EXPOSITORY WRITING

THIS SECTION OF THE EXAM INCLUDES: Emails, Letters - (complaint, apology and request), Reports-
(statistical and formal), Memos (Notices, Agenda and Minutes of a Meeting).
Everything in the Second
section of the exam
should be written in
‘BLOCKED STYLE’

Uncless CXC instructs you otherwise

DO NOT INDENT in
Section B of the
Exam!!!!
DO NOT USE !!!!!!!

● ME
● THEY
● THEM
● HE
● SHE
● WE
● IT
● YOU/YOUR
● CONTRACTIONS
***FOR THIS SECTION OF THE
EXAM ‘I’ IS PERMITTED BUT
DO NOT OVERUSE IT. ***
Use it two times in any essay in
this section
EMAILS
WHAT IS AN EMAIL?
An Email is short for ‘electronic mail‘. Similar to a letter, it is sent via the internet to a recipient. An email
address is required to receive email, and that address is unique to the user. Some people use internet-based
applications and some use programs on their computer to access and store emails.

The format for an email is:

* To: (Who you are sending the email to- live@gmail.com)

● From: (Who is sending the email- John@yahoo.com)

● Cc: (Who you want to send a copy of the email to- mark@live.com)
● Bcc: (You add someone you want to sent the email to but you do not want another recipient to see
who this person is)
● Subject: (What the email is about- Requesting an English Class)
● The body of the email

NB: Cc means carbon copy and Bcc means blind carbon copy. For emailing, you use Cc when you want to copy
others publicly, and Bcc when you want to do it privately. Any recipients on the Bcc line of an email are not
visible to others on the email.
1. Write an email to the principal giving reason for your absence during biology class. Send a carbon copy to
your form teacher and a blind copy to your parents.

30mks

2. Email your friend Jessica, remind her to bring the concert tickets.

30mks
Letter of
Complaint
A letter of complaint, or complaint letter, is normally written to deal with a problem situation when other attempts have failed to rectify the situation.

When you are responding in written form, you should avoid angry, hostile or sarcastic tones.

You are more likely to get specific action on what you want, if your written response reflects courtesy and emotional intelligence.

Tone

The writer’s tone is his/her attitude towards a subject. The writer’s tone is created by the his use of language, that is, the style of address, word choice, point of view and voice.

Structure of a Letter of Complaint

● Purpose of the letter

● Begin with a detailed description of the product or service
● State what exactly is wrong with the product or service
● Briefly describe the inconvenience you have suffered
● Indicate precisely how the situation should be corrected
● Ask for prompt handling of the claim

Complaint Letter Lesson Steps

Paragraph 1: Describe what is wrong with the product or describe the issues/problems. Give the date of purchase and place of purchase, if applicable.

Paragraph 2: Explain how one would like to resolve the problem.

Paragraph 3: Explain that one looks forward to receiving a reply with a resolution. Set a date or time limit in which to receive the reply. Give a phone number where one can be
reached.

Step 3: Include a closing, such as “Sincerely” and your position(designation)

I’m writing:

● On account of…
● On the subject of….
● To draw one’s attention to…..

Complaint

● The major concerns are

● It is quite distressing that …..
● Something ought to be done/ said about……
● It is time that….was/were…….

Resolution

● For the inconvenience caused, compensation is expected …

● Better service is expected
● What action will management take to resolve this situation.
● a prompt reply/ a full explanation is expected
● A response/ suggestions/ is anticipated
Letter of Apology
A letter of apology can be a personal or business letter depending on the context in which the letter is written as well as the format of the letter.

A letter of apology is simple letter.You are writing to an individual to express regret for an action you have done or a statement that you have made. In short,
you are saying that you are sorry for whatever offence you have made.

Paragraph 1

● Outline the reason you are writing and state why you are sorry.

Paragraph 2

● Clearly state the problem and explain as much as possible what went wrong.

Paragraph 3

● Try to solve the problem, and give examples of how you can do this.

Paragraph 4

● Apologize again at end the letter

When writing a personal letter of apology…

1. Begin the letter by saying you’re sorry.

2. Admit what you did wrong and take responsibility.
3. Ask if there is any way you can help resolve the situation, and offer to do that.
4. Reassure the other party that you will do your best to prevent the problem from happening again.
5. Apologize again to close the letter.
6. Be sincere
Letter of Request
A letter of Request is a formal way of asking a person or company for something. It could be that you are asking for sponsorship for an
event or you are asking your principal to permit an event.

