Letter of application format, with a filled example

A letter of application follows standard business letter format: your contact details, the date, the employer's name and address, a salutation, three to five paragraphs of body text, a closing and your name. Keep it to one page unless the employer asks you to address a list of criteria, in which case it can run to two.

The body names the position and where you saw it, sets out how your experience matches what the role asks for, and ends with your availability and a request for an interview. The worked example shows each part in place, and the notes after it explain what each part does and how the letter differs from a cover letter.

The format, filled in

This is a worked example. The applicant, school and addresses are invented. Line breaks inside the example are for display only; in your own letter, let each paragraph wrap normally.

Aisha Rahman
Leeds
07700 900123
[email protected]

3 October 2026

Ms Helen Carter
Headteacher
Kestrel Lane Primary School
Kestrel Lane
Bradford

Dear Ms Carter,

Application for Year 4 Class Teacher (ref. MPS-26-07)

I am applying for the Year 4 class teacher post advertised on the Bradford
schools recruitment site on 22 September. I qualified with QTS in 2021 and have
taught Year 3 and Year 4 at Ellerdyke Primary in Leeds for the past four years.

Your person specification asks for experience of teaching phonics beyond Key
Stage 1. At Ellerdyke I led catch-up phonics for 18 Year 4 pupils who had not
passed the Year 1 screening check. By the end of the year, 14 of them were reading
at the expected level for their age, measured by the school's termly assessment.

The specification also asks for a commitment to inclusive practice. Around a third
of my current class speak English as an additional language. I plan lessons with
visual scaffolds and pre-taught vocabulary, and I work weekly with our EAL
coordinator to adjust targets for new arrivals.

I would bring to Kestrel Lane the experience of running the Year 4 multiplication
check preparation across two classes, and of co-leading the school's move to a
new maths scheme in 2024, which included training six colleagues.

I am available to start in January 2027 and can attend an interview at any time.
Thank you for considering my application.

Yours sincerely,

Aisha Rahman

The parts of the letter

The contact block goes at the top because a letter of application is often printed or forwarded as a standalone document, separate from any online form. Whoever holds it needs to be able to reach you from the page alone.

The date and the employer's address follow business letter convention. In the UK the date is written day, month, year; in the US, month, day, year, so 3 October in Leeds becomes October 3 in Boston. Match the country you are applying in.

The salutation uses a name where you have one. Check the job advertisement and the school or council website for the name of the person the application goes to. "Dear Hiring Manager" is acceptable when no name is given anywhere.

The subject line repeats the job title and reference number. Public-sector employers, schools and universities can run many vacancies at once, and the reference routes your letter to the right panel.

The opening paragraph says which job, where you saw it, and one sentence on who you are. Leave out a paragraph about how excited you are to apply; it gives the panel nothing to assess.

The middle paragraphs do the real work. In the example, each one picks up a named requirement from the person specification and answers it with a specific piece of evidence: what was done, with how many people, and the result. In UK school and public-sector recruitment, this is the part a shortlisting panel scores against the specification.

The closing gives availability and thanks the reader. "Yours sincerely" is the UK convention when you have used the person's name; "Yours faithfully" goes with "Dear Sir or Madam". US letters use "Sincerely" for both.

Letter of application or cover letter

In everyday use the two terms overlap, and many people use them interchangeably. There is a practical difference in how employers use them.

A cover letter accompanies a resume or CV. Its job is to introduce the document behind it and point the reader to the parts that matter for this role. It is short, often three paragraphs, and it leaves the detail to the CV.

A letter of application is often the main document. Some employers, particularly schools, universities, local councils and the NHS in the UK, ask for a letter of application or a "supporting statement" alongside an application form in place of a CV. In that case the letter is where you make your case against the person specification, and it can run to two pages when the specification lists many criteria. Read the advertisement closely: if it asks you to address the criteria in the person specification, expect the panel to score your letter criterion by criterion, so a letter that skips one loses marks for it.

When an employer asks for a letter of application and a CV together, treat the letter as a cover letter with more evidence in it. When they ask for a letter in place of a CV, make sure your employment history appears either in the application form or in the letter itself.

Formatting details

Use a standard font such as Arial, Calibri or Times New Roman at 11 or 12 points, with single line spacing and a blank line between paragraphs. Align text to the left. Keep margins around 2.5 cm or one inch.

If you are submitting through an online form with a text box, the address blocks will not survive the paste. Keep the salutation, subject line and body, and drop the rest.

If you are emailing it, attach the letter as a PDF unless the employer asks for Word, and put the job title and reference in the email subject line. The email body can be two sentences saying what is attached.

Common mistakes

A general letter sent to several employers shows immediately. A letter that could go to any school, with no mention of the school's name, the year group or the specification, reads as generic.

Restating your CV in paragraph form wastes the space. The panel has your history already. The letter's value is in connecting that history to their stated needs.

Answering criteria with adjectives scores poorly. "I am passionate about inclusion" gives the panel nothing to score. "Around a third of my current class speak English as an additional language, and here is how I plan for that" gives them evidence.

Common questions

These come up once the letter is drafted and you are deciding how to send it.

Length

One page when it accompanies a CV. Up to two pages when it is the main document and must address a person specification. Beyond two pages, check whether the employer set a word limit; many public-sector forms do.

Headings inside the letter

When you are addressing a long list of criteria, short headings that match the criteria make the panel's job easier. For a one-page letter, paragraphs are enough.

Signing by hand

For an emailed or uploaded letter, a typed name is standard. For a printed letter posted to an employer, sign above your typed name.

Statement of purpose

A statement of purpose is used for university admissions and explains your academic goals. A letter of application is for a job.

When the letter is done, lay it next to the person specification and tick each criterion off against a paragraph. The shortlisting panel will score it the same way, criterion by criterion.