Writing to inform and explain

Writing that has the specific purpose of informing and explaining is usually non-fiction. Media writing found in newspapers, magazines and online blogs
are all types of non-fiction.

Writing to inform and explain - structure

Whenever you are asked to write a text in a certain style, it helps to have read plenty of 'style
models' beforehand. These are professional examples that already exist.

This will help you to find out:

 what its 'genre conventions' are - these are its 'ingredients' such as its layout, use of headings
and so on
 how to structure your writing
 what kind of language should be used, especially the tone of voice and level of formality
 what types of sentences and paragraphs you should use – both in length and style
 what sort of language techniques you could use, for example rhetorical questions, sub-
headings, lists of three and so on
Task
Your school magazine editor has just found out that the local skatepark has been given listed
status. He has asked you to go and find out all about it and write an article for the magazine.

As with any writing task you need to start by considering aspects of context, audience and
purpose:

Context - the situation is that you need to write an article for the school magazine about the local
skatepark.

Audience - your readers are your peers, teachers and parents. This is a large and generally
unknown audience so your style needs to be quite formal using Standard English.

Purpose - the purpose of the text is to inform and to explain to others all about the skatepark.

Below is a text taken from an online article about the skatepark. See if you can identify the
conventions and how the ideas are sequenced to create an effective structure.

BBC News online

Looking at the article, you can see that it:

 starts with a headline - this tells in an interesting, engaging way what it is mainly about
 has a caption under the photo - this provides more information that works to create more
reader interest
 uses images that work to catch the eye as well as support the story
 gives information split into paragraphs (which are often of a single sentence each)
 uses Standard English and a variety of sentence lengths and types
 uses quotations from involved parties and experts
 includes key facts and figures
 offers lots of specific details about its topic
If you looked at other articles of this same text-type or genre, you will find them all similar.
These are the main conventions of a news article. You can use some of them to help you to write
and structure your article. When you’re writing, you don’t need to include images and captions,
or write in columns.

1.

Writing to inform and explain - language

Once you know the conventions, you can analyse the style of the writing.

Ask yourself:

 is the writing formal or informal?

 does the writer address or talk to the reader directly, and, if so, is the writing style chatty or
serious?
 what are the vocabulary choices like?
 what are the sentence types and lengths like?
 are any notable language techniques used?
Here is an extract from the skatepark news story text. Read through and then think about the
questions below:

'The Rom, which will be Grade II listed, is the second skatepark in the world to be given the
protection. The first was the Bro Bowl in Tampa, Florida, which was added to the US National
Register of Historic Places in October 2013, according to English Heritage.

The Rom, which takes its name from the nearby river, was built using seamless pressurised
concrete and is closely based on Californian skateparks.

It has been listed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the advice of English
Heritage.

"The Rom is the finest example in England to this aspect of youth culture, and we are delighted
its special interest will be protected for future generations through listing." Mr Bowdler said.
Heritage Minister Ed Vaizey said: "Its listing at Grade II is testament to its design and also
highlights how the UK's unique heritage reflects all parts of our culture and history."'

Question
Is the writing formal or informal?

Hide answer
The writing is in a formal style, using typical Standard English choices of words and
sentence styles.

Question
Does the writer address or talk to the reader directly, and, if so, is the writing style chatty
or serious?

Hide answer
This writer does not talk directly to the reader. They offer lots of information and write
about other people but in an impersonal style.

Question
What is the vocabulary like?

Hide answer
There are specific names of places and people.

Question
What are the sentences like?

Hide answer
They are lively sounding but are a variety of lengths and types. There are many complex
sentences because the writer is trying to give a lot of information and relevant details.

Question
What language techniques are used?

Hide answer

 Alliteration adds a touch of interest, eg second skatepark.

 Interesting
facts work to inform as well as engage the reader, eg 'The first was the Bro
Bowl in Tampa, Florida'.
 Quotations are given from authoritative and reliable sources, eg ‘Heritage Minister Ed
Vaizey said: "Its listing at Grade II is testament to its design and also highlights how
the UK's unique heritage reflects all parts of our culture and history"'.
 Quotations offer key and involved individual’s opinions, eg '"The Rom is the finest
example in England to this aspect of youth culture, and we are delighted its special
interest will be protected for future generations through listing". Mr Bowdler said’.
  Phraseslike 'seamless pressurised concrete' and 'youth culture' sound impressive and add
authority.

