Guided Composition: Letters, Notices, Messages, Paragraphs
Guided composition tests short, format-bound writing. Marks depend on correct layout, coverage of content points, grammatical accuracy, and brevity. The main forms are formal and informal letters, notices, messages, and paragraphs.
Formats to control
- Formal letter: sender's address, date, receiver's address, subject, salutation, two or three body paragraphs, closing such as 'Yours faithfully', and signature/name.
- Informal letter: address, date, salutation, friendly body, and closing.
- Notice: institution name, date, heading, body answering what/when/where/who, and signature with designation. Do not add a letter salutation.
- Message: date/time, addressee, concise body, and sender; no formal salutation.
- Paragraph: one topic sentence, supporting sentences, and a closing sentence; keep unity.
Worked example
Prompt: You are the secretary of the Literary Club. Write a notice about an inter-class quiz on 12 August in the school hall. Reasoning: begin with the school name and date; use the heading 'INTER-CLASS QUIZ'; state event, date, venue, time, eligibility, and registration deadline; end with 'Secretary, Literary Club'. Do not write 'Dear students' in a notice, and do not change the given date. A notice is display text, so use short sentences and third person.
Traps that cost marks
- Mixing letter and notice formats.
- Forgetting the subject line in a formal letter.
- Writing a message as a full letter.
- Putting several topics into one paragraph.
- Exceeding the word limit and losing content points.