Letter and descriptive writing
Class 9 English · Writing · 17 questions with answers
Writing is where the cheapest marks in the paper sit, because a share of them is awarded for layout before the content is read at all. A letter missing its subject line loses those marks however good the argument is. This sheet does the format first and the writing second, in that order, because that is the order the marking scheme uses.
- Lays out a formal letter with every required part present
- Writes a subject line that states the purpose in one line
- Plans four points in two minutes before writing
- Structures a descriptive paragraph rather than listing details
Exercise 1 of 3 · 8 questions
Put the parts of a formal letter in order. Number them 1 to 8.
Put in order · Warm-up
Here’s one done for you
Eight parts, and each carries something. The subject line is the one most often forgotten, and it costs marks that the letter had already earned in its content. Ten seconds spent laying the letter out before writing a word is the highest-return ten seconds anywhere on the English paper.
- 1)A. Salutation - Sir / Madam
- 2)B. Sender's address
- 3)C. Body of the letter
- 4)D. Date
- 5)E. Receiver's designation and address
- 6)F. Subject line
- 7)G. Closing - Yours faithfully / Yours sincerely
- 8)H. Signature and name
Answers
- 1) B, D, E, F, A, C, G, H. Sender's address, date, receiver's details, subject, salutation, body, closing, name.
Exercise 2 of 3 · 8 questions
Write a one-line subject for each letter.
Write the answer · Guided
Here’s one done for you
A good subject line is one line, specific, and states the purpose rather than the topic. 'Subject: Garbage' is a topic. 'Subject: Uncollected garbage in Ward 12 for the past two weeks' tells the reader what the letter is about and what it wants. Specific detail costs nothing and reads as a real letter rather than an exercise.
- 1)A letter to the editor about waterlogging on your street after every rain
- 2)A letter to the municipal commissioner about uncollected garbage
- 3)A letter to a bookshop about a damaged book delivered to you
- 4)A letter to your principal requesting an inter-house debate competition
- 5)A letter to the transport authority about an unsafe bus stop
- 6)A letter to the editor about the loss of trees in your locality
- 7)A letter to a company about a delayed order
- 8)A letter to the health officer about mosquito breeding
Answers
- 1) Subject: Waterlogging on Nehru Road after every spell of rain.
- 2) Subject: Uncollected garbage in Ward 12 for the past two weeks.
- 3) Subject: Replacement of a damaged book delivered on 12 July.
- 4) Subject: Request for an inter-house debate competition.
- 5) Subject: Request to relocate the unsafe bus stop at Gandhi Road.
- 6) Subject: Concern over the felling of trees in Vidyanagar.
- 7) Subject: Delay in delivery of order number 4471.
- 8) Subject: Request for action on mosquito breeding in Ward 12.
Exercise 3 of 3 · 1 questions
Write the letter in full, about 120 words. A model answer is given.
Write the answer · Practice
Here’s one done for you
The model letter is three short paragraphs: what the problem is, why it matters, and what should be done. That third paragraph is the one children leave out, and it is the one that makes a letter a letter rather than a complaint. Notice also that the details are specific - knee-deep, twice a day, this month. Specific detail costs nothing to invent and lifts the content mark noticeably.
- 1)Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper about waterlogging on your street after every spell of rain.
Answers
- 1) 42, Nehru Road Bengaluru 560001 21 July 2026 The Editor The Daily Chronicle Bengaluru 560001 Subject: Waterlogging on Nehru Road after every spell of rain Sir, I wish to draw attention through your columns to the condition of Nehru Road, which floods after even a short spell of rain. The drains along the road have not been cleared this year, and water now stands knee-deep for several hours after each shower. The consequences are not minor. Two-wheelers have stalled in the water, schoolchildren wade through it twice a day, and shopkeepers on the lower side of the road have lost stock more than once this month. A single round of desilting before the next heavy rain would prevent all of it. I request the concerned authorities to take note. Yours faithfully, Ananya Rao
While your child works
- Check the eight parts before reading the content. Format marks are awarded first and lost first.
- The subject line should state the purpose, not the topic. 'Garbage' is a topic; 'uncollected garbage in Ward 12 for two weeks' is a purpose.
- Every letter needs a paragraph saying what should be done. It is the one most often missing.