Presentation: Emailing a Supplier for a Quote

Slide 1 of 7 · Settling starter · Design Technology · Year 9

4 minutes

Emailing a supplier for a quote: 2 bad emails, then the one that works

You have a worksheet and a stimulus sheet, Phone stand project: supplier quote pack. Today you judge 2 badly written emails against a 10-point checklist, plan and write the formal email that asks Pren a Plastig for a quote for the materials for 30 phone stands, then reply to the supplier’s answer. No email is actually sent.

While the register is called: write your name, class and date on your worksheet, then read sections 1 to 4 of the stimulus sheet. Do not read section 5 yet.

Starter question: Which email address should a quote request go to, and who reads it?

DCF: Interacting and collaborating → Communication No computers needed · nothing on the sheets is real · no email is sent

Supply teacher script (no subject knowledge needed)

Hand out: one worksheet and one stimulus sheet per pupil, plus a pen and 2 highlighters of different colours. No computers are needed and nobody sends an email. The supplier, the school, the people, the addresses, the phone numbers and the prices on the stimulus sheet are all invented and must not be typed into a browser or an email client.

Say aloud: “Name, class and date at the top. While I take the register, read sections 1 to 4 of the stimulus sheet: the supplier’s contact page, the cutting list, Mrs Pugh’s notes and the 2 first attempts. Do not read section 5; that is for later.”

Starter answer: ysgolion@prenaplastig.example, read by Nia Hughes, Education Sales Adviser. Not helo@, which is general enquiries and not quotes.

Slide 2 of 7 · Today’s brief and key words · Design Technology · Year 9

2 minutes

Your brief: judge, plan, write, reply, check

A clear email gets an accurate quote the first time; a vague one gets the wrong material, a delay or a question back. You will judge Emails A and B against the checklist (Step 1), plan for purpose, audience and context (Step 2), write a formal email of 150 to 220 words in silence (Step 3), reply to the supplier’s offer of a substitute (Step 4), and check before you would send (Step 5).

Quote

A written price for exactly what you asked for. It is not an order; Mrs Pugh places the order.

Register

How formal your language is. Formal means full sentences, no contractions, no text-speak, no capitals for shouting.

To, Cc and Bcc

To is who must act. Cc is who should see it. Bcc sends a copy without showing anyone the other addresses.

DCF: Interacting and collaborating → Communication LNF: Literacy → Writing → Planning and organising for different purposes, audiences and context

Slide 3 of 7 · Step 1: judge 2 emails · Design Technology · Year 9

10 minutes

Step 1 on your worksheet: Emails A and B against the 10-point checklist

Highlight every problem in Emails A and B (section 4). Tick or cross each of the 10 checklist points for each email and quote the worst example. Then answer (b) which mistake in Email B could cause the most harm, and (c) would a phone call be better?

Checklist point	A	B	Worst example (quote it)
1. A clear, specific subject line	Cross	Cross	A: “stuff”. B: “RE: RE: RE: Y9 DT project info”, an old thread.

Copy row 1, then do points 2 to 10. Email B has no attachment, so point 7 does not apply to it: write n/a.

Step 1 on your worksheet · 10 minutes Quote the exact words that fail each point

Supply teacher script (no subject knowledge needed)

Say aloud: “Row 1 is on the board: copy it. Both emails fail almost every point. Your job is to quote the exact words that fail each one. Then (b): which mistake in Email B does the most harm, and to whom? And (c): phone or email for this job, one advantage of each, then decide.”

Quick check, the table: 2 Greeting: A “hiya” to general enquiries, B “Hey Nia!!” too familiar. 3 Purpose first: A asks them to send the goods, not a quote; B buries it in a 62-word sentence. 4 Numbered details: A “about 30 i think”; B “150 by 90” with no units or thickness, and “loads”. 5 Polite close: A “how much is it??”; B “URGENT!!!!”. 6 Signature: first name only, no school or role, both. 7 Attachment: A “final_final2.docx” says nothing and is never mentioned; B n/a. 8 To, Cc, Bcc: B reply-all to 148 pupils with the supplier only in Cc; A sent to helo@ instead of ysgolion@. 9 Personal data: A a personal mobile number; B a home address and 148 pupils’ email addresses. 10 Checked: A “u”, “sum”, “lol”; B capitals for shouting, “I think”.

