Informal Letters Format, Examples: ICSE (IX-X) English Language

Unlike formal letters that address officials or strangers, informal letters (also known as personal or private letters) are written to people you know personally—friends, family members, relatives or close acquaintances. The purpose is to share personal news, experiences, feelings, advice or invitations in a warm, friendly and conversational tone.

While the structure remains organized, the language is relaxed, natural and expressive. You can use contractions (I'm, don't, can't), exclamations, personal anecdotes and even mild humour. However, "informal" does not mean careless—your letter must still be well-structured, grammatically correct and stay within the 150-200 word limit (no official word limit for letters though). In ICSE exams, informal letters test your ability to communicate genuinely and maintain a personal voice while organizing your thoughts clearly.

Format of Informal Letter

Marking Scheme for Informal Letter (Total: 10 Marks)

Format: 2½ marks

Sender's Address (½ mark)

• 3 lines, punctuated: comma, comma, full stop
• Example: House no., Street/Area, / City, PIN code.

Date (½ mark)

• Full format: 16th February, 2026 (not 16/02/26)
• No punctuation after date
• 'th/st/nd/rd' on the line, not superscript

Salutation (½ mark)

• Appropriate and friendly: Dear Amit, / My dear Priya, / Dearest Rahul,
• Uses first name only
• Comma after salutation is mandatory

Subscription/Complimentary Close (½ mark)

• According to relationship: Yours lovingly, / With love, / Yours affectionately,/ Affectionately,
• Only 'Y' capital, rest lowercase (Yours lovingly, not Yours Lovingly)
• Comma after subscription is mandatory

Name (½ mark)

• First name only (no surname)
• Clear and legible

Note: Unlike formal letters, there is NO receiver's address in informal letters, hence only 5 components = 2½ marks for format.​

Content: 2½ marks

• For providing all details asked for in the question (1½ marks)
• Relevant extra details to make the letter plausible (1 mark)
• Clear opening and closing lines
• Pointer sentence directing the letter to the topic

Expression: 5 marks

• Tone and style (1½ marks): Friendly, warm, conversational yet organized
• Flow of language and creativity (1½ marks): Smooth transitions, engaging presentation
• Grammar, spelling, punctuation (2 marks): Correct sentence structure, accurate spelling, proper punctuation and paragraph breaks

Common Mistakes to Avoid (From CISCE Pupil Performance Analysis)

❌Format Errors:

1. Wrong salutation:

   • Writing "Respected Amit" ✗ (that's formal)

   • Writing "Dear Friend" ✗ (too vague; use actual name)

   • Writing "Hi/Hello" without "Dear" ✗ (too casual for exam)

   • Correct: Dear Amit, ✓

2. Wrong complimentary close:

   • "Yours faithfully" / "Yours sincerely" ✗ (these are ONLY for formal letters)

   • "Yours" alone ✗ (incomplete)

   • Correct: Your loving friend,/With love,/Yours affectionately, ✓

3. Including full name in signature:

   • "Rahul Kumar Sharma" ✗

   • Correct: Rahul ✓

4. Receiver's address:

   • Including receiver's address ✗ (NOT needed in informal letters)

   • Only YOUR address goes at the top

❌Content Errors:

1. Too formal tone:

   • "I am writing this epistle to inform you..." ✗

   • "I humbly request you to attend..." ✗

   • Better: "I'm so excited to tell you..." / "Please do come..." ✓

2. Missing opening greeting:

   • Jumping straight into main topic without asking about recipient's health/wellbeing

   • Always open with: "Hope you are doing well" / "How have you been?" ✓

3. Missing closing warmth:

   • Ending abruptly without greetings to family or invitation to write back

   • Add: "Give my regards to Uncle and Aunty" / "Do write back soon" ✓

4. Too brief or too lengthy:

   • Writing only 100 words (insufficient content)

   • Exceeding 300 words (too long, loses marks)

   • Target: 150-200 words ✓

❌Language Errors:

1. Contractions confusion:

   • "Your nice to hear" ✗ →"You're nice to hear from" ✓

   • "Its been long" ✗ →"It's been long" ✓

2. Tense errors:

   • "I am very happy when I received your letter" ✗

   • "I was very happy when I received your letter" ✓

3. Preposition mistakes:

   • "Waiting since your letter" ✗ →"Waiting for your letter"✓

   • "Looking forward to see you" ✗ →"Looking forward to seeing you"✓

Sample: Letter Congratulating Friend on Exam Success

Read more Informal Letter examples here.

Quick Reference: Informal Letter Dos and Don'ts

✅DO:

• Use conversational, friendly tone
• Ask about recipient's health/wellbeing in opening
• Use contractions (I'm, don't, can't) naturally
• Share feelings and personal details
• End with warm greetings to family
• Invite them to write back
• Sign with first name only
• Maintain 3-4 clear paragraphs

❌DON'T:

• Use formal language ("I humbly request", "I beg to state")
• Write "Respected" or "Dear Sir/Madam" (that's formal)
• End with "Yours faithfully" / "Yours sincerely" (formal closes)
• Include receiver's address (not needed)
• Write full name in signature
• Make it too brief (under 150 words)
• Write in single paragraph
• Use overly casual slang ("hey dude", "wassup")