Application Letter Format in Word: UK Layout and 5 Letters
By Mustafa Tarabya, founder of CVBooster · Published · Updated
11 min read
The standard application letter format in Word for a UK job is one A4 page: margins of 2.54 cm (Word's Normal setting), the same font and size as your CV at 10.5 to 12 point, your contact details at the top, the date, the employer's name and address, "Dear" plus a name, three or four short paragraphs, and "Yours sincerely" with your typed name. The one constraint is the page: Prospects, the UK graduate careers service, says cover letters "should not exceed one A4 page." Below are the exact Word settings, the layout as a fill-in block, and five complete application letters you can copy into a blank document. Written by Mustafa Tarabya, who hired for his own company, read every application himself and now writes CVBooster's guides.
If you have spent twenty minutes fighting Word because pressing Enter after your address puts a canyon between every line, that is the default paragraph spacing, not you. The fix is in step three below. First, the layout itself.
The application letter layout, as a block you can paste into Word
Type this into a blank document, replace the brackets, and delete any line you do not need. This is a modern UK layout with everything aligned left, which is easier to set in Word and reads cleanly on screen.
Template: UK application letter layout for Word, fill in (120 words)
[Your full name] [Town or city, postcode] | [Phone] | [Email]
[Date, written as 7 October 2026]
[Recruiting manager's name] [Job title] [Organisation name] [Street address] [Town, postcode]
Dear [Mr, Ms or Dr Surname, or first and last name if you do not know the title],
Application for [job title], reference [number]
[Paragraph 1: the role, where you saw it, and the one fact that makes you a fit.]
[Paragraph 2: your strongest relevant result, with a number, tied to what the advert asks for.]
[Paragraph 3: a second piece of evidence, or why this organisation in particular.]
[Paragraph 4: availability, a thank you and an invitation to talk. One or two sentences.]
Yours sincerely,
[Your full name]
How to set up an application letter in Word, step by step
These steps work in current versions of Word for Windows and Mac, and in Word for the web. Menu names can shift slightly between versions.
- Paper size. Layout, then Size, then A4. Some copies of Word default to US Letter, which prints with odd margins in the UK.
- Margins. Layout, then Margins, then Normal. That sets 2.54 cm on all four sides. If your letter runs a few lines over, Moderate gives you a little more room without looking cramped.
- Spacing. Select all the text, open the Paragraph settings, set spacing Before to 0 pt, After to 6 pt, and line spacing to Single. That removes the gaps between the lines of your address while keeping paragraphs apart.
- Font. Prospects says to "Use the same font and size as you use in your CV". Calibri, Arial or Aptos at 11 point is a safe choice. The heading line with the job title can be bold, nothing else needs to be.
- Alignment. Keep everything aligned left. Justified text in Word stretches the gaps between words unevenly.
- Save it. File, then Save As, then choose PDF unless the advert asks for a Word document, and name the file with your name and the role, for example Amelia-Grant-Application-Letter-Administrator.pdf.
Microsoft's own guide describes the cover letter as "a one-page document that sits alongside a resume", and every setting above exists to keep it to that page without shrinking the text.
Application letter format in Word for a school leaver
With no work history, the letter does the job a CV cannot: it shows you have read the advert and you will turn up.
Entry level: school leaver, retail assistant, Saturday and holiday role (208 words)
Amelia Grant Leeds, LS6 2AB | 07700 900418 | amelia.grant@email.com
7 October 2026
Ms Joanne Pickering Store Manager Brambleford Garden Centre 14 Station Road Leeds, LS1 4DY
Dear Ms Pickering,
Application for Weekend Retail Assistant, reference RA-118
I am applying for the weekend retail assistant role advertised in your store window. I am in Year 13 at a sixth form college in Headingley, I live a fifteen minute bus ride away, and I can work every Saturday and Sunday plus the full school holidays.
For the past year I have volunteered on Saturday mornings at a charity shop, where I serve customers at the till, sort and price donations and keep the shop floor tidy. I have handled cash and card payments on my own and closed the till at the end of the shift with the manager checking the count.
