Writing: Directed and Extended Composition
Writing: Directed and Extended Composition
This domain covers two kinds of writing. Directed composition gives you a task, audience and purpose, often with bullet points to cover; extended composition asks you to plan and write a longer piece such as a narrative, description or argument. Both are marked for content, organisation, style and accuracy.
Core rules
- For directed tasks, identify the format (formal letter, article, speech, report), the audience and the required content points. Cover every bullet; missing one caps your content mark.
- Use paragraphing as a plan: one main idea per paragraph, with a topic sentence and supporting detail.
- Match register: no contractions, slang or chains of 'I think' in a formal letter; direct address and rhetorical questions work in a speech.
- For extended writing, establish a clear structure: an opening that sets scene or position, a developed body, and an ending that resolves or concludes.
- Vary sentence length and opening words; use cohesive devices ('however', 'as a result', 'in contrast') accurately.
Worked example
Directed task: 'Write a letter to the editor about household waste. Include: the problem, one cause, one solution.' Bullet 1 (problem): 'Our town's landfill is nearing capacity.' Bullet 2 (cause): 'Single-use packaging is discarded after minutes.' Bullet 3 (solution): 'A deposit-return scheme would make return convenient.' Reasoning: each bullet becomes one developed paragraph. Formal register: 'I am writing to...' not 'Hey, I wanna talk about...'. The solution must be specific, not 'people should recycle more'.
Traps
Writing a story when the task asks for a letter; ignoring the audience; putting all content points in one paragraph; overusing memorised phrases that do not fit; exceeding the word count so errors increase without adding content.