📝 Writing Models — by Category

12, Lake Road,
Kalutara.
6th December 2026.

Dear Sajini,

We finally moved last weekend! Our new house is a small green-roofed cottage right opposite the public library. It has only three rooms, but the front garden is huge — Amma is already planting roses there. Kalutara is much quieter than Colombo. There is a beautiful beach two kilometres away, a busy fish market near the bus stand, and an old Buddhist temple on the hill behind our house. I miss our morning walks, but I love the salt-air mornings here. When can you visit?

Love,
Tharindu.

12, Lake Road,
Maharagama.
22nd December 2026.

Dear Bappa,

I sat my last paper yesterday — English Literature — and the relief is enormous. I think I did well in everything except Mathematics, where Paper II had three impossible algebra questions. My friends say the same, so I am hopeful for a generous marking scheme. I would love to visit Galle next month, if you are free. I will help in the shop on weekdays and we can fish on the rocks on Sundays. Please give my love to Aunty and Nipun.

Your loving nephew,
Tharindu.

12, Lake Road,
Maharagama.
10th January 2027.

Dear Anna,

The monsoon has just ended and the country is impossibly green — you have to come. The best months are February to April. From Colombo we will take the train to Ella to see the Nine-Arches Bridge, then drive to Mirissa for whale-watching. I cannot let you leave without tasting string hoppers, kottu and king coconut. My family is already planning your room. Send me your dates and I will book the train. We have been waiting nearly two years for this.

Love,
Tharindu.

12, Lake Road,
Maharagama.
15th October 2026.

The Principal,
D.S. Senanayake Maha Vidyalaya,
Colombo 07.

Dear Sir,

ADMISSION TO GRADE 6

I write to apply for admission for my younger sister, Sajini Silva, to Grade 6 from January 2027. She is currently a Grade 5 student at Vidyaloka Vidyalaya, where she scored 168 marks at the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination. We are residents within the 3-km school zone, and I am also a former student of your school. I have attached a copy of her birth certificate and the scholarship result sheet. I would be grateful for an interview at your convenience.

Yours faithfully,
T. S. Ranathunga.

12, Lake Road,
Maharagama.
6th December 2026.

Dear Sajini,

Last month forty of us travelled to Kandy on an air-conditioned bus, leaving school at five in the morning. By eleven we were inside the Temple of the Tooth, where Mr. Perera explained the murals one by one. After lunch we boarded a cable car at the Royal Botanical Gardens for a bird's-eye view of the orchid house. I came back exhausted but happy, with a head full of facts and a phone full of photos. When are we travelling together?

Love,
Tharindu.

12, Lake Road,
Maharagama.
5th January 2027.

The Manager,
Lake House Bookshop,
Colombo 02.

Dear Sir / Madam,

My English teacher has asked us to read three new English story books before the term reopens. I should be grateful if you would post me your latest catalogue of children's titles, suitable for a sixteen-year-old. Please include the prices, any school discounts offered, modes of payment accepted and your delivery options to Maharagama. I plan to order before the end of this month.

Looking forward to a positive reply,

Yours faithfully,
T. S. Ranathunga.

12, Lake Road,
Maharagama.
14th February 2027.

Dear Sajini,

You must read 'The Old Man and the Sea' by Ernest Hemingway before the term ends. It is only 99 pages — Hemingway never wastes a word — yet the story of one Cuban fisherman who has not caught a fish in 84 days will stay with you for life. My favourite scene is the second night at sea, when the old man speaks to his own hand as if it were a stranger. Trust me on this; even my brother, who never reads, finished it in a weekend.

Love,
Tharindu.

12, Lake Road,
Maharagama.
12th December 2026.

The Manager,
Family Hospital,
Maharagama.

Dear Sir / Madam,

APPLICATION FOR THE POST OF JUNIOR RECEPTIONIST

I write with reference to your advertisement in the Sunday Observer of 9th December 2026. I should be grateful if you would consider my application. I completed the GCE O/L Examination this year with eight As and hold an ICT Diploma from Esoft Metro. I am fluent in Sinhala, Tamil and English and have six months' part-time experience as a receptionist at a local dental clinic. I shall be free for an interview on any weekday afternoon.

Looking forward to a positive reply,

Yours faithfully,
T. S. Ranathunga.

12, Lake Road,
Maharagama.
10th December 2026.