I would like to work in your store because I already shop there with my family, and I know how busy the garden section gets in spring. I am happy to start on the shop floor and learn the stock.
I have attached my CV and can come in for a chat on any weekday after 4pm. Thank you for considering my application.
Yours sincerely,
Amelia Grant
Graduate application letter format in Word
A graduate letter should lead with the degree only if it is relevant. Otherwise lead with the strongest piece of work you did, then mention the degree.
Entry level: graduate, administrative officer in a housing association (218 words)
Callum Reid Glasgow, G12 8QQ | 07700 900233 | callum.reid@email.com
7 October 2026
Mrs Sandra Muir Head of Tenant Services Wynlow Housing Association 22 Riverside Place Glasgow, G2 5RT
Dear Mrs Muir,
Application for Administrative Officer, reference AO-2026-14
I am applying for the administrative officer post in your tenant services team, advertised on your website. I graduated this summer with a 2:1 in Social Policy and spent my final year working twelve hours a week on the front desk of a student accommodation office.
In that job I logged around forty repair requests a week in the property system, chased contractors when jobs ran over their target date and wrote back to students when work was complete. By the end of the year our open requests older than a month had fallen from thirty one to six, because I started a Friday list of overdue jobs for the manager.
Your advert asks for someone who can keep accurate records and speak to tenants calmly when things go wrong. My dissertation was on how tenants experience repair delays in social housing, so I understand why a clear reply matters as much as the repair.
I am available to start from November and would welcome the chance to discuss the role. Thank you for your time.
Yours sincerely,
Callum Reid
Mid career application letter in Word
At this stage the letter should open with what you do now and the scale you do it at.
Mid level: accounts assistant applying for an assistant accountant role (210 words)
Priya Mistry Leicester, LE2 1TR | 07700 900571 | priya.mistry@email.com
7 October 2026
Mr David Hollis Finance Manager Tarnfield Packaging Ltd Unit 4, Meridian Business Park Leicester, LE19 1WZ
Dear Mr Hollis,
Application for Assistant Accountant, reference FIN-207
I am applying for the assistant accountant role advertised on your careers page. I have worked as an accounts assistant for four years at a food wholesaler with around 180 staff, and I am now part qualified with AAT Level 4.
I run the purchase ledger for two companies, around 1,100 invoices a month, and I prepare the monthly bank and supplier reconciliations for the finance manager. Last year I moved our supplier statement checks from a paper file into a shared spreadsheet, and the month end close now starts two days earlier because the queries are cleared first.
Your advert mentions VAT returns and management accounts. I prepare the draft VAT return each quarter for review and I put together the monthly cost centre reports for our operations director, so I would be extending work I already do rather than starting from scratch.
I would welcome the chance to talk about the role. I am on a one month notice period. Thank you for considering my application.
Yours sincerely,
Priya Mistry
Career changer application letter format in Word
The letter carries more weight for a career changer than the CV does, because it is where you explain the move. Name the transferable skill and prove it with one example.
Mid level: hospitality supervisor moving into a recruitment consultant role (206 words)
Tom Barker Bristol, BS3 4LX | 07700 900684 | tom.barker@email.com
7 October 2026
Ms Rachel Owusu Branch Manager Quayvale Recruitment 8 Queen Square Bristol, BS1 4NT
Dear Ms Owusu,
Application for Trainee Recruitment Consultant
I am applying for your trainee recruitment consultant role. For the past five years I have supervised a restaurant team of fourteen in central Bristol, and the part of the job I have always done best is hiring.
I wrote our job adverts, screened around thirty applications a month in busy periods, ran the interviews and trial shifts, and kept a list of reliable people for cover. Our team turnover went from losing most new starters within three months to keeping most of them past six, after I changed the trial shift so candidates worked alongside the person they would replace.
I am used to targets, long days and talking to people who are having a hard week. I would like to do the part of my job I enjoy most, full time, in a team that trains properly, and your advert says you run a twelve week programme for new consultants.
