This set has ten original questions that mix the five skills in the email communication module. They run from short checks to a full revision. No marks are given, because the aim is to see whether your habits hold.
Write each answer on paper first. Then open the worked answer and compare points, tone, reasons and time words. The mistake log and retest queue is useful for noting slips.
Questions
1. (Points) A task asks you to write to a friend and say where the party is, what time it starts and what to wear. Write the three details as three short sentences.
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There are three points: place, time, clothing. A possible answer: “The party is at my house, 12 Jalan Bunga. It starts at 6 p.m. on Saturday. Please wear something comfortable, because we will be playing games outside.”
Check that each point has its own sentence and a specific detail.
2. (Points) The task asks for a date, a cost and a contact name. This reply covers only two. Which is missing? “The workshop is on 20 April. Please ask for Mrs Yap at the front desk.”
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The cost is missing. The date is 20 April and the contact name is Mrs Yap. A corrected version adds: “The fee is RM15.”
3. (Formality) Choose the correct greeting and sign-off pair for an email to a librarian whose name you do not know. (a) Hi, / Cheers, (b) Dear Sir or Madam, / Yours faithfully, (c) Dear Sir or Madam, / Yours sincerely,
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(b). A greeting with no name takes Yours faithfully. Option (c) mixes the pair, and option (a) is too informal for a librarian.
4. (Formality) Rewrite for a principal: “Hey, can we have a longer break on Friday? We’re all tired.”
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“Dear Mr Chong, I am writing to ask whether students could have a longer break on Friday. Many of us are tired after the sports week. I would be grateful for your consideration. Yours sincerely, (name)”
The rewrite removes “Hey” and “we’re”, uses a polite request and gives a reason.
5. (Reason) Join with a reason: “I am late with my homework. I was ill.”
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“I am late with my homework because I was ill.” Also correct: “I was ill, so my homework is late.”
6. (Reason) The sentence “I would like a refund because I bought it on Monday” does not explain the complaint. Replace the reason with a real one, for a torn T-shirt.
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“I would like a refund because the T-shirt was torn when I opened the packet.” The date does not explain why a refund is needed. The torn shirt does.
7. (Time) Correct the verbs: “Last Sunday I go to my grandmother’s house. Next week I visited her again.”
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“Last Sunday I went to my grandmother’s house. Next week I will visit her again.”
“Last Sunday” needs the past simple, and “next week” needs a future form.
8. (Time) This sentence has a clash of time words and verb form. Fix it in two different ways: “I have seen the film yesterday.”
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Way one, past simple with a finished time: “I saw the film yesterday.”
Way two, present perfect without a finished time: “I have seen the film twice this month.”
9. (Revision, purpose) Here is a draft. “Dear Mrs Gan, How are you? The weather is hot. My class has a lot of homework. I like English. Yours sincerely, Dina.” The task was to ask whether she can join a speaking club and to say when she is free. Rewrite it in four sentences.
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“Dear Mrs Gan, I am writing to ask whether I can join the speaking club. I want to join because I would like to speak English more confidently. I am free on Wednesday and Friday after school. Could you please tell me when the next meeting is? Yours sincerely, Dina”
The purpose is in the first sentence, the reason is given, the time is given, and the last sentence asks for action. The weather and homework lines are cut.
10. (Mixed) Task written for this page: “Your class trip to the science museum has been moved from Tuesday to Thursday. Write an email to a classmate, Kai. Say what has changed, why it changed and what he should bring.” Write a full email of about six sentences.
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A model answer:
“Hi Kai, I am writing to tell you that our trip to the science museum has moved from Tuesday to Thursday. It changed because the museum is closed on Tuesday for repairs. We will still leave school at 8.30 a.m. and come back at 3 p.m. Please bring a packed lunch, a water bottle and RM10 for the workshop. Last week you said you had football on Thursday, so please tell Mr Noor soon if you cannot come. See you on Thursday. Best wishes, Hafiz”
Check: all three points (change, reason, items) are covered. The tone is informal and suits a classmate. The reason uses “because”. Time words are consistent: “has moved”, “will leave”, “last week you said”.
If you got these wrong
- Missing a point or a detail (questions 1, 2, 10): return to covering all requested points.
- Tone or sign-off errors (3, 4): return to opening and closing with suitable formality.
- A reason that does not explain (5, 6): return to explaining a reason rather than listing events.
- Tense and time word clashes (7, 8): return to using time expressions consistently.
- No clear purpose (9): return to revising an email that omits its main purpose.
The summary selection and paraphrase studio and writing revision compare view support these skills.
If the same error keeps returning even after you have reread the lesson, a teacher can trace it to its cause. That is what our online one-to-one English as a Second Language tuition is for.