Letterhead:The sender’s details (name, addresses and other organisational information) are usually printed at the top of the page and centred.
Date:The date is set flush left below the sender’s details near the top of the page. To avoid confusion, write the date in full (e.g. 11 December 2012). For consistency, apply the same punctuation style, such as block punctuation, throughout the letter, beginning with the format for the date.
Recipient’s name and address: The recipient’s name and address is set flush left below the date and the letterhead, with the name appearing on a separate line and titles being used (e.g. Mr, Ms, Dr) if applicable. If you are only composing a short letter, it may be suitable to include more vertical space after the recipient’s name and address and to also allow the page to fall short if necessary so that the content of the letter is visually balanced.
Salutation: The salutation is the opening greeting for a letter (e.g. ‘Dear Madam/Sir’). It is set flush left below the recipient’s name and address. The tone of a salutation depends on the formality of a letter, as well as whether or not you have previously met the person.
Subject line:The subject line is a way of instantly telling the reader what the letter is about. It is placed between the salutation and the body. It is often centred (like this), and is sometimes underlined or set in a different font. The subject line should be concise and should attract the reader’s attention.
Body of letter: The body of the letter contains the substance of the communication — your message. Its style and structure are largely determined by the kind of letter you are sending. The body of a letter usually includes at least a few paragraphs of content. This content is set below the salutation and the subject line (if one is used).
Close: The close refers to how a letter ends (e.g. ‘Yours faithfully’ or ‘Regards’). It is set flush left below the body of the letter on a separate line. As with the salutation, the close that you choose should have a tone that suits the formality of the letter.
Signature block:The signature block contains the writer’s signature.At times, a secretary or a colleague may be authorised to sign a letter on the writer’s behalf. The signature block appears below the close, and is set flush left. The signature of the writer is followed by their name and position. It is important that this information is legible, as the signature may not immediately identify the writer of the letter.
Document initials: A common convention is to place the initials of the document’s creator or creators at the bottom left corner of each page of a letter. If one person dictates the document and another produces it, the initials of the principal are often set in uppercase, with the typist’s initials following in lowercase (e.g. ‘CFR/sw’). This is an optional aspect of a professional letter, and may not be suitable to include in all instances.
Enclosure details: If other documents are attached or enclosed, it is conventional to alert the reader to this fact with an abbreviation (‘Enc.’ or ‘Encs.’) in the lower left corner of the last page of the letter. Sometimes a brief description of the enclosed material is added. With email, additional materials are usually called attachments. This is an optional aspect of a professional letter. You may instead choose to mention any attachments in the body of the letter; and if there are no attachments, enclosure details will not be required.