Message Writing Format
A short message in the school format: MESSAGE, the date and time, who it is for, what was said, and your name.
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Dear [name],
[the message — who called or came, what they said, and what you need to do]
What is a Message Writing?
Message writing is the skill of passing on information in a few lines when the person it is meant for is not there — a phone call they missed, a visitor who came, or where you have gone and when you will be back. The message writing format taught in school is short and often boxed: the word MESSAGE, the date and time, a greeting, the message itself and your name. A message that leaves out the time, the caller’s name or what needs to be done sends the reader chasing the information all over again.
Students practise message writing in the middle-school years, and it appears in English papers as a short task: a phone call taken for a parent, a teacher’s instructions for a classmate who was absent, or a visitor’s request for a neighbour. At home, family members leave messages on the fridge or the dining table; at work, staff take messages for colleagues who are out, and receptionists pass on calls. The same skill is used in a text message or a sticky note: pick out what matters from a conversation and pass it on accurately.
The layout is broadly the same everywhere, but the details are not. Whether message writing is set in your class, its word limit and marks, and small points of layout — whether the message sits in a box, whether the date and time share one line — vary between CBSE, ICSE, the State boards and individual schools. Check the current syllabus and sample papers for your board and class, and follow your teacher’s model answer. At work, some offices and reception desks use a printed message pad; where there is one, use it.
A message is not a letter, a notice or a diary entry. It goes to one person, not a group; it passes on someone else’s words, usually in reported speech, rather than your own news or feelings; and it leaves out everything the reader does not need. A notice, by contrast, is displayed for everyone it concerns. A message taken on someone’s behalf is also not a promise or a decision: write down what the caller asked for, not what you think will happen.
What to put in a Message Writing
These are the details this template asks for. Anything left blank is marked in red on the preview so you can see what is still missing.
| Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Time | For example: 4:30 p.m. |
| Message for | For example: Mom |
| The message | For example: Aunt Meena called at 4 p.m. She has reached Chicago safely and will visit us tomorrow at… |
| Your name | For example: Maya |
How to write a message
Head it MESSAGE, with the date and time
Write the word MESSAGE at the top, then the date and the time on the line below; the form puts the date on the left and the time on the right. The time is when you write the message, and the time of the call or visit goes in the body. Both matter, because ‘call back within an hour’ means nothing unless the reader knows when the hour started.
Address the person it is for
Type the name of the person the message is for, and the form writes ‘Dear’ before it and a comma after: ‘Dear Mummy,’ or ‘Dear Ravi,’. Use the name you would call them at home. For a teacher or a colleague, use their title and surname, as in ‘Dear Mrs. Rao,’. Keep the greeting to one line; a message has no address, subject line or ‘To’ line.
Say who called and what they said
Open with who called or came, and when: ‘Mr. Kiran Rao from Kusagra Supplies Ltd. called at 5:30 p.m.’ Then give what they said in reported speech and the third person — ‘He said that the meeting has been moved’, not ‘I am moving the meeting’. Include every detail the reader needs: names, times, dates, places and phone numbers, written in figures and read back to the caller before you hang up.
Keep it short and to the point
A message is a few sentences, not a conversation. Leave out greetings, small talk and anything the reader does not need, and avoid the dialogue form — ‘She said, “Hello, how are you?”’ — which wastes words. One paragraph is usually enough. In an exam, stay within the word limit in your board’s current syllabus, and draw a box around the finished message if your teacher’s model answer shows one.
End with what to do, then your name
Finish with the action the reader must take and by when: ‘Please call him back on +91 90000 56789 before 8 p.m.’ Then write your name at the end, as the form does, so the reader knows whom to ask for more detail. Leave the message where the person will see it first — on the table, the fridge or their desk — and mention it when they return, if you can.
Message writing examples
Two sample messages in the school format: a phone message taken for a parent and a message left for a family member. In an exam, draw a box around the message if your board’s sample answers show one.
