Where formal letters appear in exams
Formal letters (and formal emails) appear in IGCSE Paper 4 Question 2 (directed writing) and Question 3 (extended writing choice), and as one of the text type options in IB Spanish B Paper 2 and the Written Assignment. Register is explicitly assessed in both qualifications.
The Standard Spanish Formal Letter Structure
A Spanish formal letter follows a specific layout. Examiners check these conventions as part of the Format criterion (IB) or the register/appropriacy marks (IGCSE). Getting the structure right is straightforward marks — don't lose them.
Opening Phrases — Phrase Bank
Formal salutations
Opening sentences
Formal Connectors and Discourse Markers
Register in a formal letter is maintained through vocabulary choices, verb forms (usted not tú), and connectors. These are the connectors that signal formal written register to an examiner.
Closing Phrases — Phrase Bank
Before the closing formula
Closing formulas
The register test: read it aloud
Before submitting any formal letter in an exam, scan for these register-breakers: (1) use of tú instead of usted, (2) colloquial connectors like bueno or o sea, (3) exclamation marks (rare in formal Spanish prose), (4) first-name-only reference to the recipient. Any of these in an otherwise formal letter will affect your Criterion A/register mark.
Formal Email vs Formal Letter
In modern exams, formal emails use almost identical conventions to formal letters but with minor differences in presentation. IGCSE and IB both accept formal email format for digital communication tasks.
Related guides
IGCSE Paper 4 Writing Guide →
Full Q1–Q3 breakdown where formal letters appear.
IB Spanish Written Assignment →
Using formal letters as your Written Assignment text type.
IB Spanish Complete Guide →
Full IB Spanish B and Ab Initio exam breakdown.
IGCSE Assessment Breakdown →
How register is assessed in the writing criteria.