WRITING TO INFORM, EXPLAIN AND DESCRIBE

Inform Your aim is to tell the reader about something or someone. Try to make it interesting and give new or original information. YOU MAY BE ASKED TO WRITE: Autobiographies or biographies Information leaflets Newspaper/ magazine articles

Conventions (rules) Use a range of detail – a combination of facts and opinions Often uses the present tense (Jamaica is one of the islands in the Caribbean…). Make the detail interesting You may use sub-headings to structure your work You may use facts and figures Use a range of sentence structures to ensure variety A - Write about your local town or city B - Many people have interests to which they give a great deal of time, effort and money. Write to inform a reader about an interest of yours.

Explain Your aim is to tell the reader why or how something has happened or will happen. You must give reasons and explain yourself clearly.

Conventions (rules) You will often have to provide a number of reasons to explain yourself clearly You may be required to explain thoughts and feelings Your ideas will need to be organised clearly and logically so as always, a paragraph plan is the best way to go about this Connectives will help you keep it chronological and ordered. Use a range of sentence structures to ensure variety A - Choose something that has happened that has had a strong effect on you. Explain what happened, why it affected you so much and how you felt about it. B -Lottery winners sometimes say that winning the lottery has not made them happy. Imagine you have won 2 million pounds on the lottery. Explain how you would spend the money.

A - Choose something that has happened that has had a strong effect on you. Explain what happened, why it affected you so much and how you felt about it. B -Lottery winners sometimes say that winning the lottery has not made them happy. Imagine you have won 2 million pounds on the lottery. Explain how you would spend the money. A - Write about your local town or city B - Many people have interests to which they give a great deal of time, effort and money. Write to inform a reader about an interest of yours.

DESCRIBE This question requires you paint a picture with words. Your aim is to make the place, people or thing you are describing seem real to the reader and really come to life. Conventions Detail is essential Use the 5 senses where appropriate Use similes/ metaphors/ personification Use onomatopoeia/ alliteration etc. Your vocabulary needs to be advanced and you need to be able to use strong and powerful adjectives where appropriate Your piece still needs to be organised and structured so ensure you plan as you normally would Work on creating an atmosphere/mood for your piece

‘describe’ TASKS Describe the room you are sitting in Describe someone you know well Describe a recent event at your school for the local community newspaper Describe a shopping centre at night time Describe a family tradition that is important to you

AFOREST - A = anecdotes/ alliteration F = facts O = opinions R = rhetorical questions/ repetition E = emotive language S = statistics T = triples (or ‘rule of three’)

AFOREST – advanced version! A = anecdotes/ alliteration F = facts/ figurative language (metaphor/ personification) O = opinions/ onomatopoeia R = rhetorical questions/ repetition E = exaggeration/ emotive language/ exclamation marks S = statistics/ similes T = triples (or ‘rule of three’)

Describe the view from your bedroom window From my bedroom window I can see a path that leads from my front door and towards the road. The path is covered in weeds as my family don’t like gardening much. Across the road I can see the red curtains of the lady who lives in the house opposite. She has a tree in her front garden and her garden is much neater than ours. I can also just about see the post box which is on the corner… etc As I gaze out of my bedroom window I see before me giant Egyptian pyramids which dwarf our tiny house, small and vulnerable. They are majestic and covered in the same golden shimmer which can be found in the sand that runs from my front door to the horizon miles away. I can hear the angry voices of the exhausted market traders nearby who are trying to fetch a fair price for goods they trawl up here everyday. I can already feel the blistering heat through the pane of glass as I move my curtains to one side to peek out; it’s boiling already and I haven’t even left for school yet! x Which piece is more interesting? Why?

Describe your home My house has got a red front door which leads into the hallway. On the left is the living room where you will probably find my dad… x ?

Tasks – complete the following sentences – write 1 paragraph and the HIGHLIGHT THE DEVICES you have used – this will tell you whether you are using enough As I walked through the field of corn on that peaceful summer day I saw… / heard…

Writing to describe… You are applying to take part in a TV makeover show. Describe your bedroom in a way that convinces the producers of the show that you need a makeover.

Tips for writing to inform, explain, describe ALWAYS use paragraphs – you cannot gain a D grade or above without them. Check spelling and sentences carefully when you have finished writing – there should never be a point in the exam where you are doing nothing. Use all available time. Use full stops where they are needed – full sentences. Remember to use apostrophes where needed and try to use an exclamation mark or question mark. To gain B/A/A* you need to use semi-colons and colons.

Getting extra marks Remember to use 1 or 2 word sentences now and then e.g. I was afraid. Terrified. I knew he was coming for me. Remember to use more punctuation than just commas and full stops e.g. I was afraid ; he was getting close now. The sheer terror of it ! Remember to try to use advanced vocab – even if you are unsure of the spelling e.g. ‘I was tired’ Could be changed to I was exhausted