Quick check, (b) and (c): (b) the reply-all in Email B: it sends Ffion’s home address, and when she will be in, to 148 pupils and a company, which could put her at risk; it also gives 148 pupils’ school addresses to a business without permission, and every reply lands in 148 inboxes. (c) A phone call is quicker and you can check stock straight away; an email gives a written record of the exact sizes and quantities, works outside 8am to 4.30pm, and lets Mrs Pugh be copied in. The model chooses email, because the request is full of numbers that must not be misheard and the supplier asks for quotes by email. Either decision is acceptable with both advantages given.

Slide 4 of 7 · Steps 2 and 3: plan, then write the email · Design Technology · Year 9

21 minutes

Step 2 & Step 3: plan for purpose, audience and context, then write 150 to 220 words

Step 2 (7 min): fill the plan: purpose, audience, context, register with 2 features, what the reader should be able to do, and 1 line of notes for each of the 4 paragraphs. Step 3 (14 min, in silence): write the To, Cc, Subject and Attachment lines, then the email, greeting to sign-off, with the materials in a numbered list.

Line	Model
To:	ysgolion@prenaplastig.example (Nia Hughes)
Cc:	c.pugh@ysgolcwmarian.example and nobody else
Subject:	Quote request DT-Y9-2611: pine and acrylic for 30 phone stands
Attachment:	DT-Y9-2611-cutting-list.pdf

Copy the 4 header lines. Every size needs its unit (mm), its thickness and its quantity. Use the school phone number, 01632 960250, never a personal one.

Steps 2 and 3 on your worksheet · 21 minutes, Step 3 in silence Purpose in the first sentence · numbered list · formal all the way through

Supply teacher script (no subject knowledge needed)

Say aloud: “Seven minutes to plan. Purpose: what is the email for? Audience: who reads it and what do they need? Context: the situation and the deadline. Then one line of notes per paragraph. When I say, 14 minutes in silence to write the email. The 4 header lines are on the board: copy them. Write 150 to 220 words from Dear to your signature. Materials go in a numbered list with thickness, size in mm and quantity.”

Quick check, the plan: purpose: a written quote, not an order, for pine and acrylic cut to size for 30 phone stands. Audience: Nia Hughes, Education Sales Adviser, a professional who needs materials, thicknesses, sizes in mm, quantities, date, address and reference. Context: Year 9 Design Technology project, sent from school with Mrs Pugh in Cc, delivery by Friday 13 November 2026. Register: formal, “Dear Ms Hughes” and “Yours sincerely”, no contractions, “Please could you”. After reading she should be able to write the quote without asking a question.

Walk the room, the email: the model is 186 words. It must contain the 4 numbered lines from the cutting list: planed pine 18 mm thick, 30 pieces 150 × 90 mm; planed pine 18 mm thick, 30 pieces 90 × 60 mm; cast acrylic 3 mm thick fluorescent green, 15 pieces 120 × 100 mm; cast acrylic 3 mm thick opal white, 15 pieces 120 × 100 mm; delivery by Friday 13 November 2026, between 8.30am and 3pm, to the Design Technology department, Ysgol Cwm Arian, Ffordd yr Afon, Bethesda, Gwynedd LL57 9ZZ; VAT and delivery shown separately; Mrs Carys Pugh, Head of Design Technology, will place the order; a signature with full name, role, school and the school phone 01632 960250. The £150 budget must not be mentioned to the supplier. Stop anyone writing “I’m”, “asap” or a personal mobile.

Slide 5 of 7 · Step 4: reply to the supplier · Design Technology · Year 9

8 minutes

Step 4 on your worksheet: read section 5 now, then reply in 60 to 100 words

Now read section 5 of the stimulus: the supplier’s reply. The green acrylic is out of stock and Nia Hughes offers 2 options. (a) Which option, with 2 reasons from Mrs Pugh’s notes? (b) Write the To, Cc and Subject lines, then a reply of 60 to 100 words: thank her, give your choice and reason, quote both references, confirm the delivery, and say who will place the order.

