Invitation and Reply Class 12: Formats, Model Answers and Marking Scheme

What Invitation and Reply is about

Weightage: Section B (Creative Writing Skills, 18 of the 80 theory marks): Q4, 4 marks (format 1, content 2, accuracy 1).Source: CBSE English Core (301) syllabus and sample paper 2026-27

In real board papers: asked in 2 of the 2 board papers we hold (2026 to 2026), on average 4 marks per paper. See the questions

Key concepts

Formal invitation (third person)

Written like a printed card, with no salutation or signature. Typical pattern:

• Host and request: 'The Principal, staff and students of ... request the pleasure of your company / cordially invite you ...'
• Occasion and role: '... at the inauguration of ... / as the Chief Guest at ...'
• Date, day, time, venue.
• Optional programme highlights (who will speak, what will happen).
• RSVP with a name and phone number or email (bottom left).

Do not use 'I', 'you' as in a letter (except 'your company' / 'cordially invite you'), 'Dear Sir' or 'Yours faithfully'.

Worked example

Begin a formal invitation from a school for an art exhibition.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Host in the third person.
2. Formal phrase of invitation.
3. Occasion.

Answer: 'The Principal, staff and students of Greenfield School, Patna, cordially invite you to the inauguration of the Annual Art Exhibition...'

Informal invitation (letter style)

Written to a friend or relative as a short letter:

• Sender's address (optional) and date.
• Salutation: 'Dear Rhea,'.
• Body: occasion, why you want them there, date, time, venue, any plans (stay, travel).
• Closing: 'Yours lovingly / Your friend,' and name.

Tone is warm and personal but still within about 50 words.

Worked example

Which details must an informal invitation to a friend for your sister's graduation party include?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Occasion and relationship.
2. Date, time, venue.
3. Personal touch and request to confirm.

Answer: Occasion (sister's graduation party), date, time, venue, a warm line on why you want them, and a request to confirm.

Formal reply: acceptance

In the third person, matching the invitation:

• Writer's address and date (top right or left).
• 'Dr Sameer Rao thanks the Principal ... for the kind invitation to ... and is pleased to accept it.'
• Confirm date, time and venue, and any role (judge, speaker).
• Mention any request (projector needed, time of arrival).

No salutation or signature in strict third-person replies.

Worked example

Write the key sentence of a formal acceptance by Ms Asha Iyer to an invitation to judge a debate.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Third person.
2. Thanks, then acceptance.
3. Confirm role and date.

Answer: 'Ms Asha Iyer thanks the Principal of Carmel School for the kind invitation to judge the Inter-School Debate on 12 December 2026 and is pleased to accept it.'

Formal reply: regret (declining)

• Thank the host.
• Express regret at being unable to attend.
• Give a brief, polite reason (prior commitment, travel, illness).
• Wish the event success.

Pattern: 'Mr Rohan Das thanks ... for the kind invitation to ... but regrets his inability to attend owing to ... He wishes the event every success.'

Worked example

Give one acceptable reason in a formal regret.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Polite, brief, believable.

Answer: 'owing to a prior professional commitment in Delhi on that day'.

RSVP, word limit and layout

• RSVP (French: please reply) appears in formal invitations with a contact name and number, so guests confirm attendance.
• Keep the body to about 50 words; addresses and date in replies are extra but short.
• Invitations may be centred like a card; replies are written as short notes.
• Do not mix third person and first person in the same formal piece.

Worked example

A student writes a formal invitation that begins 'Dear Sir, I am pleased to invite you...'. What is wrong?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Formal invitations are in the third person.
2. No salutation.

Answer: It mixes letter style with a formal invitation; it should begin, 'The Principal ... cordially invites you...' with no salutation.

Invitation and Reply in real life

Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Topics in this chapter

• Formal Invitations and Replies in the Third Person

Invitation and Reply: key facts

Marking scheme

Format 1 + Content 2 + Accuracy 1 = 4

CBSE English Core (301), Q4.

Formal invitation pattern

1. 1.Host
2. 2.'cordially invite(s) you / request the pleasure of your company'
3. 3.occasion
4. 4.date, day, time
5. 5.venue
6. 6.RSVP

Third person; no salutation or signature.

Acceptance pattern

Name + thanks + invitation details + 'is pleased to accept' + confirmation

Third person to match a formal invitation.

Regret pattern

Name + thanks + 'regrets his/her inability to attend owing to' + reason + good wishes

Reason should be brief and polite.

How the board asks Invitation and Reply

The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.

Tricks to remember Invitation and Reply

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

• Formal invitation: 'H-O-D-T-V-R'

  Host, Occasion, Date, Time, Venue, RSVP.

  Use it when: Writing all elements.

• Replies: 'Thank, Tell, Truly'

  Thank for the invitation, Tell acceptance or regret with reason, close truly (good wishes or confirmation).

