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E7 M - A simple work-related email

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E7 M - A simple work-related email

Einleitung

Your task: Read and write a short, polite work-related email. First try in English. Use the picture, context and hints before you use the short German help.

Situation: You are doing a school careers project. You want simple information from a fictional workplace.

All names, organisations and email addresses in this course are fictional. Do not use private social-media data. Recordings are optional and should stay private unless your teacher gives another safe instruction.

I can ...

I can identify the subject, greeting, reason, request, closing and sign-off of a simple work-related email. I can ask politely with Could you please ...? and explain my purpose with I am writing to .... I can write a short email and improve it after feedback.

What you already know

You already know simple greetings, question words, the present simple and basic polite phrases. Try these first: Hello, please, thank you, Can you ...?

Mini-check: Which phrase sounds more suitable in a work email: “Hey!” or “Dear Ms Green,”?

Media start: What do you notice?

Look for clues: Where is the person? What may they be writing? Say two short sentences in English.

Hint: Use: “I can see ...” and “Maybe the person is ...”

Deutsch-Hilfe nur bei Bedarf: Beschreibe zuerst nur sichtbare Dinge. Danach vermutest Du, was die Person schreibt.

Notice: The parts of an email

A simple work email often has this order:

Part	Example	Job
Subject	Question about your office	tells the topic
Greeting	Dear Ms Green,	starts politely
Reason	I am writing about our careers project.	explains why you write
Request	Could you please answer two questions?	asks for something
Closing	Thank you for your time.	ends politely
Sign-off	Best wishes,	closes the message

Notice: The email is short. Every line has a clear job.

Understand: Read a model email

Fictional email

To: careers@northpark-office.example Subject: Question about your office

Dear Ms Green,

I am writing about our school careers project. I would like to learn more about office work.

Could you please tell me what a normal workday is like? Could you also tell me which skills are important in your team?

Thank you for your time.

Best wishes, Alex Reed

Try first: What is Alex asking for? Find two polite questions.

Hint: Look for two sentences beginning with Could you ...

Deutsch-Hilfe nur bei Bedarf: Alex fragt nach dem Arbeitsalltag und nach wichtigen Fähigkeiten.

Reading check

Reason for writing: Find the sentence that explains why Alex writes.
Polite request: Underline the two requests.
Email structure: Put these parts in order: request – sign-off – greeting – subject – reason – closing.
Useful detail: Decide which information is useful for the workplace and which information would be too private.

Direct feedback: If you found “I am writing about ...” as the reason and both “Could you ...?” sentences as requests, you found the key information.

Context and media: Email at work

An email can help people ask for information, confirm details or arrange a simple next step. In this course, you only practise a safe school-related inquiry to a fictional workplace.

Look and speak: Name three things you might find at this workplace. Then give one reason why email could be useful there.

Listening and viewing 1

Watch selected parts of the Oxford Online English video: the opening, the reason for writing and the sign-off. You do not need to understand every word.

Before watching: Predict three phrases you may hear.

While watching: Listen for a greeting, a reason for writing and a closing phrase.

After watching: Say one phrase you could use in your own email.

Hint: Focus on function, not every word.

Listening and viewing 2

Watch a short section about formal and informal email language.

Try: Listen for one phrase that fits a work email and one phrase that sounds more informal.

Quick feedback: A work email to an unknown adult normally needs a polite greeting, a clear request and a suitable sign-off.

Vocabulary in context

Word or phrase	Meaning in this course	Example
subject	the short topic line	Question about your office
request	something you ask for	Could you please tell me ...?
skills	things you can do well	teamwork, planning
workplace	a place where people work	an office
reply	an answer to an email	Thank you for your reply.
available	free or possible at a time	Are you available on Friday?

Use it: Choose three words and make one short workplace sentence for each.

Pronunciation

Say these phrases slowly, then at a natural pace:

Could you please ...? I am writing to ... Thank you for your time. Best wishes.

Focus on clear word stress and understandable rhythm. Being easy to understand is more important than sounding like a native speaker.

Optional: Record yourself privately, listen once and improve one phrase. Do not upload the recording unless your teacher has set up a safe class space.

Try: Functional grammar

For a polite request, use:

Could you please + base verb ...?

Example: Could you please tell me about your team?

For your purpose, use:

I am writing to + base verb ...

Example: I am writing to ask about your workplace.

