Functional writing: report, letter, notice, advertisement
Functional writing: report, letter, notice, advertisement
This domain tests real-world writing where format, audience, and purpose carry marks. A notice is not a letter; a report is not a story; an advertisement is not an essay. Learn the conventions and keep the content specific.
Core rules
- Report: headline, date/place line, byline if required, lead paragraph answering what/when/where/who/why, then factual detail and a quotation.
- Formal letter: sender's address, date, receiver's designation, subject line, salutation, body in paragraphs, complimentary close, signature.
- Notice: boxed layout, heading, date, issuing authority, five-W content, short lines, no personal tone.
- Advertisement: headline, selling proposition, supporting detail, contact/action line, white space, brevity.
- Match tone to audience: formal for officials, persuasive for buyers, neutral for notices.
Worked example
Task: a notice about a lost library book. Reasoning: The notice needs a heading ('LOST BOOK'), date, a precise description (title, colour, identification mark), where it was last seen, and whom to contact. It should not begin 'Dear students' because a notice is displayed, not addressed as a letter. It should not invent a reward unless the task allows it. The test is whether a reader can act on the information.
Traps
- Omitting the date or issuing authority in a notice.
- Writing a report without a headline or lead sentence.
- Using 'Yours faithfully' with a named recipient; use 'Yours sincerely' when the name is known.
- Putting an essay-style introduction in an advertisement.
- Inventing false phone numbers or addresses when the task gives none; use a plausible placeholder only if permitted.