking words to logically link parts of the letter, such as as for me, to tell the truth, by the way, anyway, actually, so, though, more over, besides, fortunately(Fortunately),unfortunately(unfortunately).

1. Having finished writing the main part of the letter, on a separate line you need to write a phrase confirming your intention to continue correspondence (mention of further contacts).

For example,

• Hope to hear from you soon.
• Write me back as soon as possible.
• Write back soon.
• Keep in touch. / Take care and keep in touch.
• Can't wait to hear from you!
• I'm looking forward to hearing from you. / I'm looking forward to your answer.
• Please drop me a line when you can. / Please drop me a line when you get to your language school. I would like to know all the news.
• Well, if you have some free time, please, drop me a line.

1. Then, on a separate line, final phrase, which is separated by a comma:

1. At the end of the letter, on a separate line on the left, write your name (author's signature). After the name Not necessary make a point!

1. It is very important to comply with the length of the letter specified in the task, since the expert will start checking your work with a count of characters. I suggest that you study the requirements presented on the website of the FEDERAL INSTITUTE OF PEDAGOGICAL MEASUREMENTS (FIPI).

“When evaluating task 33 (personal writing), the amount of written text, expressed in number of words, should be taken into account. Required length for a personal letter 33 – 100–120 words. If in a personal letter less than 90 words, then the task is not subject to verification and is estimated at 0 points. If the volume is exceeded, i.e. if there are more than 33 in the completed task 132 words, only that part of the work that corresponds to the required volume is subject to verification.

Thus, when checking task 33 is counted from the start of work 120 words, only this part of the work is evaluated and an appropriate assessment is given for solving the communicative task.

1. The recommended time to complete this task is 30 minutes. Your task during the preparation for the exam is to learn to fit into the time allotted for the assignment. The beginning and end of your letter will be the same for different types of letters, so learn how to write them quickly and without errors. Then during the exam you won't have to waste precious time, but will need to focus only on the main part of the letter. And remember that your task is to demonstrate excellent writing skills. Feel free to fantasize, because no one really knows the reliable facts from your personal life. Try to avoid repeating words. Formulate your thought clearly and concisely, not forgetting the strict word order in the English sentence. As the English proverb says:

“Brevity is the soul of wit” (Brevity is the sister of talent).

Now let's get started Tasks 33 from Section 4, presented in the Demo version of the OGE 2017 on the FIPI website.

English language. Grade 9 Used with answer sheets

© 2017 federal Service for Supervision in the Sphere of Education and Science of the Russian Federation

Attention!

When uploading content to the site, the address in the letter appears on the left. Remember that according to the rules for writing a personal letter in English, you must write your address in the top right corner!

Unit 4 (writing task)

To answer a task 33 use answer form No. 2. When completing the task 33 Pay special attention to the fact that your answers will be evaluated only on the entries made on the answer sheet No. 2. No draft entries will be considered by the Expert Advisor. Pay attention also to the need to comply with the specified volume of the letter. Letters of insufficient volume, as well as a part of the text of the letter that exceeds the required volume, are not evaluated.

Task 33 Option 1

You have 30 minutes to do this task.

You have received a letter from your English-speaking pen friend, Ben.

… I am very busy now preparing for my exams but yesterday I went to the cinema with my friends. We saw a new film about Sherlock Holmes. You've probably seen it too. …

What kinds of films do you like? Where do you prefer watching films – in the cinema or at home and why? What would you make a film about if you had a chance?…

Write him a letter and answer his 3 questions.

Write 100–120 words. Remember the rules of letter writing.

37 Chumichova Street

Yesterday I received your letter. Thanks for it. How's it going? (21)

Guess what! Recently I've also seen some series about Sherlock Holmes on TV. To tell the truth, I am really keen on detectives and never miss a chance to watch a new one. (54)

As for me, I prefer going to the cinema because it is fun to put on goggles and watch films on a wide screen with perfect sound and 3D effects. If I had a chance, I would make a short documentary film about the place where I live. (102)