-----BEGIN PRIVACY-ENHANCED MESSAGE----- Proc-Type: 2001,MIC-CLEAR Originator-Name: webmaster@www.sec.gov Originator-Key-Asymmetric: MFgwCgYEVQgBAQICAf8DSgAwRwJAW2sNKK9AVtBzYZmr6aGjlWyK3XmZv3dTINen TWSM7vrzLADbmYQaionwg5sDW3P6oaM5D3tdezXMm7z1T+B+twIDAQAB MIC-Info: RSA-MD5,RSA, Lh6cg9kCrf0mDrU7Y7hJmbliK84mXlM3QjzSXK+3Rb5nNt4k56Z8Nwi9EVbsZYDz IgCYemgLSUeMBg2u8e7LQw== 0001010521-08-000509.txt : 20081029 0001010521-08-000509.hdr.sgml : 20081029 20081029144559 ACCESSION NUMBER: 0001010521-08-000509 CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE: NSAR-B PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT: 2 CONFORMED PERIOD OF REPORT: 20080831 FILED AS OF DATE: 20081029 DATE AS OF CHANGE: 20081029 EFFECTIVENESS DATE: 20081029 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: HANCOCK JOHN TAX EXEMPT SERIES FUND CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0000811921 IRS NUMBER: 000000000 STATE OF INCORPORATION: DE FISCAL YEAR END: 0831 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: NSAR-B SEC ACT: 1940 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 811-05079 FILM NUMBER: 081147577 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 601 CONGRESS STREET CITY: BOSTON STATE: MA ZIP: 02210 BUSINESS PHONE: 617-663-3000 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: C/O JOHN HANCOCK FUNDS STREET 2: 601 CONGRESS STREET CITY: BOSTON STATE: MA ZIP: 02210 FORMER COMPANY: FORMER CONFORMED NAME: HANCOCK JOHN TAX EXEMPT SERIES TRUST DATE OF NAME CHANGE: 19901023 0000811921 S000000649 Massachusetts Tax-Free Income Fund C000001868 Class A JHMAX C000001869 Class B JHMBX C000001870 Class C JMACX 0000811921 S000000650 New York Tax-Free Income Fund C000001871 Class A JHNYX C000001872 Class B JNTRX C000001873 Class C JNYCX NSAR-B 1 answer.fil JOHN HANCOCK TAX-EXEMPT SERIES PAGE 1 000 B000000 08/31/2008 000 C000000 0000811921 000 D000000 N 000 E000000 NF 000 F000000 Y 000 G000000 N 000 H000000 N 000 I000000 6.1 000 J000000 A 001 A000000 John Hancock Tax-Exempt Series Fund 001 B000000 811-5079 001 C000000 6176634324 002 A000000 601 Congress Street 002 B000000 Boston 002 C000000 MA 002 D010000 02210 002 D020000 2805 003 000000 N 004 000000 N 005 000000 N 006 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OUELLETTE TITLE SR ATTORNEY & AS EX-99.77B ACCT LTTR 2 nsar.htm ACCOUNTANT'S LETTER nsar.htm -- Converted by SEC Publisher, created by BCL Technologies Inc., for SEC Filing

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Trustees and Shareholders of John Hancock Tax-Exempt Series Fund,

In planning and performing our audit of the financial statements of the John Hancock Massachusetts Tax-Free Income Fund and the John Hancock New York Tax-Free Income Fund (each a series of the John Hancock Tax-Exempt Series Fund, hereafter referred to as the “Funds”) as of and for the year ended August 31, 2008, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), we considered the Funds' internal control over financial reporting, including control activities for safeguarding securities, as a basis for designing our auditing procedures for the purpose of expressing our opinion on the financial statements and to comply with the requirements of Form N-SAR, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Funds' internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we do not express an opinion on the effectiveness of the Funds' internal control over financial reporting.

The management of the Funds is responsible for establishing and maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting. In fulfilling this responsibility, estimates and judgments by management are required to assess the expected benefits and related costs of controls. A fund’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A fund's internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the fund; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the fund are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and trustees of the fund; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of a fund’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

A deficiency in internal control over financial reporting exists when the design or operation of a control does not allow management or employees, in the normal course of performing their assigned functions, to prevent or detect misstatements on a timely basis. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the Funds' annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

Our consideration of the Funds' internal control over financial reporting was for the limited purpose described in the first paragraph and would not necessarily disclose all deficiencies in internal control over financial reporting that might be material weaknesses under standards established by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). However, we noted no deficiencies in the Funds' internal control over financial reporting and their operation, including controls for safeguarding securities that we consider to be material weaknesses as defined above as of August 31, 2008.

This report is intended solely for the information and use of management and the Board of Trustees of John Hancock Tax-Exempt Series Fund and the Securities and Exchange Commission and is not intended to be and should not be used by anyone other than these specified parties.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Boston, Massachusetts
October 23, 2008

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