Line	Model
To:	ysgolion@prenaplastig.example
Cc:	c.pugh@ysgolcwmarian.example
Subject:	RE: Quote request DT-Y9-2611: pine and acrylic for 30 phone stands (reply in the same thread)

The 2 references to quote are the supplier’s quote number Q4471 and our order reference DT-Y9-2611.

Step 4 on your worksheet · 8 minutes Decide from Mrs Pugh’s notes, not from which colour you like

Supply teacher script (no subject knowledge needed)

Say aloud: “Turn to section 5 and read the supplier’s reply. Green is out of stock; she offers 2 options. Which one, and why, using Mrs Pugh’s notes in section 3? Then write your reply: header lines first from the board, then 60 to 100 words. Thank her, choose, give the reason, quote both references, confirm delivery, and say who will order.”

Quick check: (a) Option 1, the 3 mm fluorescent orange acrylic. Reasons from the notes: the acrylic must be 3 mm because the laser cutter is set up for 3 mm, and any bright colour is fine if green is out of stock. Option 1 is also the same price, so the total stays at £126.00, inside the £150 budget. Option 2 (5 mm green) is wrong even though it is the right colour. (b) The model reply is 94 words: thanks for quote Q4471 (our reference DT-Y9-2611); option 1 for the 15 panels that were going to be green; the laser cutter is set up for 3 mm so 5 mm would not suit it; everything else in the quote is correct; please hold the stock for delivery on Thursday 12 November; Mrs Pugh, copied in, will confirm the order; Kind regards and name. Check the reply keeps the RE: subject so the thread stays together.

Slide 6 of 7 · Self and partner check · Design Technology · Year 9

3 minutes

Step 5: check before you would send, then the success criteria

Count your Step 3 words and write the number. Highlight your purpose sentence in 1 colour; it must be in your first 2 sentences. Highlight every number with a unit in the other colour. Write the 10 checklist numbers in the margin where your email meets each one. Then swap and tick.

I can judge an email against an etiquette checklist and explain the risks of reply-all and of sharing personal data.
I can choose the right To and Cc, write a specific subject line and name an attachment sensibly.
I can plan for purpose, audience and context before I write.
I can write a formal email that puts the purpose first and organises the details in clear paragraphs and a numbered list.
I can keep a formal register all the way through, and reply with a justified decision that keeps the thread clear.

3 minutes · highlight, then partner check Finished early? Write 3 better subject lines for Email A and circle the best

Supply teacher script (no subject knowledge needed)

Say aloud: “Count your words and write the number: 150 to 220. One colour on your purpose sentence, the other colour on every number with a unit. Checklist numbers in the margin. Swap with your partner: check their To line says ysgolion, their Cc is Mrs Pugh only, and their Step 4 choice is option 1. Tick the criteria, swap back, fix 1 thing.”

Extension answers: subject lines such as “Quote request DT-Y9-2611: pine and acrylic for 30 phone stands” (best: reference, what and how many), “Ysgol Cwm Arian: quote for 30 phone stand kits, needed by 13 November”, “Quote please: pine and 3 mm acrylic cut to size”. Bcc sends each person a copy without showing anyone the other addresses, so nobody sees 148 pupils’ addresses and a reply-all goes only to Mrs Pugh. Option 2 cost: 15 × £0.60 = £9.00, plus VAT at 20% (£1.80) = £10.80 more; new total £136.80, still £13.20 under £150, but the choice does not change because 5 mm does not suit the laser cutter.

Slide 7 of 7 · Plenary review · Design Technology · Year 9

2 minutes

Round the room, then quick-check answers before handing in

Everyone names 1 checklist point and the words from Email A or B that failed it, no repeats. Then check these answers.

Question	Correct answer
Who goes in To and who goes in Cc?	To: ysgolion@prenaplastig.example (Nia Hughes). Cc: c.pugh@ysgolcwmarian.example only.
Which was the most harmful mistake in Email B?	Reply-all to 148 pupils with a home address in it: a safety and personal data risk, not just a style mistake.
Which option in the supplier’s reply, and why?	Option 1, 3 mm orange. The laser cutter is set up for 3 mm; any bright colour is fine.

Check your name, class and word count are on your worksheet Worksheets in · stimulus sheets and highlighters back to the front