Writing Skills (Notice, Letter, Article, Report)
Writing Skills asks for four short forms. Marks are split between format, content and expression, so a well-argued piece with a missing subject line still loses.
Formats that earn format marks
- Notice: a box, the word NOTICE, date, subject line, two or three sentences answering what, when, where and whom to contact, then name and designation. No first person.
- Formal letter: sender's address, date, receiver's address, subject, salutation, three paragraphs (purpose, detail, action), 'Yours sincerely' with a named addressee.
- Article: title, byline, three or four paragraphs, an opening hook, an argument with an example, and a conclusion that returns to the title.
- Report: headline, byline, an opening paragraph answering what, when, where and who, then detail and a closing line.
Register
Notices use impersonal passive. Formal letters are direct but polite. Articles may use 'we'. Reports stay in the past tense and third person.
Worked example
Notice about a lost library book. Weak: 'I lost my book, please help.' Strong: 'A library copy of X was misplaced in the reading room on 12 August. The finder is requested to deposit it at the library counter.' Reasoning: the passive removes the first person, and the date, place and required action all appear in two sentences.
Traps that cost marks
- Forgetting the box around a notice.
- Writing an essay when a report is asked for.
- Omitting the subject line in a formal letter.
- Using 'Yours faithfully' when the addressee is named.
- Exceeding the word limit and losing content marks.