Email Response
What the task demands
The Email Response is interpersonal writing: you read a short message - often from a teacher, host family member, or friend - and reply. Scoring centers on task completion: answer every question and cover every bullet, in the right register, with a recognizable email shape. You do not need literary vocabulary; you need a complete, polite, on-topic reply.
Concepts to master
- Format: 宛名 (〜さんへ), 挨拶 (お元気ですか。お世話になっております。), 本文, 結び (よろしくお願いします。), signature (〜より).
- Register: です・ます throughout; honorifics for a teacher or host (〜てくださる、いらっしゃる、おっしゃる).
- Coverage: number the sender's questions mentally and answer each explicitly.
- Reciprocity: close with a question or forward-looking line, such as 〜はいつがよろしいですか。
- Cohesion: また、それから、しかし、そのため.
Traps
- Skipping a bullet that was buried mid-paragraph.
- Using casual forms with a teacher, or stacking keigo incorrectly.
- Writing English words or romaji for words you actually know in Japanese.
- Omitting the closing and signature.
- Replacing the answer with a long unrelated self-introduction.
Worked example
Prompt: a teacher asks whether you can attend a Saturday festival, what you can help with, and when you are free. Skeleton: 「李先生へ お世話になっております。お手紙ありがとうございました。土曜日の文化祭について、はい、参加できます。私は受付の仕事を手伝うことができます。午前九時から午後三時まで大丈夫です。ほかに手伝うことがあれば、教えてください。よろしくお願いします。田中より」