Back when I was studying German, my tutor made a regular exercise out of making me write letters based on pre-made templates. Looking back on the experience, it was one of the most fruitful techniques I used for improving my written German, proving a huge help in my email-based business dealings with different clients and partners.
For those learning English, I have no doubt that using the same technique will yield similarly positive results. In fact, I find it a better way of practicing than other recommended approaches, such as rewriting newspieces or answering crossword puzzles. If you want to give letter writing from templates a try (language software, like grammar checkers, always come with a good amount of templates), follow these guidelines to make the most out of it:
1. Choose just one template. As you gain more experience, you will probably try to experiment trying to combine two letter templates as one. That misses the point of using the activity as a learning platform entirely and is, for the most part, an unnecessary use of time.
2. Create a mental picture of the individual or group you are writing the letter to.
3. Base your letter off the template paragraph by paragraph. You can even copy entire sentences if you want, replacing important details when needed. The more skill you gain, the more variance you can create with each sentence, even rewording it if you are able to.
4. Vary the types of letter templates you use so you can get a wider feel for the language. This week, for instance, you can focus on business letters. Next week, you can try social invitations. The week after, you can choose a different set.
Using letter templates to improve your English skills is a great, low-cost way of supplementing any formal studies you are doing. As an activity you can do in your free time, it’s also relatively easy, without any preparation required.