Writing the Salutation of a Formal Letter in WAEC | NECO | GCE

Hello.

Do you want to see and learn the correct format for the salutation of a formal letter in WAEC, NECO or GCE essay paper?

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• EXPLAIN SALUTATION IN A LETTER.

• LIST THE STEPS FOR WRITING THE SALUTATION OF A FORMAL LETTER IN WAEC.

• WRITE A CORRECT SALUTATION IN WAEC FORMAL LETTER WRITING.

What is salutation in formal letter?

Salutation is a very short greeting (two words) written under the RECEIVER’S ADDRESS, before THE TITLE and directed to the recipient of your letter.

It is important to confirm the gender of your recipient or receiver before saluting him/her.

How to write the salutation of a formal letter in WAEC

After.

• THE WRITER’S ADDRESS.

• THE DATE.

• THE RECEIVER’S ADDRESS.

The salutation is the 4TH part of a FORMAL LETTER IN WAEC.

It is written immediately under the receiver’s address at the left-side of your writing page but with an indentation.

An indentation is that little distance from your page margin to the first word on a line.

The salutation of a formal letter in WAEC, NECO or GCE is structured as follows.

1. Start with “Dear”

EXAMPLE.

• Dear

2. Next is “Sir” or “Madam”

You have three methods of saluting the receiver in an informal letter.

Saluting a male recipient

Use “Sir” when writing to a male recipient.

EXAMPLE (1).

• Dear Sir

Saluting a female recipient

Use “Madam” in your salutation to a female recipient.

EXAMPLE (2).

• Dear Madam

PLEASE NOTE that “Ma” is an abbreviation of “Madam” and abbreviations are NOT allowed when writing a formal letter.

Saluting an UNKNOWN gender

Letter writing in WAEC, NECO or GCE usually reveal the gender of your receiver in the question.

Write a letter to the Education Minister of your country, telling him about…

And even when the gender is NOT revealed, you are expected to at least know some current affairs about your country for questions like this.

Write a letter to the Education Minister of your country, telling him/her about…

But when you truly do NOT know the gender of your receiver and also do NOT want to guess in error, combine both salutations.

EXAMPLE (3).

• Dear Sir/Madam

Your BEST option is always to find out your receiver’s gender and salute appropriately (EXAMPLE 1 and 2).

However.

In a case of an UNKNOWN gender, it is better to combine the salutations (EXAMPLE 3) than to mistakenly call a man “Madam” or a woman “Sir”.

3. End with a comma

A comma must end any of the title methods you choose to use.

EXAMPLES.

• Dear Sir,
• Dear Madam,
• Dear Sir/Madam,

Lesson Activity

Write the salutation of a letter to the president of your country (following the same format explained in this lesson).

SUBMIT

Share your salutation in the comment section below and get a feedback or correction from me.

OR

Do you have any question(s) about writing the salutation of a formal letter in WAEC, NECO or GCE essay paper? Comment and I will reply you too.