Writing an Informal Email for B2 First

In this lesson, you will learn how to write an informal email for B2 First, including the correct structure, useful phrases, informal linking words, common mistakes and three complete model answers.

Imagine this: you open your B2 First Writing paper, and one of the Part 2 tasks asks you to write to a friend. Good news — an informal email can be one of the most enjoyable writing tasks in the exam.

But there is a catch.

Writing informally does not mean writing carelessly. You still need clear paragraphs, accurate grammar, varied vocabulary and, most importantly, an answer that covers everything in the task.

The difference is tone. Instead of sounding formal and distant, your email should sound warm, natural and personal — as if you were genuinely writing to someone you know.

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Informal Emails in B2 First Writing Part 2

The B2 First Writing paper lasts 1 hour 20 minutes and contains two parts.

• Part 1: a compulsory essay
• Part 2: one task chosen from three

In Part 2, you may be asked to write an article, email/letter, review or report.

Your answer should contain 140–190 words.

If you choose an email or letter task, the first thing you need to identify is:

Who am I writing to?

If you are writing to a friend, classmate or someone you know well, you will usually need an informal or friendly style.

If you are writing to a manager, organisation or someone you do not know, a more formal style will be necessary.

So, before you start writing, always think about the target reader.

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How to Write an Informal Email for B2 First: Structure

A good informal email normally has five parts:

1. Greeting
2. Friendly opening
3. Main paragraph or paragraphs
4. Closing paragraph
5. Sign-off

Let’s look at them one by one.

1. Greeting

Begin with the person’s first name.

Good choices include:

• Hi Ben,
• Hello Lucy,
• Dear Tom,

For a friend, Hi + first name is probably the most natural option.

Avoid formal greetings such as:

• Dear Sir or Madam,
• Dear Mr Brown,
• To whom it may concern,

You are writing to someone you know, not applying for a mortgage. 😉

2. Start Your Informal Email Naturally

Don’t jump immediately into the first task point.

A short friendly opening makes your email sound much more authentic.

Responding to a previous message

• Thanks for your email.
• Great to hear from you!
• Thanks for getting in touch.
• It was lovely to hear from you.
• Sorry I haven’t written for ages.

Asking how someone is

• How are things?
• How’s everything going?
• Hope you’re doing well.
• How have you been?

Introducing your news

• Guess what!
• You’ll never believe what happened.
• I’ve got some exciting news.
• I just wanted to tell you about…
• You asked me about…, so…

3. Answer Every Part of the Task

This is where many candidates lose marks.

An informal email may feel conversational, but it is still an exam task.

Suppose the question asks you to:

• describe an event
• say what you enjoyed most
• invite your friend to the next one

You need to do all three things.

Before writing, underline or note every point you have been asked to include.

Then give each point enough detail.

Don’t simply write:

The festival was great. I liked the music. You should come next year.

Technically, you have answered the task — but you have not developed your ideas.

Compare:

The best part was seeing my favourite band perform live. I’d listened to them for years, so finally seeing them on stage was unforgettable.

Now the reader gets meaningful information and your language has much more range.

4. Use Informal Linking Words

You still need to connect your ideas, but an email to a friend does not need to sound like an academic essay.

Instead of relying on:

• Furthermore
• Moreover
• Consequently
• Nevertheless

you can often use more conversational expressions.

Useful informal linkers

• also
• anyway
• by the way
• actually
• to be honest
• luckily
• unfortunately
• in the end
• so
• because
• although
• even though
• as well
• on top of that

5. Finish the Email Naturally

Your final paragraph should sound friendly and give the reader a reason to respond.

Asking for a reply

• Write back soon.
• Let me know what you think.
• Let me know how you get on.
• Tell me what you decide.
• Can’t wait to hear from you.

Making plans

• Hope to see you soon.
• We really need to catch up soon.
• Let me know when you’re free.
• It would be great to see you.
• Why don’t we meet up next weekend?

Asking a final question

Questions make informal emails feel particularly natural.

• What do you think?
• Are you free that weekend?
• Fancy coming with us?
• How does that sound?
• What would you do?

6. Choose an Informal Sign-Off

Suitable endings include:

• Best wishes,
• Take care,
• See you soon,
• Cheers,
• All the best,

Then write your first name.

For example:

Take care,

Alex

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Useful Language for a B2 First Informal Email

You do not need to memorise an entire model answer. It is much more useful to learn flexible phrases that can be adapted to different questions.