  Use it when: Structuring replies.

• Person check

  Formal = he/she/they (third person); informal = I/you.

  Use it when: Avoiding mixed person.

Invitation and Reply: board-level solved questions

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.

Where the marks are

How a typical answer is marked: the value points the examiner looks for and the marks each earns.

Where students lose marks in Invitation and Reply

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

• ✗Mistake: Mixing first and third person in a formal reply

  Wrong working

  Dr Rao thanks the Principal ... I will be happy to come.

  Right working

  Dr Rao thanks the Principal ... and is pleased to accept it.

  ✓Do this: Keep the whole formal reply in the third person.

  Usually costs: Format and accuracy marks.

• ✗Mistake: Leaving out date, time or venue

  ✓Do this: Check: occasion, date, day, time, venue, RSVP.

  Usually costs: Content mark.

• ✗Mistake: Declining without a reason or without thanks

  ✓Do this: Always thank, regret, give a brief reason and wish success.

  Usually costs: Content mark.

• ✗Mistake: Writing a long letter for a 50-word task

  ✓Do this: Keep to about 50 words; cut background and repetition.

  Usually costs: Expression marks.

Invitation and Reply: previous year questions

• Asked in 2 of the 2 board papers we hold (2026 to 2026), on average 4 marks per paper; 4 questions in all, counting OR alternatives. In 3 of 3 sample papers.

Counted from the real papers on our previous year papers page, not estimated. Average marks are over every board paper we hold, with an OR pair counted once. Chapter tags are ours.

Every Invitation and Reply question, by year

Practice questions on Invitation and Reply

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

1. Q1 · 4 marks · Short answerBoard level

   As Secretary of the Kalka Apartments Cultural Committee, Jeevgarh, draft a formal invitation in about 50 words to residents for a Folk Dance Festival.

   Hint

   Third person; date, time, venue, highlights, RSVP.

   Answer

   Model points: 'The Cultural Committee, Kalka Apartments, Jeevgarh, cordially invites all residents to the Folk Dance Festival' with highlights (group and solo performances from various states), date, day, time, venue (Community Lawn), RSVP with name and number.

2. Q2 · 4 marks · Short answerBoard level

   You are Ms Rekha/Mr Rakesh Bose, a nutritionist. Accept an invitation from Sunbeam School to give a talk on 'Healthy Tiffins' to parents. Write a formal reply in about 50 words.

   Hint

   Third person; ask about audio-visual aids.

   Answer

   Model points: address, date; 'Ms Rekha Bose thanks the Principal, Sunbeam School, for the kind invitation to speak on Healthy Tiffins to parents on ... and is pleased to accept it'; confirms time; requests a projector.

3. Q3 · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level

   Invite your cousin to your grandparents' fiftieth wedding anniversary celebration in an informal note of about 50 words.

   Hint

   Warm tone; surprise element.

   Answer

   Model points: salutation; occasion (Dadaji and Dadiji's golden anniversary); date, time, venue; surprise plan and request to keep it secret; ask to arrive early to help; closing and name.

4. Q4 · 4 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

   You are Dr Vora, an art therapist. Decline formally an invitation from Green Valley School to conduct a seminar on 'Art Therapy' because of a medical conference abroad, and suggest a colleague. Write in about 50 words.

   Hint

   Regret plus an alternative.

   Answer

   Model points: address, date; third-person thanks; regrets inability owing to a medical conference abroad on that date; suggests a qualified colleague with contact details; wishes the seminar success.

5. Q5 · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level

   Draft a formal invitation from an NGO, 'Each One Teach One', to school principals for the launch of its adult literacy programme, in about 50 words.

   Hint

   Chief guest, purpose, RSVP.

   Answer

   Model points: 'Each One Teach One cordially invites Principals and Coordinators to the launch of its Adult Literacy Programme'; chief guest; date, day, time, venue; purpose line (students to teach adults); RSVP with name, designation and contact.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1. 1.How many marks is the invitation/reply task worth?Show answer

   4 (format 1, content 2, accuracy 1).

2. 2.Which person is used in a formal invitation?Show answer

   The third person.

3. 3.What does RSVP mean?Show answer

   Please reply (from French).

4. 4.Does a formal reply have a salutation?Show answer

   No, it is written in the third person without salutation or signature.

5. 5.What must a regret include?Show answer

   Thanks, regret, a brief reason, and good wishes.

6. 6.What is the word limit?Show answer

   About 50 words.

Quick revision checklist

The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?

• ☐Can you write a formal invitation in the third person with RSVP?
• ☐Can you write a formal acceptance and a formal regret?
• ☐Can you write an informal invitation and reply?
• ☐Can you include all event details within 50 words?
• ☐Do you avoid mixing first and third person?

Invitation and Reply: frequently asked questions