For a wish or aim, use:

I would like to + base verb ...

Example: I would like to learn more about the job.

Try: Complete these orally before you look at the hint.

Could you please ___ me about the working hours? I am writing to ___ for some information. I would like to ___ more about the job.

Hint: tell – ask – learn

Use: Speaking

Work with a partner. One person is a student. One person works at the fictional North Park Office.

Student: Ask for information about a normal workday and one useful skill. Workplace partner: Answer briefly and ask one follow-up question.

Use at least one phrase:

Could you please ...? What is ... like? Which skills are important? Thank you. That helps.

Then change roles.

Communicate: Writing

Write a short email to the fictional address info@oakbridge-workplace.example.

Your goal: Ask for information for a school careers project.

Use this structure:

Step	Your line
Subject	A short topic
Greeting	Dear Mr / Ms ...,
Reason	I am writing to ...
Request 1	Could you please ...?
Request 2	Could you also ...?
Closing	Thank you for ...
Sign-off	Best wishes,

Aim for about 60–90 words. Keep the message clear and polite.

Stepped help

Help 1 – small hint: Start each paragraph with its job: reason → request → closing.

Help 2 – phrase bank: I am writing to ... / I would like to ... / Could you please ...? / Could you also ...? / Thank you for your time. / Best wishes,

Help 3 – German help only if needed: Schreibe zuerst den Grund, dann zwei höfliche Fragen, dann einen kurzen Abschluss. Übernimm keine privaten Daten.

Feedback and improve

Check your draft:

Check	Yes / Not yet
My subject is clear.
My greeting is polite.
I explain why I am writing.
I ask one or two clear questions.
I use please or another polite phrase.
I end the email politely.
I checked names, spelling and punctuation.

Peer feedback: Give one useful comment: “Your request is clear because ...” or “You could make this line more polite by ...”

If you use an AI tool in a teacher-approved setting, check its language level and feedback carefully. Do not upload personal data. Keep your own ideas and wording; AI should not replace your text.

Mediation: Help someone understand

A fictional classmate asks in German: “Was will Alex in der Modell-E-Mail eigentlich?”

Explain the purpose in two or three German sentences. Do not translate every line. Give only the key information.

Then return to English: say one sentence beginning with Alex is writing to ...

Mini-transfer: A new situation

New fictional situation: You want to ask a local bike shop about a school job-information morning.

Change only three things in the model:

Subject line: Make the topic fit the bike shop.
Reason: Explain the school project.
Request: Ask one new question about work in the shop.

Use again: Keep the same email structure, but create your own wording.

E-Ausblick: One controlled past perfect example

You do not need the past perfect for this email.

For a later E-level course, you may meet a sentence such as: I had read your website before I wrote the email.

Here, had read shows that one past action happened before another past action. Do not use this form in your current email unless your teacher asks for it.

Self- / Can-do-Check

Rate yourself: Yes – Almost – Not yet.

I can ...	Yes	Almost	Not yet
find the main parts of a simple work email
understand the main request
use Could you please ...?
write a clear subject line
write a 60–90 word email
improve my email after feedback

If you chose Not yet, return to the model email and phrase bank. Then write one improved version.

Folgekurs

Next step: A polite follow-up email. You can practise replying, confirming simple details and asking one follow-up question.

Interaktive Aufgaben

Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen

Which line is a suitable subject for a work-related inquiry? (Question about your office) (!Hi there) (!My weekend) (!Funny message)

Which greeting is suitable for a polite work email? (Dear Ms Green,) (!Yo Green!) (!Hey you!) (!Hiya!!!)

Which sentence clearly gives a reason for writing? (I am writing about our school careers project.) (!Best wishes,) (!Thank you for your time.) (!Could you also reply today?)

Which sentence is a polite request? (Could you please tell me about your team?) (!Tell me now.) (!You must answer.) (!I want this.)

Which phrase can close a polite email? (Thank you for your time.) (!What?) (!Answer me.) (!Bye bye bye.)

Which sign-off fits a simple work email? (Best wishes,) (!LOL,) (!See ya,) (!Later,)

What should a subject line do? (Show the topic briefly) (!Tell a long story) (!Give private details) (!Replace the whole email)

Which sentence uses the correct pattern after Could you please? (Could you please send the information?) (!Could you please sent the information?) (!Could you please sending the information?) (!Could you please sends the information?)

