The Sports Day Notice: Precision Under Pressure
The cultural committee of a Kolkata higher secondary school has planned its annual sports day for 12 December, 9:00 a.m., on the school ground. On 8 December the headmaster learns that the ground will be dug for a municipal water line. The event is shifted to 19 December, 8:30 a.m., at the Salt Lake Stadium annexe. Students must report by 8:00 a.m. in white shoes; house colours remain. The PE teacher, Ms. Sen, says, 'We cannot risk another postponement; the notice must be unambiguous.' A student volunteer drafts: 'Hey guys, sports day is postponed due to some problem. New date 19 Dec, 8:30. Come on time. Bring snacks if you want. Don't wear white shoes.' The headmaster rejects it and asks for a formal notice plus a short magazine report.
1. Write the formal notice in about 50 words. Identify two pieces of information from the volunteer's draft that must be omitted, and explain why.
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NOTICE Annual Sports Day: Revised Arrangements The Annual Sports Day, originally scheduled for 12 December, will now be held on 19 December at 8:30 a.m. at the Salt Lake Stadium annexe. Students must report by 8:00 a.m. in white shoes and house colours. By order of the Headmaster
Omissions: 'Bring snacks if you want' is not authorised information and turns a formal notice into advice; it may also create a safety or discipline issue. 'Don't wear white shoes' directly contradicts the required dress code and would confuse students. The phrase 'due to some problem' is also too vague for a formal notice; the notice should state only the changed arrangements unless the headmaster authorises an explanation.
2. Write a 100-word report for the school magazine on the changed arrangements, including Ms. Sen's concern.
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Sports Day Shifted to Salt Lake Stadium Annexe
The annual sports day of our school, first scheduled for 12 December on the school ground, will now take place on 19 December at 8:30 a.m. at the Salt Lake Stadium annexe. The change became necessary after the school ground was marked for a municipal water line. Students must report by 8:00 a.m. in white shoes and house colours. PE teacher Ms. Sen said, 'We cannot risk another postponement; the notice must be unambiguous.' House captains have been asked to confirm attendance to the cultural committee by 15 December. The programme will follow the original order of events.
3. The headmaster wants the notice displayed on the school board and sent as a message to parents. What one change should be made for the parent message, and why?
Read the worked answer
The parent message should add the reporting and pick-up arrangements, not merely repeat the student dress code. Parents need to know where to drop students and when to collect them, especially because the venue has changed to the Salt Lake Stadium annexe. The notice to students can assume they know the school routine; a parent message cannot. The formal wording should remain, but the content should be audience-specific: date, venue, reporting time, and a clear line such as 'Parents are requested to collect students from the annexe gate at 2:00 p.m.' This is not a change of facts but a change of relevance.