Writing: Composition and Transactional Writing
Two tasks, one paper
Paper I of SEC English Language is writing: a composition (narrative, descriptive, argumentative or reflective) and a transactional piece - letter, article, speech, report, review or leaflet. Both are marked for content, organisation, accuracy and audience awareness, so a technically correct piece aimed at the wrong reader still loses marks.
Composition rules
- Spend two or three minutes planning: an opening image, three or four developments, an ending that answers the opening.
- Show rather than tell: “Her hands shook as she unfolded the letter” beats “She was nervous”.
- Keep tense, point of view and narrative voice consistent.
- Vary sentence length; one short sentence after two long ones lands a point.
Transactional conventions
- Letter: addresses, date, salutation and sign-off, formal or informal to match the reader.
- Article: headline, byline, short paragraphs, occasional subheadings.
- Speech: greeting, direct address (“you”), a rhetorical question, thanks at the close.
- Report: headed sections (Introduction, Findings, Conclusion, Recommendations) in an impersonal tone.
Worked example
Task: “Write an article for your school magazine persuading students to join a clean-up campaign.”
Reasoning: purpose is persuasion; audience is peers, so semi-formal register; format is a headline plus short paragraphs. A strong opening: “Last year our beach gave up 400 kg of rubbish in a single morning.” Then reasons, a counter-argument answered, and a call to action: “Sign up outside the office by Friday.” No address block and no “Yours sincerely” - that would make it a letter, not an article.
Traps that cost marks
Writing the wrong genre; ignoring the bullet points in the prompt; forgetting the sign-off in a formal letter; sliding into slang in formal writing; long introductions with no content; losing accuracy as you chase length.