Phone message for a parent
MESSAGE
5 November 2026 · 6:15 p.m.
Dear Papa,
Mr. Kiran Rao from Kusagra Supplies Ltd. called at 5:30 p.m. He said that the meeting fixed for tomorrow, 6 November, has been moved to Monday, 9 November, at 10 a.m., as the manager is travelling. He asked you to bring the quotation file and to confirm by calling him on +91 90000 56789 before 8 p.m. today.
Arjun
Message left for a family member
MESSAGE
17 November 2026 · 3:15 p.m.
Dear Amma,
I have gone to Kavya’s house in Lakshmipuram to finish our science project, which is due on Thursday. Her mother will drop me home by 7 p.m. The house keys are with Mrs. Lakshmi Devi in Flat 3B, and I have already fed Bruno. If you need me, please call Kavya’s mother on +91 90000 67890.
Ananya
Common mistakes
- Leaving out the time of writing, or the time of the call, leaves the reader unable to tell whether ‘call back within an hour’ has already passed.
- Writing the message as a conversation — ‘He said, “Hello, is your father there?”’ — wastes words on what does not matter and can push an exam answer past the word limit.
- Getting a phone number, date or name wrong, or not reading it back to the caller, makes the whole message useless and can mean a missed meeting or appointment.
- Forgetting to write your name at the end means the reader cannot come back to you for details, or tell whether the message came from someone reliable.
- Adding your own guesses or comments, such as ‘I think he was angry’, mixes opinion with the caller’s words and can mislead the reader about what was actually said.
Frequently asked questions
What is message writing?
Message writing is a short piece of writing that passes on information to someone who was not there to receive it — usually a phone call or a visitor’s request, or a note saying where you have gone. It is written in a few sentences, in reported speech, and set out in a fixed format: MESSAGE, the date and time, a greeting, the message and your name. It is a common short writing task in school English.
What is the format of message writing?
From top to bottom: the word MESSAGE; the date on the left and the time on the right; a greeting such as ‘Dear Mummy,’; the body, which says who called or came, when, what they said and what the reader should do; and your name at the end. In exams, the message is often written inside a box, so follow the layout in your board’s current sample papers.
What is the word limit for message writing?
There is no single word limit. Each board — CBSE, ICSE or your State board — and often each school sets its own for message writing in a particular class, and these change between syllabuses, so check the current syllabus, the sample papers and your teacher’s instructions. Whatever the limit, a message should be short: a few sentences giving the caller’s name, the time, the information and the action needed.
How do I write a message for Class 6, 7, 8 or 9?
Use the same format in every class: MESSAGE, the date and time, ‘Dear’ and the name, the message, and your name. Read the question carefully and pick out who called, when, what they said and what the reader must do. Turn the conversation into reported speech, leave out greetings and small talk, and check every number and time. Your teacher’s or board’s sample answers show the expected length and layout.
What time do you write in message writing?
At the top, next to the date, write the time you are writing the message. If the message is about a call or a visit, also give the time it happened in the body: ‘Your friend Ravi called at 4:30 p.m.’ The reader can then work out how long ago it was, and whether any deadline mentioned in the message, such as ‘call back within an hour’, has already passed.
Is message writing done in reported speech?
Yes. A message passes on what someone else said, so it uses reported speech in the third person: ‘Mrs. Rao called and said that the parent–teacher meeting has been moved to Saturday.’ Do not copy out the conversation with speech marks. Keep your own comments out, and change words such as ‘I’, ‘today’ and ‘here’ so that they make sense to the person reading the message later.
What is the difference between a message and a notice?
A message is for one person and passes on information they missed, such as a phone call or a visitor’s request; it begins with ‘Dear’ and the person’s name, and ends with your name. A notice is displayed for everyone it concerns, such as all the students in a school or all the residents of a society, and carries the institution’s name, a heading, and the name and designation of the person issuing it.
This page explains general practice and is not legal advice. Requirements differ between countries and, in some cases, between states — check what applies where the document will be used.