What is a good first step when improving your email? (Check if the request is clear and polite) (!Add private social-media data) (!Delete the subject line) (!Make every sentence longer)

What should you do with an AI suggestion for your email? (Check it and keep your own wording) (!Copy it without reading) (!Upload private data) (!Let it replace your whole text)

Memory

Subject	Short topic line
Greeting	Polite opening
Reason	Why you write
Request	What you ask for
Details	Useful extra information
Closing	Final polite sentence
Sign-off	Best wishes
Recipient	Person who receives the email

Drag and Drop

Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu.	Thema
Subject	Question about your office
Greeting	Dear Ms Green,
Reason	I am writing about our school careers project.
Request	Could you please tell me about your team?
Sign-off	Best wishes,

Kreuzworträtsel

SUBJECT	What is the short topic line of an email called?
GREETING	What is the polite opening of an email called?
REQUEST	What do you call something you politely ask for?
CLOSING	What part gives the final polite sentence?
DETAILS	What word means useful extra information?
RECIPIENT	What do you call the person who receives an email?

LearningApps

Lückentext

A short work-related email needs a clear

line. A polite opening can begin with

. The sentence “I am writing to ...” explains the

for the message. A polite question can begin with

you please. The main thing you ask for is your

. Useful extra information is called

. A polite final sentence can say “Thank you for your

.” A common sign-off is “Best

.” Before sending, you should

your email. Your message should stay clear and

.

Offene Aufgaben

Leicht

Subject line challenge: Write three short subject lines for three fictional workplace questions.
Polite or not?: Collect six short email phrases and sort them into suitable and unsuitable for a work email. Explain two choices.
Picture prompt: Use one workplace image from this course and write four English sentences about what you can see and what people may communicate about.
Phrase recording: Privately record three polite request phrases, listen once and improve clarity. Recording is voluntary and stays private.

Standard

Email rebuild: Cut a fictional model email into parts and rebuild the correct order. Explain why your order works.
Two requests: Write a 60–90 word email with two different polite questions to a fictional workplace.
Role-play inquiry: Act out a short student–workplace conversation. Ask, react and give one reason for your interest.
Peer feedback: Exchange fictional emails in class and give two comments: one strength and one specific improvement.

Schwer

Compare registers: Write one informal message to a friend and one polite work email about the same basic topic. Explain three language differences.
Mini interview: With teacher approval, plan five safe questions for a real adult about their job. Do not collect private data. Summarise the answers without naming the person.
Email revision: Improve a weak fictional email with an unclear subject, one rude request and missing closing. Explain each change.
Mini project: Create a short guide titled “Five steps to a clear work email” with your own examples and one self-made visual.

Lernkontrolle

New workplace situation: You receive a new fictional situation. Decide which information belongs in the subject, reason and request, then justify your choices.
Register transfer: Change a casual chat message into a short work email. Explain which words, structure and punctuation you changed.
Missing information: Read a fictional reply that answers only one of two questions. Write a polite follow-up that asks only for the missing information.
Mediation task: Explain the key request of an English work email in German without translating sentence by sentence. Then give the purpose again in one English sentence.
Feedback revision: Use two pieces of peer or teacher feedback to revise your own email. Mark the two changes and explain how they improve clarity or politeness.

Lernnachweis

For a successful Lernnachweis, show that you can:

Email structure: organise subject, greeting, reason, request, closing and sign-off logically.
Polite language: use suitable phrases such as “Could you please ...?” and “Thank you for your time.”
Clear purpose: make the reason for writing easy to understand.
Relevant details: include useful information without private or unnecessary data.
Revision: use feedback to improve clarity, politeness, spelling and punctuation.
Independent writing: keep your own ideas and wording, including when digital or AI support is allowed.

OERs zum Thema

The embedded Commons images are freely reusable according to the licence information on their individual Wikimedia Commons file pages.

Mediennachweise und Weiterlernen

Wikimedia Commons media used in this course include Email icon.svg, At sign.svg, Mail symbol.svg, Mail Icon Black.png, Envelope-letter-icon.png, Office Desk.jpg and Hands typing on a laptop during work hours in a modern office setting.jpg. Licence and author information can be opened from each file page.

The two embedded YouTube lessons are from Oxford Online English and Englishing. Use only the sections needed for the learning task.

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