DSE 英文 letter to the editor 格式:最穩陣寫法

Letter to the Editor 係一種正式文體,重點唔係「寫得似郵件」,而係要寫得有 authority、清楚、得體,並且一開首就表明你點解寫呢封信。最穩陣嘅做法係固定用 Dear Editor,、清楚交代寫作目的、亮明身份、每段只做一件事,最後加一個明確呼籲。

一、先分清呢種文體

Letter to the Editor 唔等於普通 formal letter,因為你通常係向報章、雜誌或媒體編輯發表意見,所以 tone 要更像公開評論,語氣要正式、克制、具說服力。資料顯示,這類信件通常用 Dear Editor, 開首,結尾則用 Yours faithfully,,而唔係 personal letter 常見嗰種輕鬆下款。

二、固定格式

你可以直接記住以下六步:

  1. Dear Editor,

  2. Opening / purpose

  3. Writer identity

  4. Body paragraph 1

  5. Body paragraph 2

  6. Optional counter-argument + conclusion + call to action

  7. Yours faithfully,

  8. Your name

 Letter to the Editor 係正式書信,開首、正文、結尾都要完整,唔可以當成 chatty email 寫。

三、開頭要點寫

開頭最重要係一句講清楚「你寫信做乜」同「你點睇件事」。資料建議可用類似 I am writing to express my views on…I am writing to draw attention to… 呢類正式句式,唔好一嚟就空泛抒情。

安全 opening 模板

Dear Editor,
I am writing to express my concern about…
As a member of the public / a student / a resident of… , I strongly believe that…

如果題目係回應一篇文章,開頭最好加返背景,例如提及議題同你立場,咁樣會更「像真」同更易攞 format marks。

四、正文點樣排最穩

最穩陣係 one paragraph, one job。每段最好只講一個主論點,先寫 topic sentence,再加例子或證據,最後用一句分析收尾。資料多次提到,Letter to the Editor 嘅正文可以分兩至三段,並且要靠 topic sentencesexamples 同 evidence 去推動論證。

段落功能建議

  • Paragraph 1:主論點一。

  • Paragraph 2:主論點二。

  • Paragraph 3:反駁反方或補充更強論點。

Topic sentence 句式

  • Firstly, it is clear that…

  • To begin with, one major concern is that…

  • Another important point is that…

  • Equally important, …

呢種寫法比堆砌形容詞更有分數,因為考官會一眼見到你有條理。

五、點樣寫出有力立場

Letter to the Editor 唔係 pure essay,而係要「向公眾表態」。所以你要用清楚嘅 stance language,例如 I strongly believeI completely disagreeI am fully in favour of, 或 I cannot agree with

高分立場句

  • I strongly believe that this proposal will do more harm than good.

  • I cannot agree with the idea that…

  • There is no doubt that…

  • It is imperative that we address this issue immediately.

記住,formal tone 之下要有力度,但唔可以變成情緒化指控。

 

六、反駁點樣處理

如果題目需要平衡觀點,你可以加一段 counter-argument,但唔好寫得太長。最理想係先承認對方睇法有少少合理,再指出佢忽略咗更重要嘅現實。

反駁句式

  • Admittedly, some may argue that… However, this overlooks the fact that…

  • While it is true that…, it fails to take into account that…

  • Although this argument may sound reasonable, it does not hold up because…

呢種寫法會令你篇文更成熟,唔似單純一面倒喊口號。

 

七、結尾要有 call to action

好多考生最後一段只係總結,冇呼籲,咁就會顯得力度不足。Letter to the Editor 最好結尾加一句清楚要求,例如促請政府、學校、組織或公眾採取行動。

結尾句式

  • I therefore urge the authorities to take immediate action.

  • I hope the relevant stakeholders will seriously consider this matter.

  • It is time for the public to…

  • I strongly urge the government to…

最後落 Yours faithfully, 再寫名,格式就完整而且穩陣。

八、Gold-standard sample

以下係一篇可直接參考嘅 Letter to the Editor sample:

Dear Editor,
I am writing to express my strong concern about the growing problem of excessive smartphone use among teenagers. As a secondary school student, I have witnessed how this habit is affecting students’ concentration, sleep, and social life.
Firstly, excessive smartphone use seriously reduces students’ ability to focus in class. When students constantly check messages or social media, they lose track of lessons and fall behind academically. For example, many of my classmates spend every break scrolling on their phones instead of revising or discussing schoolwork. As a result, they often struggle to complete homework efficiently.
Secondly, this habit damages interpersonal relationships. Instead of talking face to face, many teenagers now communicate mainly through screens, which weakens real human connection. This is especially worrying because young people should be developing communication skills, not avoiding them.
Admittedly, smartphones can be useful for learning and communication. However, when they are used without self-control, their negative effects far outweigh their benefits.
I therefore urge schools and parents to work together to set clear rules on phone use and guide students towards healthier habits. Only by doing so can we help teenagers use technology wisely rather than being controlled by it.
Yours faithfully,
Chris Wong

呢篇 sample 展示咗正式格式、清楚立場、具體例子,同埋有收結呼籲,係考場好實用嘅寫法。

九、背誦版骨架

如果你想考場即刻套用,可以記住呢個版本:

Dear Editor,
I am writing to express my views on [issue].
Firstly, …
Secondly, …
Admittedly, … However, …
I therefore urge [authority/stakeholders] to…
Yours faithfully,
[Your name]

呢個骨架最適合 DSE 英文 letter to the editor 格式,因為夠 formal、夠清晰,而且易變題