Opening

·       Thanks so much for your letter

·       It’s been too long since we were last in touch

·       It was so nice to get your letter in the mail – a real surprise! 

·       I hope you’re doing well and that you’re coping with the stresses of Form 6. 

Expressing Sympathy

·       I was sorry to hear that you are having problems…

·       I have to say that I’ve not been in your situation before, so I’m not sure exactly how to advise you, but…

·       If I’ve understood your problem correctly…

·       I can only imagine what you’re going through. 

Putting yourself in their situation

·       If I were you, I’d…

·       If I were in your situation, I’d

·       Obviously, I can’t tell you what to do, but I think it’d be a good idea if you were to….

·       Only you can decide what to do, but I’d be tempted to…

Giving advice

·       I think you should…

·       I wonder if it would be possible for you to…

·       It might be worthwhile + gerund

·       I think the best thing you can do is…

·       Have you thought about…?

·       It might be worth considering…

·       It’d be handy if you could…

·       I’d recommend that…

·       I’d suggest that…

·       How about + gerund…

Connecting ideas

·       I guess the first thing I’d say is…

·       You also need to consider…

·       Even though I know that you’re finding school difficult, you should still…

·       To top it all off, you’ll need to…

·       All in all…

Ending

·       Thanks for sharing this with me and I hope I’ve been able to help a bit

·       Do let me know how it all pans out.

·       I hope my advice has been useful

·       Remember that I’m here for you if you need me.