Dear Akila,

Amma says you are losing sleep over the inter-school singing finals. Listen — you should remember three things. First, you shouldn't try to be perfect; judges reward feeling, not flawlessness. Second, you should drink warm water an hour before, not iced. Third, you must not look at the audience as a crowd — pick one kind face and sing to her. You have practised more than the other ten finalists put together. Now go and enjoy it.

Love,
Tharindu Aiya.

This bar graph shows the A/L subject choices of 100 Grade 11 students in a school. Biology is by far the most popular choice — 30 students out of 100 prefer it. Mathematics is the next favourite at 22, slightly higher than Information Technology at 18. Art draws 12 students, well ahead of Accounting (10) and Music, which is the lowest preference at only 8.

Overall, the science streams clearly dominate, with Biology and Mathematics together attracting more than half the students. Music receives the least interest of all six subjects, suggesting the school may need to invest in performing arts.

The pie chart shows how Mr. Perera spent his salary in July 2019. Food took the highest percentage at 24%, closely followed by Education at 22%. Clothes and Savings were equal at 15% each, while Transport accounted for 12% — less than Clothes but more than Electricity, which received 8%. The lowest percentage went to 'Others' at only 3%.

Overall, Mr. Perera spent more than two-thirds of his salary on Food, Education and Transport — the three core needs of a Sri Lankan family — showing how little flexibility remains in a typical middle-class monthly budget.

The table shows the number of foreign tourists who visited five Sri Lankan parks in 2026, in thousands. Yala received by far the largest share at 280,000 — more than double any other park. Horton Plains attracted 110,000 visitors, followed by Wilpattu at 95,000 and Sinharaja at 60,000. Kanneliya was the least visited at only 25,000, despite its rich biodiversity.

In summary, leopard-spotting at Yala drives most foreign visits, while cloud-forest reserves like Kanneliya remain hidden treasures. The eleven-fold gap between Yala and Kanneliya shows how unevenly tourism is shared across the island.

The pie chart shows how a Grade 11 student spends 24 hours on a school day. The highest percentage of time — 34% — is spent on studying, closely followed by 29% on sleeping. Travelling to and from school accounts for 17% of the day, more than three times the amount given to relaxing. Classes and eating share an equal amount of time at 8% each. The lowest percentage — just 4% — goes to relaxing.

In summary, the student spends almost two-thirds of the day either studying or sleeping. There is worryingly little time for the personal relaxation a teenager needs.

12, Lake Road,
Maharagama.
15th January 2027.

Dear Anika,

The new year at school has started in a hurry. I am now in Grade 11 — official 'senior' status — and the workload has tripled overnight. We have a new English teacher, Mrs. Wijesinghe, who is making us read Charlotte's Web and write a 200-word review every Friday. My maths tuition has moved to 6.30 a.m. on Sundays, which I hate. The only relief is that the school cricket team selected me for the under-17 squad. Come and watch the first match!

Love,
Tharindu.

12, Lake Road,
Maharagama.
6th April 2027.

Dear Akila,

I was finally able to visit our village in Hatton last month — three years after we left. The little house has aged but the bo tree at the corner is now taller than the temple. Amma's friend Mrs. Kumari still sells the spiciest kade-rotti in the country, and the post office still opens at exactly six minutes past eight. I walked up to the old tea estate where Tatha used to work; the women there remembered me as 'the boy with the green bicycle' and offered me sweet milk tea. Some things, thankfully, don't change. When can you visit?

Love,
Tharindu.

The bar graph shows the leisure activities of some students of the Southern Province. Swimming is the most popular activity by far — 90% of girls and 80% of boys enjoy it. Chess is the next favourite; the percentages of girls (40%) and boys (50%) are almost equal. Cycling is more popular among boys (70%) than girls (55%), while tennis attracts the least interest from both sexes — only 30% of girls and 25% of boys take part.

Overall, swimming has the highest participation across the board, and tennis is the least popular activity in the province.

12, Lake Road,
Maharagama.
1st June 2027.

Dear Sajini,

The wedding was three days ago and I am still recovering. Akka looked extraordinary in a gold and ivory kandyan saree. The pirith ceremony at our home in the morning was simple and beautiful, with only close family. The reception in the evening was held at the Cinnamon Grand with 250 guests, four speeches and a candle-lit dinner. The food was Sri Lankan-fusion — string hoppers next to grilled chicken! We danced until midnight. I have never seen my parents cry and laugh so much in one day.

Love,
Tharindu.

