Short, formal, and useful. Copy the template below and adapt it.
Key rules (read first)
Start politely: use Dear <Name> or Dear Professor. Do not start with "Hey" or omit a greeting.
Skip unnecessary formalities: phrases like "I hope you are well" or "I hope this e-mail finds you well" are not needed — get to the point.
Check the website first: look for the answer on the course homepage before emailing. We will assume that you did.
State your problem clearly: include what you tried, where you checked, and the exact issue (error messages, links, filenames, dates, etc.), you can attach files if needed.
Use a clear subject line: e.g. question about assignment 3 (deadline clarification).
Use our Cprog portal to send messages: do not use Teams, work-mail, or personal addresses (except for the lecturer for problems need to be sesolved immadiately). We will reply through the portal.
Signature matters: the name you provide will be used in our reply. If you give your full name we will likely use it; if you give only a nickname we will use that. (it is not a porblem) You also can use the our signature, e.g. the lecturer will sign as Márton, so you can start your answer Dear Márton
Formal but concise: write formally (no too much slang), but avoid decorative sentences — present facts and relevant context.
Recommended structure (5 lines)
Greeting: Dear <Title and name / Professor>.
One sentence: state the purpose of the message (question / request / problem).
One or two sentences: what you checked and what you tried.
One sentence: exactly what you need from tutor (deadline extension? clarification? meeting?).
Signature: your full name as you want to be addressed.
Short template (copy, edit, paste)
Fill the parts in brackets, remove the guidance text, and send via the Cprog portal.
Dear Professor <Last Name>,
I am writing about <short statement of the problem or question>.
I have checked <course homepage / assignment page / Stack overflow> and tried <what you tried> but the issue remains: <specific error or unclear point>.
Could you please <what you need from them (e.g. clarify, extend deadline, confirm submission)?>
Best regards,
<Your full name>
Examples
Bad — vague and informal
No subject, no context, starts informally.
hey,
i cant do the assignment pls help
br, johnny
Good — concise and formal
Clear subject, shows what was tried, asks for a precise action.
Subject: Question about HW specification
Dear Professor Nagy,
I am having trouble with HW specification: I do not know if I need to include the data structures I am going to use. I have checked the HW page, but this part was not clear for me.
Could you please confirm whether I need to include anything about the data structures of my project?
Best regards,
Steve Student
AI prompt for drafting emails
Students who prefer to use AI tools (such as ChatGPT) can copy this prompt and fill in the missing parts. It will generate a short, professional, and useful email:
Write a short, clear, and formal email to my programming tutor.
The email should:
- Start with "Dear Professor <Last name>".
- Skip greetings like "I hope you are well".
- Explain my specific issue with assignment X (error message, unclear instruction, deadline, etc.).
- Mention what I already tried (checked homepage/FAQ, re-read assignment, tried code).
- End with "Best regards, <my full name>".
Make the email professional but not overly formal. Keep it under 8 lines.
Before you send checklist
✅ Did you check the homepage first?
✅ Did you include the assignment number, file name, or error message?
✅ Did you provide your signature with the name you want to be addressed by?
✅ Did you use the Cprog portal, not Teams, work mail, or personal email?
✅ Did you write a clear subject line: [CourseCode] — Assignment # — Topic?