La lettre formelle
P47.b2-writing.02 · Audience: guest, language-pro, it-ml · Prerequisites: L'essai argumenté
The other B2 production écrite genre — and the one where register is the exam. A lettre formelle is a fixed social machine: it opens correctly (Madame, Monsieur,), states the facts with dates and reference numbers, formulates a precise request (je vous demande de…, never je veux), announces consequences without threats (à défaut, je me verrai contraint(e) de…), and closes with the consecrated formula, matched to the opening.
What separates a B2 letter from a fluent email:
- Facts before feelings. Dates, amounts, dossier numbers — the grievance is built from evidence, indignation stays between the lines.
- The conditional of politeness and the subjunctive after bien que, afin que where they belong.
- A single, checkable request. The reader must know exactly what to do and by when.
Two situations to choose from — a refund gone missing, a workplace negotiation. Write about 200 words and submit; the grade panel shows where the register holds and where it slips.
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Where next?
Later in B2 Writing
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