I am free for an interview on Mondays and Tuesdays. Thank you for reading my application.
Yours sincerely,
Tom Barker
Senior application letter format in Word
A senior letter keeps the same one page format. It has less room for background and more for the two results that matter to this employer.
Senior: operations manager applying for head of operations (199 words)
Helen Carmichael Manchester, M20 2PG | 07700 900392 | helen.carmichael@email.com
7 October 2026
Mr Andrew Fenwick Managing Director Ellerby Fulfilment Ltd Trafford Point Manchester, M17 1DT
Dear Mr Fenwick,
Application for Head of Operations, reference HO-01
I am applying for the head of operations role at Ellerby Fulfilment. I have spent the last six years as operations manager for a two site e-commerce warehouse with 160 staff across three shifts.
In 2024 we lost our largest client's peak volume to a competitor because our dispatch rate dropped in November. The following year I rebuilt the peak plan around agency onboarding in September rather than October and a second evening shift, and we shipped the same client's peak volume on time with no service credits paid.
Your advert asks for someone who can open the new site in Warrington next year. I led the fit out and opening of our second site in 2022, including the racking contract, the warehouse management system set up and the recruitment of the first 60 staff.
I would welcome a conversation about your plans for the new site. My notice period is three months. Thank you for considering my application.
Yours sincerely,
Helen Carmichael
The UK details that trip people up in Word
- Sign off. Prospects gives the rule: "If you include a named contact, sign it off with 'Yours sincerely'. If you use a general greeting, finish with 'Yours faithfully'." Word's autocorrect may capitalise the second word; keep it lower case.
- The greeting. Use a name wherever you can. If the advert gives none, a phone call to the organisation often gets one. "Dear Hiring Manager" is acceptable when nobody will tell you.
- File type. Prospects advises saving as PDF unless "the job advert states differently - for example, it may ask you to provide your CV and cover letter as a Word document". When an advert asks for Word, send the .docx and check it opens cleanly on another computer first.
- Dates. Write 7 October 2026, not 10/7/2026, which reads as July in the UK.
- Headers and text boxes. Keep your name and contact details in the body of the page, not in a Word header or a text box, because some application systems skip them.
- Templates. Word's built in templates are fine as long as you check the paper size, delete the placeholder text you do not use and keep decorative columns out of the way of the text.
The National Careers Service guide to CV sections covers the document that travels with this letter, and the Microsoft Word resume templates page shows how to set up the CV in the same file style so the two match. If you are not sure whether you need a letter at all, start with what a cover letter is for, and if the advert asks for a short note, the short cover letter examples show how far a letter can shrink.
Frequently asked questions
What is the correct format for an application letter in Word?
One A4 page with Normal margins of 2.54 cm, the same font and size as your CV, your contact details at the top, the date, the employer's name and address, a greeting with a name, three or four short paragraphs, and "Yours sincerely" with your typed name. Save it as a PDF unless the advert asks for a Word document.
Does Word have an application letter template?
Yes. Word includes cover letter templates you can open from the new document screen or from Microsoft's template site. They are a reasonable starting point, but check the paper is set to A4, delete unused placeholder text, and keep your contact details in the main body rather than a header or text box.
What font size should an application letter be in Word?
Use the same font and size as your CV, which Prospects recommends. For most people that is Calibri, Arial or Aptos at 11 point, with 10.5 or 12 point as the limits either side. Make only the job title line bold and keep the rest of the letter in regular weight.
Should I send my application letter as Word or PDF?
Send a PDF unless the employer asks for Word. A PDF keeps your layout identical on any computer. Some recruitment agencies and application systems ask for a .docx so they can read or edit it; in that case send the Word file and open it on another device first to check nothing has moved.
How do I write the address on a UK application letter?
Put your own name, town, postcode, phone and email at the top. Below the date, write the recipient's name, job title, organisation and full postal address, one item per line. A full home street address is optional on emailed applications; town and postcode are enough for the employer to see where you are.
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