Giving good news

• I’ve got some great news!
• You’ll never guess what happened.
• I’m really pleased to tell you that…
• You’ll be happy to hear that…

Giving bad news

• I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news.
• Unfortunately,…
• I hate to say this, but…
• I’m really sorry, but…

Giving an opinion

• I think…
• Personally, I think…
• If you ask me,…
• To be honest,…
• As far as I’m concerned,…

Giving advice

• If I were you, I’d…
• Why don’t you…?
• You could always…
• Have you thought about…?
• I’d definitely recommend…

Making a suggestion

• How about…?
• Why don’t we…?
• We could…
• What about…?
• Fancy…?

Inviting someone

• Would you like to come?
• It would be great if you could come.
• Why don’t you come with us?
• Fancy joining us?
• I’d love you to come.

Reacting to news

• That’s brilliant!
• I’m so pleased for you.
• What a shame!
• That sounds amazing.
• I can’t believe it!
• You must be thrilled.

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Should You Use Contractions?

Yes.

Contractions are completely natural in an informal email.

Compare:

I am really sorry that I cannot come to your party.

with:

I’m really sorry I can’t come to your party.

The second version sounds much more natural in an email to a friend.

However, informal does not mean careless. You still need correct spelling, punctuation and grammar.

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Use Phrasal Verbs and Everyday Vocabulary

Phrasal verbs can help make an informal email sound natural.

For example:

Instead of:

I am looking forward to meeting you.

you might say:

I can’t wait to catch up with you.

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Can You Use Slang in a B2 First Informal Email?

Be careful with slang.

Friendly, conversational expressions are useful, but very strong slang, internet abbreviations and text-message language are usually best avoided.

Avoid things such as:

• LOL
• OMG
• u
• wanna
• gonna
• btw

You are writing an informal exam answer, not sending a hurried message on WhatsApp.

Expressions such as these are much safer:

• That’s great!
• Sounds brilliant!
• I can’t wait!
• Fancy coming?
• You’ll love it.
• What a shame!

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B2 First Informal Email: Example Task 1

You recently went to a music festival.

Write an email to your English-speaking friend John.

In your email:

• describe the festival
• say what you enjoyed most
• invite John to come with you next year

Write your email in 140–190 words.

Model Answer 1 – Music Festival

Hi John,

How are things? I’ve just got back from an amazing music festival and I had to tell you about it.

It took place in a huge park just outside the city, with several stages, food stalls and loads of little places to sit and relax. We arrived at lunchtime and spent most of the afternoon listening to new bands. Later, we tried some street food and somehow ended up dancing with a group of people we had only just met!

The best part was seeing Northern Lights, my favourite band. They were even better live than I expected, and the atmosphere was incredible.

They’re holding the festival again next summer, so why don’t you come with us? You’d absolutely love it, especially the evening concerts. We could even stay for the whole weekend next time.

Anyway, write back and tell me what you think!

Take care,

Alex

Why Is This a Good B2 First Informal Email?

Content

All three parts of the task are covered:

• the festival is described
• the writer explains what they enjoyed most
• John is invited to the next festival

Communicative Achievement

The email sounds appropriate for a friend.

Notice expressions such as:

• How are things?
• I had to tell you about it.
• Why don’t you come with us?
• Write back and tell me what you think!

Organisation

The paragraphs have clear purposes:

1. opening
2. description
3. favourite part
4. invitation and ending

Language

There is a good mixture of everyday vocabulary and varied grammar:

• even better than I expected
• people we had only just met
• why don’t you…
• we could…

This is a much better strategy than filling an email with complicated vocabulary that you would never naturally use with a friend.

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Want More B2 First Writing Practice?

If you are preparing for B2 First and would like more guided writing practice, take a look at my B2 First Writing Bundle.

The collection includes three books designed to help you understand the different B2 First writing tasks, learn useful language and structure, and practise with model answers and exercises:

• Mastering Writing Skills for B2 First
• B2 First Writing Practice Workbook
• Writing for B2 First for Schools

Whether you need more practice with emails, essays, articles, reviews or other B2 First writing tasks, the bundle gives you plenty of opportunities to put what you have learned into practice and become a more confident writer.

Related posts: 

• B2 First Writing 
• How to Write a Formal Letter for B2 First
• Linking Words and Phrases 
• Common Phrasal Verbs for B2 First 
• Making Suggestions, Offers and Invitations 
• Asking for, Giving and Responding to Advice