Planning your article

Now that the article has been taken apart (deconstructed), you can use some of this information
to construct your own by creating a checklist and a plan.

Checklist
 Write in a lively but formal style, using Standard English.
 Use an impersonal style, avoiding the pronouns 'I', 'you' and 'we'.
 Start with a headline that is catchy but tells the topic and main idea.
 Include information that is split into paragraphs.
 Use quotations from important interested individuals, organisations and experts.
 Use quotations that give important people’s opinions that support the overall idea.
 Include interesting and useful facts and figures.
 Consider language techniques such as alliteration.
 Use some technical vocabulary or jargon that relates to the subject but keep in mind that the
audience must understand it.
 Use a variety of sentence lengths and styles, including informative complex sentences.
 Keep paragraphs lively, to the point and short (but use a single sentence paragraph perhaps
once only for emphasis and effect).
 Offer lots of specific, interesting and useful details about the topic.
 End in a satisfying way avoiding an essay-like summary of the article.

Creating a plan
Thinking through this is a good start. You now have to work out what you are going to write
about. This is where planning is important.

The key thing about writing to inform is that you stick to the main subject and give just the right
quantity and kind of information that your reader will be interested in. It helps to 'put on your
reader’s cap' occasionally while planning and writing. Information needs to sound authoritative
and to seem balanced, avoiding emotional expressions and descriptions.

Informative writing has an impersonal viewpoint and, even though the writer gives other
people’s opinions, they never give their own. Instead, when you inform, you offer facts and
opinions that are easy to understand and follow and which seem balanced. The reader can then
come to their own conclusion, rather than be led by the persuasive and emotional language used
in arguments and persuasive articles.
 The timeline technique
One way to structure your writing to inform is by using a diagram like this:

Timeline 1

This is a timeline - the arrow is time moving forwards and the three lines break down the
different events in order.

If you think of four events as being key things that happened in a certain order, then you could
plan your article in that same order. For example, on the timeline the following could be the four
key events that you could write about:

 plans for the future of the skatepark, now that it is listed

 what actually happened when the skatepark was listed
 people’s reactions to the listing of the skatepark
 how the listing of the skatepark came about
Timeline 2
You could start with what actually happened so that the reader knows what the article is all
about. From that point, you can then go back to the past to explain how this all came about. You
can then return to the present and then move to the future.

It would be also be fine to go from the past, to the present and then to the future – as long as you
start the article by explaining what has actually happened.

Once you have a timeline plan, you can then start to think about how all of the various
conventions and ingredients will fit in. Some, such as a lively formal style will apply to each
section and others, such as the use of a headline and subheadings need to be added when and
where required.

Timeline 3

This is now a plan that you could use to help you write your own informative article for the
school magazine. As you go through the four key areas, you should keep in mind the key
conventions that you have in your list.
 1.

This is a timeline - the arrow is time moving forwards and the three lines break down the
different events in order.

If you think of four events as being key things that happened in a certain order, then you could
plan your article in that same order. For example, on the timeline the following could be the four
key events that you could write about:

 plans for the future of the skatepark, now that it is listed

 what actually happened when the skatepark was listed
 people’s reactions to the listing of the skatepark
 how the listing of the skatepark came about
Timeline 2

You could start with what actually happened so that the reader knows what the article is all
about. From that point, you can then go back to the past to explain how this all came about. You
can then return to the present and then move to the future.

It would be also be fine to go from the past, to the present and then to the future – as long as you
start the article by explaining what has actually happened.

Once you have a timeline plan, you can then start to think about how all of the various
conventions and ingredients will fit in. Some, such as a lively formal style will apply to each
section and others, such as the use of a headline and subheadings need to be added when and
where required.

Timeline 3

This is now a plan that you could use to help you write your own informative article for the
school magazine. As you go through the four key areas, you should keep in mind the key
conventions that you have in your list.

1.