Unit 10 — Writing an Application Letter

Track E · Klasse 9 · Niveau E

Template: Activate → Input → Practise → Produce → Reflect.
Niveau: E. class test (“Klassenarbeit”) at Niveau E (45 BE).

Learning objectives Link to heading

  • I can read a job ad and pick out 5 requirements.
  • I can write a 150-word formal application letter.
  • I can use formal register (no contractions, no slang, polite phrasings).

curriculum framework (“Bildungsplan”) alignment Link to heading

  • 3.2.1 Soziokulturelles Orientierungswissen / Themen
  • 3.2.3.2 Leseverstehen
  • 3.2.3.5 Schreiben
  • 3.2.3.7 Verfügen über sprachliche Mittel – Wortschatz

(Source: https://www.bildungsplaene-bw.de/,Lde/LS/BP2016BW/ALLG/SEK1/E1)

Lead-in story Link to heading

Eli is applying for a one-week summer job at a small hotel in Cornwall. The hotel wants enthusiastic, responsible, English-speaking helper. Eli ticks enthusiastic and English-speaking with confidence. Responsible, he hopes, will be obvious from the letter. He has been writing the letter for two days. It now has six sentences.

1. Activate Link to heading

Job-ad scan. On the slide is a short job ad. With your partner, list 5 requirements and 1 piece of information that tells you what to put in your letter.

2. Input Link to heading

Reading — sample job ad Link to heading

Summer Helper Wanted, The Old Cottage Hotel, Cornwall. Three weeks, July. Duties: helping at breakfast, cleaning rooms, simple admin. We are looking for an enthusiastic, responsible, English-speaking person aged 16+. Please send a short letter of application by 15 May to manager@oldcottagehotel.example.

Application letter structure Link to heading

  1. Address block (your name + address; date).
  2. Salutation: Dear Sir or Madam / Dear Ms Smith if name known.
  3. Opening: I am writing to apply for …
  4. Body: 1 paragraph on background, 1 on skills, 1 on motivation.
  5. Close: I look forward to hearing from you.
  6. Sign-off: Yours faithfully (no name) / Yours sincerely (named).

Formal register Link to heading

  • No contractions: I am (not I’m).
  • No slang.
  • Polite hedging: I would be grateful if … / Should you require further information, …

3. Practise Link to heading

Niveau E — controlled Link to heading

  1. Match: Yours faithfully — Sir/Madam; Yours sincerely — Ms Smith.
  2. Make formal: Hi! I’d love the job. Cheers, Eli. → ___ .

Niveau E — productive Link to heading

  1. Build the four key sentences: opening, qualifications, motivation, close.
Answer key

Controlled. 1. correct. 2. Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to apply for the position. … Yours faithfully, Eli.

Productive. 3. Open.

4. Produce Link to heading

Application letter, 150 words. Write a full letter for the Summer Helper ad above. Use formal register and the six structural elements.

Sample Link to heading

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to apply for the Summer Helper position at The Old Cottage Hotel, advertised on your website. I am 16 years old and live in Stuttgart, Germany. I have just finished Klasse 9 with a strong focus on English. I have spent two summers helping at a small café run by my aunt, where I learnt to handle breakfast service and simple admin tasks. I would be grateful for the chance to support your team during the busy July weeks. I am responsible, organised, and confident in English. I would be available from 1 July to 21 July. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully, Eli Becker

5. Reflect Link to heading

  • I can read a job ad and pick out 5 requirements.
  • I can write a 150-word formal application letter.
  • I can keep formal register throughout.

One thing in your notebook: Write one sentence using something you learned in this Unit.

Exam example Link to heading

class test ("Klassenarbeit") — Niveau E (45 minutes)
Time. 45 minutes. Total. 45 points.

Task 1 — Listening (10 BE) Link to heading

Listen twice.

“The Old Cottage Hotel is looking for a summer helper for three weeks in July. Duties include helping at breakfast, cleaning rooms, and simple admin. The person should be 16 or older, enthusiastic, and an English speaker. Applications by 15 May.”

  1. Length: ___ . 2. Three duties: ___ . 3. Age: ___ . 4. Deadline: ___ .

Task 2 — Reading (12 BE) Link to heading

Read the sample application letter above. Answer.

  1. Position: ___ . 2. Age: ___ . 3. One previous experience: ___ . 4. Sign-off: ___ .

Task 3 — Use of English (10 BE) Link to heading

Make formal.

  1. Hi, I’d love the job. → ___
  2. I’m 16. → ___
  3. Cheers, → ___
  4. Get back to me when you can. → ___

Task 4 — Writing (13 BE) Link to heading

Write a 150-word application letter for a summer job (any). Use formal register and the six structural elements.

Answer key
T1. 3 weeks in July; breakfast / cleaning rooms / simple admin; 16+; 15 May. T2. Summer Helper, The Old Cottage Hotel; 16; helping at aunt’s café (breakfast service + admin); Yours faithfully, Eli Becker. T3. Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to apply for the position. / I am 16. / Yours faithfully, / I look forward to hearing from you. T4. Open.
grading scale (Notenschlüssel) (von 45)
| 42–45 | 1 | 36–41 | 2 | 30–35 | 3 | | 22–29 | 4 | 13–21 | 5 | 0–12 | 6 |

Downloads Link to heading

**Slide deck timing.** 45 minutes total. Lead-in 4 min · Activate 5 min · Input 14 min · Practise 8 min · Produce 11 min · Reflect 3 min.

Differentiation. Below Niveau E: scaffold card with the key structure. Above Niveau E: extension prompt linking to Klasse 10.

Common pitfalls Link to heading

  • Contractions in formal letters → ✗.
  • Yours faithfully with a named person → ✗ — use Yours sincerely.
  • Generic opening (I want this job) — be specific.

Further reading / listening Link to heading

  • BBC Bitesize — Formal letter writing.
  • British Council — application-letter samples.

Downloads

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