Writing emails — the brief, the situations and the scoring

Sent as one message, free tier, fresh chat (Claude: incognito), memory off, no attachment. Three situations in one brief, each with the facts the email must carry and a hard length limit, so every answer can be checked line by line.

I run a small online shop in Lisbon, Quinta da Ribeira - wine, Ginjinha and ceramics. Write three emails for me. Each one under 150 words, with a subject line, plain and friendly, signed “Ana, Quinta da Ribeira”. Use only the facts I give you - do not add discounts, deadlines, threats or policies I have not mentioned.

1. To Miguel at Café Aurora in Porto, a wholesale customer. Invoice QR-2026-0314 for €412.60 was due on 20 August and is still unpaid; I sent a first reminder on 28 August. Our terms allow a 2% late fee, but I will waive it if the money arrives by 30 September. I want to keep them as a customer.

2. To Sofia at Olaria Beira, our ceramics supplier for three years. She has proposed a 12% price rise from 1 October. I can accept 6% from 1 November, and only if they commit to a three-week lead time on orders. If not, I will have to look at other suppliers - say that without being rude.

3. To Inês Carvalho, a retail customer. Her order 10482 - two bowls and a bottle of Ginjinha - arrived with one bowl broken; she sent photos the same day. Offer her a replacement bowl shipped on Monday or a refund of €24.90 for the bowl, her choice. She should keep the packaging until we reply, and she does not need to send anything back.

Scoring

• Facts - each email has five facts that must appear (ground-truth.md); 15 in all. measured leads with this.
• Invented - anything the brief did not give: a discount, a new deadline, a threat of collections or legal action, a policy, an apology for something that did not happen, a reason for the price rise.
• Length - each email under 150 words, body only, subject and sign-off excluded; how many of 3 pass.
• Subject line - present on each.
• Tone - does the chase read as a nudge, not a demand; the counter-offer as firm but warm; the apology as sorry without grovelling. Recorded, not counted.
• Sign-off - “Ana, Quinta da Ribeira” as asked.
• Time, refusals, output form, and whether it asked a question instead of writing.

check_emails.py runs the fact, length and subject checks on a raw file’s ## Answer section.

Answer key - writing emails

Every name, number and date is invented. The shop, the café, the supplier and the customer do not exist.

Email 1 - payment chase (5 facts)

1. Invoice QR-2026-0314
2. €412.60
3. due 20 August
4. first reminder 28 August (or “already wrote / reminded” on that date)
5. late fee 2% waived if paid by 30 September (both the waiver and the 30 September date)

Tone: a second nudge that assumes an oversight; no collections, no legal threat, no interest beyond the 2%, no new deadline.

Email 2 - counter-offer to the supplier (5 facts)

1. 12% from 1 October (their proposal, acknowledged)
2. 6% (the counter)
3. from 1 November
4. three-week lead time as the condition
5. otherwise Ana will look at other suppliers (stated, not threatened)

Tone: warm - three years together should show; firm on the number and the condition; no invented reason for the rise, no ultimatum date.

Email 3 - broken bowl (5 facts)

1. order 10482
2. one bowl broken (of two bowls and a bottle of Ginjinha)
3. replacement shipped Monday, or
4. refund €24.90, her choice
5. keep the packaging, nothing to send back

Tone: sorry once, then practical; no blaming the courier, no voucher, no discount on the next order.

Format (all three)

• subject line present
• body under 150 words
• signed “Ana, Quinta da Ribeira”
• nothing the brief did not say

Fixtures for the writing-emails test

• brief.md - the message sent, the three situations, and how answers are scored.
• ground-truth.md - the fifteen facts the emails must carry, five each, and the tone each should have.
• check_emails.py - fact, length and subject checks on a raw file: python check_emails.py raw/<tool>.md.

Synthetic throughout: the shop, the café, the supplier, the customer, the invoice and the order are invented.