12, Lake Road,
Maharagama.
8th May 2027.

The Manager,
SLTB Depot,
Maharagama.

Dear Sir / Madam,

COMPLAINT ABOUT BUS SERVICE — ROUTE 138

I wish to draw your attention to the deteriorating service on Route 138 (Pettah – Maharagama) during the past month. Buses are routinely 30 minutes late, the air-conditioning has stopped working in 3 of the 8 buses, and the conductor on the 4.30 p.m. service has on three occasions refused student season tickets. As a daily commuter for the past four years, I find this disappointing. I trust the matter will be looked into urgently.

Yours faithfully,
T. S. Ranathunga.

12, Lake Road,
Maharagama.
10th March 2027.

Dear Nimali,

Our English Literary Association is hosting its annual evening 'A Night with Words' on Friday, 26th March 2027 at 7.00 p.m. at the school auditorium. The line-up is the best we have ever planned: a 30-minute play (Brecht's 'Caucasian Chalk Circle' staged by our Grade 11 drama society), three Grade 10 students reading their own award-winning poetry, and Sri Lankan novelist Karen Roberts as the chief guest. Entry is free, doors open at 6.30 p.m., and refreshments will be served at the interval. I have reserved two seats for you in the front row. Please come — and come early.

Love,
Tharindu.

Geography Society,
D.S. Senanayake Maha Vidyalaya,
Colombo 07.
12th February 2027.

The Director,
National Museum,
Colombo.

Dear Sir / Madam,

SCHOOL VISIT — GEOGRAPHY SOCIETY

As the secretary of the Geography Society, I write to request your kind permission for a group of 40 Grade 10 students to visit the National Museum on Saturday, 18th March 2027 between 10.00 a.m. and 1.00 p.m. We would specifically like to view the ancient coin and ola-leaf manuscript collections, and would be very grateful if a tour guide could be assigned to us. Photography and a packed lunch on the premises would also be appreciated.

Yours faithfully,
Anuhas Silva, Secretary.

The bar chart shows the composition of household garbage in a typical Sri Lankan home. Food waste takes the largest share at 45% — nearly half of all household rubbish. Plastic comes a distant second at 25%, well above the 15% taken up by paper. Glass accounts for 10%, while metal — the smallest portion — makes up just 5%.

In summary, almost half of household garbage is compostable. If every house started composting tomorrow, the volume going to landfill would shrink by nearly half overnight. Recycling efforts must now target food waste as much as plastic.

12, Lake Road,
Maharagama.
3rd April 2027.

Dear Achchi and Seeya,

Happy 78th and 80th! Aiya and I have been planning a small surprise for next Sunday — please pretend not to know. I will tell you only that we will be in your kitchen by 6 a.m. and you should not lift even a tea kettle that day. Thank you for the kankun curry and the bedtime stories and the small loan when my bicycle broke. We owe you the very air we breathe. Many, many happy returns.

With love and respect,
Tharindu and Sajini.

The pie chart shows how a Grade 10 student spent her lunch money in December. Hoppers — a traditional Sri Lankan snack — took the highest share at 30%, closely followed by pizza and burgers at 25%. Fresh fruits made up 20% of her spending, while soft drinks accounted for 15%. Sweets received the smallest slice, at just 10%.

Overall, more than half her lunch money (55%) was spent on either traditional or fast-food meals. The healthier choice of fresh fruit alone accounted for only one-fifth — a sign that even an aware student finds it hard to choose fruit over fries.

12, Lake Road,
Maharagama.
5th May 2027.

Dear Sajini,

We finally started the kitchen garden! Six yoghurt cups, two old tyres, one cement basin — and a Sunday afternoon's worth of soil and sweat. Two weeks on, we already have green chillies, a row of gotu kola and the beginnings of tomatoes. Amma's cooking has noticeably brightened. The unexpected bonus is the family time: we spend half an hour every evening watering and weeding, and the conversations have been better than they were over the TV. You must try this.

Love,
Tharindu.

12, Lake Road,
Maharagama.
2nd June 2027.

Dear Akila,

My dear dog Lucky died last Saturday. He was twelve, which is old for a Labrador, but it still feels too sudden. He had been my morning alarm clock for as long as I can remember — paw on my chest at 5.30, sharp. Amma cried for two days. Sajini won't sit in the verandah where his basket used to be. We buried him under the mango tree where he loved to nap. I will miss him every morning for a long time.

Love,
Tharindu.