Unit 4.5: Letters to offices
Formal letters to the Grama Niladhari, a Divisional Secretariat, a bank or a principal, drafted by AI, checked and finished by you.
In Unit 1.3 you learned that an AI doesn't need a polite greeting. A Grama Niladhari, a bank manager or a school principal does. This is where politeness comes back: the AI writes it for you, in the form these offices expect.
The workflow
1. List your facts
Write down, in any English, what the letter must say: what you are asking for, why, by when, and what you are attaching.
2. Ask for a draft, with placeholders
Write a formal letter to the Grama Niladhari of my division, requesting a certificate of residence for a job application abroad.
I have lived at this address for 12 years. I need the certificate by 30 June. I am attaching a copy of my NIC and a utility bill.
Use the usual Sri Lankan formal letter layout: my address and the date at the top, the recipient's title and address, a subject line, "Dear Sir/Madam," and "Yours faithfully".
Use placeholders [NAME], [ADDRESS], [NIC] and [DIVISION] for my details. Don't invent any details.
Placeholders keep your NIC and address out of the AI, and make sure you check every personal detail when you fill them in.
3. Check the rules, not the English
The AI is good at the form of the letter. It is not a reliable source for what the office needs: which forms, which documents, which fees. Ask the office, look at the official website, or ask someone who has done it recently (Unit 3.4).
4. Fill in, read aloud, sign
Replace each placeholder yourself. Read the whole letter once aloud. Then print and sign it.
Sinhala or English?
Many government offices work in Sinhala or Tamil. You can ask for either, but say formal written Sinhala, and have a person who writes official Sinhala well read it before you submit it.
The parts of a formal letter
| Part | Example |
|---|---|
| Your address and the date | [ADDRESS] · 12 June 2025 |
| Recipient | The Grama Niladhari, [DIVISION] |
| Subject line | Request for a certificate of residence |
| Greeting | Dear Sir/Madam, |
| Body | What you request, why, by when, attachments |
| Closing | Yours faithfully, [signature], [NAME], [NIC] |
Letters you might need
- A letter to the bank manager requesting a statement for a visa application, for the last six months.bank
- A letter to the principal requesting a leaving certificate for my daughter, who is moving schools.school
- A letter to the Divisional Secretary requesting a copy of a birth certificate.DS office
- A letter to my employer requesting a service letter stating my position and dates of employment.employer
Before and after
In your world
Quick check
Tap an answer. Nothing is saved.
How do you handle your NIC and address?
Who tells you which documents the office needs?
Where does the request go in a formal letter?
Your turn
Your turn
Saved on this device only.
Write the request for a formal letter you really need (or will need soon). Use placeholders, ask for the usual layout, and tell the AI not to invent details.
Score it: 0, 1 or 2 for each.
Clarity
AI එකට කරන්න ඕන දේ පැහැදිලිද?
Completeness
අවශ්ය විස්තර ඔක්කොම තියෙනවද?
Structure
කොටස් හරි පිළිවෙළටද?
Internationally clear
ලංකාවෙන් පිට කෙනෙක්ටත් තේරෙනවද?
Total: 0 / 8
Next: Unit 4.6: Capstone
Finished this one? Tick it off. It is saved on this device only.
Unit 4.4: AI to AI (optional)
Write instructions that another AI or tool will follow without you, an image prompt, a saved assistant, a chatbot for your business.
Unit 4.6: Capstone
Launch a home business's Facebook page with AI, from the first idea to the first week of posts, using everything in the course.