Summary of Major Topics Covered in this Diploma Program include: 

Module 1 - Business Letters Examined

• Language used in business letters, clarity, wording, technical terms, good English
• Business letter objectives, styles or manners of writing
• Features of a business letters, layout, appearance, attracting favourable attention
• English language, dictionaries, spellings and meanings of words, vocabulary, suffixes, prefixes

Module 2 - Enquiries, Quotations, Estimates, Orders, Acknowledgements

• Letters of enquiry and responses to them, circular-type enquiry letters, trade references
• Quotation forms and letters, covering letters to quotation forms, estimates and tenders
• Proforma invoices, placing orders orally and in order forms and letters, invoices, credit
• Writing complete sentences, subjects, predicates, paragraphs, grouping topics, logical sequence

Module 3 - Letters Seeking Employment

• Letters seeking employment, presentation, style, handwritten and typed, content, information
• Postscripts to letters, attachments, references, testimonials, curriculum vitae/CV
• Response letters to arrange interviews, to unsuitable applicants, to offer a position
• Verbs: finite verbs, subjects and objects of sentences, compound sentences, conjunctions

Module 4 - Letters Concerning Employment and Promotion

• Internal recruitment, letters for internal transfer and promotion, letters replying to employee letters
• Letters of appointment, terms and conditions, letters of rejection, file copies, copies to others (c.c.)
• Employee recommendations, requesting a reference, providing information about former employees
• Nouns, numbers, singular and plural, gender, possessive nouns, pronouns, 1st, 2nd and 3rd persons

Module 5 - Letters Concerning Accounts and Other Financial Matters

• Accounting/financial terms, their use and meanings
• Documents used in accounts, invoices, credit notes, statements of account, credit
• Overdue account letters, final warning or demand letters, reminder about credit limit
• References on business letters, adjectives and their role, avoiding errors commonly made

Module 6 - Letters Between Employees

• Communication, the essentials, external, internal, vertical and horizontal communications
• Types of letters written between employees, admonishing a subordinate, warnings, congratulations
• Memoranda, meetings, customers, purchases, abbreviations, names, dates, technical terms
• Verbs, present, future and past tenses, conjugations, simple and continuous tenses

Module 7 - Sales Letters (1)

• Primary aim of sales letters, sales terminology, steps leading to a sales transaction, postscripts (PS)
• Essential features of effective sales letters, first approach sales letters, persuasion, information
• Sales literature, catalogues, price lists, discounts, manufacturers’ warranties and guarantees
• Adverbs, what they are, kinds, showing time, place, degree, manner, positioning, comparisons

Module 8 - Sales Letters (2)

• Sales circulars, circumstances when used, addressees of sales circulars, other circulars
• Responses to enquiries, information provided, response time, compliment slips
• Confirmations of orders, welcoming new customers, building good relationships, related sales
• Prepositions, connections between words, use with verbs, adjectives and pronouns

Module 9 - Sales Letters (3)

• Follow-up sales letters, offering something extra, reminders, preprinted follow-up letters
• Letters aimed at customer retention, to trade customers, new sales literature, lapsed customers
• Buying motives, sale or return terms, what is involved, their value in making sales
• Using the adverb “not”, using isn’t and aren’t, changes to statements, questions, replies, commands

Module 10 - Letters Concerning Complaints

• Complaints and complainants, justified and unjustified complaints, why complaints might arise
• Writing letters involving complaints, objectives, tones, settling complaints amicably, follow-ups
• Introductory statements in letters, use as references, signing “for and on behalf of”, use of “Messrs”
• Punctuation, stress, emphasis, tone, inflexion, using capital letters, punctuation marks

Module 11 - Letters on Miscellaneous Topics

• Letters about occupations, professionals and “the professions”
• Differences between private letters, social letters and business letters
• Signing letters on behalf of a firm, signing letters “for” a senior, the initials p.p.
• Colons, semicolons, dashes, brackets, question, exclamation and quotation marks, apostrophes

Module 12 - Aids to Business Letter Writing

• The value of letter references, copies of letters, the use of copies in a practical situation
• Files and records, the functions of filing, filing schemes
• Word processing (WP), computers, WP packages, spell check, thesaurus, personalising letters
• Confusing words due to pronunciation or spelling but different meaning, developing writing style

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE MODEST CIC FEE

 Your CIC Fee includes:-

• Your enrolment/registration with Cambridge International College, and your own high-quality, professionally produced and illustrated comprehensive International CIC Study & Training Publications.
• A detailed, professional ‘Study & Training Guide’ with full instructions on how to study to achieve success and gain top results.  The Guide includes detailed advice on how to answer Self-Assessment Tests, Training Tests and Examinations.
• Self-Assessment Tests and Recommended Answers for them, and a Progress Chart.
• Two Progress/Training Tests (which can be used as ‘Past Papers/Questions’) with an optional Tutorial Support Service.
• The Final Examination** sat under Invigilation/Supervision in your own area - full details, guidance and explanation of how your Examination will be arranged and how Invigilation is conducted will be provided when you register.  Note, CIC arranges Examinations in over a hundred countries worldwide for thousands of Members every year; it is a flexible, straightforward process and will be arranged when YOU are ready to write your Examination.  **An Assignment Option is available instead of an Exam for the ‘Covid-19’ (Corona) virus period. 
• The prestigious Cambridge International College Diploma on successful completion of your Study & Training and on passing the Final Examination.
• Your personal page on CIC’s Member Services website with access to results, despatch details, advice and guidance, and more: www.cambridgeinternationalcollege.co.uk
• Regular information and news including: Newsletters with details of special offers and new Programs and much more; and Competition Forms; by email and post.

Everything needed for your Study & Training success is included in the CIC Fee.

Additionally:

• Further Study and Training Advice, and Assistance is available before, during and after CIC Study & Training; Members may ask CIC’s team of experienced Consultants for advice on further study and Programmes to improve career prospects and advancement. 
• CIC’s experienced and helpful staff can assist with numerous special requests, such as reference/recommendation letters and transcripts, and more, by post and email.

• Administrative, Personal Assistant & Secretarial Duties Diploma 12 months (flexible)
• Professional English (Everyday & Business Use) Diploma 12 months (flexible)
• English & Administration (BEA) Baccalaureate 2 years (flexible)
• English & Administration EBA: Executive Business Administration 3 years (flexible)
• Office Management & Administration Diploma 12 months (flexible)

Whether in - or looking to gain - an administrative, communications, secretarial or managerial post, everybody needs to be able to use language correctly and prepare effective business letters and documents; for that reason, this course will help achieve career development, respect and recognition.  Consider this scenario: you, in a business role, receive a badly written, badly produced letter - your reaction would probably be to ignore it and to lack respect for the writer of it!  So to avoid that happening to YOU and the letters YOU write, the study of this course is very much recommended.

Related and higher courses and studies are available with CIC at many levels and in areas from higher English to secretarial and administration courses, communications and management; and, often to study other degree-level courses at home or abroad, a qualification proving your English ability is needed - which this Diploma Program provides.  

There is a wide range of options for further study - see the "Related Courses" section for suggestions - which include Honours Diplomas, ABA & Baccalaureate Programmes, and the 'Double Award' EBA & BBA Bachelor degree Programme.  You are welcome to ask the College for advice, and of course you can see details of these Programmes on this website.