Business English: Formal vs Informal Email
Formal vs informal email is the central B1–B2 business-writing skill — and a daily decision every professional makes. The worksheet covers the register spectrum: external-formal (Dear Mr Smith, Kind regards), internal-professional (Hi Sarah, Best), team-casual (Hey team, Cheers), and quick-message (Just a quick one — can we move the meeting?). Learners build the register-matching fluency that workplace email demands.
This worksheet builds B1–B2 fluency with email register matching.
Worksheet preview
What’s inside:
- A register-spectrum reference with examples
- Sample emails across the register range with annotated features
- Register-shifting task: rewrite the same content for three different audiences
- Mismatched-register error correction
- Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes
Common challenges: Greeting-sign-off mismatching — Dear Mr Smith with Cheers sounds odd. Body-register consistency: the opening sets a register the body must maintain. CC etiquette: who needs to see the message vs who doesn’t.
For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B1–B2, in intermediate and upper-intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study — particularly professionals. Maps onto BEC Vantage. Part of the Business Writing collection — the natural next step is Apologies and Complaints.
