Writing to inform, explain, describe Tuesday 8 th March / Wednesday 9 th March

Paper: The Craft of the Writer  You are the ‘writer’  You are being examined on how well you can ‘craft’ language  Remember: to craft language = to write skilfully

Assessment Objectives (i) and (ii)  General  Purpose and Audience  Communicative Effectiveness  Organisation How successful and effective? How focused on the task? Sophisticated vocabulary? Controlled and varied sentence structure? Skilfully paragraphed and structured?

Assessment Objective (iii)  Punctuation  Grammar  Spelling Accurate and varied marks used for effect? Accurate and ambitious structuring of sentences? Accurate spelling of simple and complex words?

Subject  May be linked to topics covered in other parts of the paper  May be random  BUT… they should provide you with an opportunity to write about something familiar or that interests you.

The Questions  Choice of two questions  May focus on single element of the writing triplet e.g. writing to describe  May combine two elements e.g. inform and explain READ THE QUESTION CAREFULLY AND KEY WORD IT

Form A form may be specified  e.g. write a letter explaining why you want to pursue a particular career  Addresses/dates  Open/close with suitable greeting A form may not be specified  e.g. describe a person you admire  write in normal paragraphs

Possible forms  Letters  Articles for: –Newspapers –Magazines –Leaflets  Scripts  Reports  Prospectuses

Audience An audience MAY be specified  e.g. informing the headmaster about your views  use formal language and a polite tone An audience MAY NOT be specified  e.g. explain how you think teenagers should be treated today  use vocabulary suitable for young and old readers *

Key wording: an example Write an article for a magazine informing visitors to the area about local facilities and sites of interest worth visiting.

Writing to inform Purpose: to give details about something (Hint: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How) Structure: Paragraphs organised by topic, beginning with clear topic sentences Language: - Clear and factual but lively! - Technical/specialist vocabulary - Third person/formal - Honest and trustworthy tone?

Writing to explain Purpose: giving more than details about something; justify and give the reason (Moving into analysis) Structure: Paragraphs (open and then give evidence) Sequential/logical order Language: - Connectives to show sequence, cause and effect - Technical/specialist vocabulary - Clear and authoritative in tone - Personal (emotional/subjective) OR factual and balanced

Writing to describe Purpose: to paint a picture in words, to make something real for the reader Structure: Paragraphs which cover different areas of the description Language: - Adjectives and adverbs - Use of verbs to give power and movement - Imagery (make sure it doesn’t jar…) - Variety of sentence length and structure - Appealing to reader’s different senses

Exam hints (1)  Plan your piece of writing –NEVER just start writing; you will end up with a loosely-structured and disorganised result (  not ‘crafted’)  What should I put in my plan? –Ideas for content –Order of points and links –Key words to use to communicate ideas

Exam hints (2)  Openings –Make your beginning attention-grabbing and interesting  Endings –Plan it for maximum impact – content and style.  Leave enough time to check for accuracy in spelling, missing words, punctuation –This could make a difference in your grade.

Openings Consider starting your writing with:  A rhetorical question –‘How would you feel coming face to face with your worst nightmare?’  A dramatic remark or statement –‘I will never, ever set foot inside a hot air balloon again!’

More openings  An arresting image –‘As the fear crept over me, I wondered whether I would live or die.’  An intriguing comment to draw the reader in –‘When a person goes through an experience like mine last year, it changes their view of life completely.’

Can I make up my answer?  Yes, but….  It should be believable/realistic  Don’t waste time  You write better from your own experience  Concentrate on using language… EFFECTIVELY + ACCURATELY

Teachers and Rooms Tuesday 8 th March  BLUE: EM in Theatre  GREEN: Cv in E3  PINK:Hl in E2  ORANGE:Hk in E6

Teachers and Rooms Wednesday 9th March  BLUE: HM in Theatre  GREEN:Ma in E3  PINK:FC in E1  ORANGE:Cv in E5