Paragraph 1

● Outline what you are requesting

Paragraph 2

● Clearly state the reason for your request. (Include the benefits and elaborate on future needs/ state your expectations of the
request

Paragraph 3

● Thank the requestee

Paragraph 4

● Include your personal information / contact information/ email address etc.

1. Write a letter of apology to a client whom you sold a faulty product. (30 marks)
2. Write a letter of complaint to the General Manager of Sandals Grande Antigua explaining your displeasure of an
unkept washroom in your suite which made your stay unpleasant. (30 marks)
3. Write a letter of request to a company asking for information on a product or service that they offer.( 30 marks)
Statistical Report
 A statistical report uses figures to convey information. These figures are analysed by identifying the trends and significant
figures.

Trends - information on a whole (set figures and numbers) for evidence of a general pattern, direction or tendency. The pattern
or trend may be one of increasing or decreasing consistency.

Significant figures are separate pieces of information that stands out and are different from the overall pattern or trend.

Tips for Writing Statistical Report

-Look for general trends

-Look for trends of specific patterns

Identify significant figures

Write your report in continuous prose (blocked style/ paragraph format)

The statistical report should not :

● Explain every figure in each category

● Speculate about possible reasons and causes for trends.
● Have a concluding paragraph
 Trends Words to use to describe the trend

Increase Steady/ gradual

Sharp/significant

Decrease Small/ Minimal

Constant Although /whereas

Consistency Great/renewable/fair

Compare in comparison/ similarly

The statistical report must:

● Explain the trends indicated by the figures

● Present an accurate account of the categories
● Compare the pattern for each category over the years
● Comment on unusual patterns in any category
● Do not include the figures in the report
Review the table below then write a statistical report based on the findings.
An example of a statistical report based on the previous data.

Report on Sports Enrollment 2001 at Bishop’s High School

More students signed up for athletics and swimming than any other sport in 2001.
Fewer students enrolled for cricket and soccer, but many more boys than girls signed
up for these sports. The number of students who signed up for tennis was comparable to
that for soccer and cricket. However, unlike the two latter sports, almost as many girls
and boys signed up for tennis. The figure shows that more students from Form One and
Two signed up for all sports. The numbers signing up in these forms were significantly
higher than in Forms Four and Five. In the case of tennis, the numbers decreased in
Form Three. On the other hand, the figures for soccer and cricket remained constant in
From Three. Also, the numbers for athletics decreased minimally but gradually form
Form One to Form Four. To note, a big reduction in numbers remained steady in Form
Five. Overall, athletics recorded the highest number for the year.
Formal Report
A report must be based on the following questions

Who? / WHEN?/ WHAT?/ WHERE?/ WHY?/

THE REPORT MUST BE FACTUAL, ACCURATE AND OBJECTIVE.

THE SUCCESS OF ALL REPORTS DEPENDS UPON LOGICAL ORDERED ARRANGEMENT, ACCURACY AND OBJECTIVITY, THAT IS, THE
AVOIDANCE OF ALL PERSONAL REFERENCE OR BIAS OF THE WRITER.

Format

To : (whom the report is going)

From: (who sent the report)

Date: (when the report was written)

Subject: (what the report is about)

Skip a line

Body : (three paragraphs detailing the 5W’s of the incident / include the date the incident occured)

Signature

Designation
Memos
 Memos are written to individuals who have to take action or make decisions.

Memmos are meant to be brief, factual statements . Menos are meant to improve the flow of information with the
organizations.

Uses of the Memorandum

● Send announcements
● Instructions
● Request
● To document incidents in writing

A MEMO BEGINS BY STATING

● TO WHOM IT S BEING SENT

● FROM WHO IS WRITING THE MEMO
● THE DATE OF WHICH IT IS WRITTEN
● THE SUBJECT
 FORMAT OF THE MEMO

To: Mrs. C Croft

Principal

From: J. Newell

Camp Director

Date: March 11th 2021

Subject: The Cancellation of Biology Class

________________________________________________________________________________________--

Body of Memo

Closing-

( the format does not require a closing like a letter)

 Notices &
Agenda
Notices are short clear and precise with information concerning dates, time, places and other important information
concerning dates, time place and other important and appropriate details.

Format for Notices

Name of Organization (Office issuing the Notice)

Date : Heading:

BODY (BLOCKED STYLE)

Signature

Name

Designation (name of the holder of a specific position example, Student)

 Agenda Format

Title of Agenda
Name of institutions

Name of Meeting

Location of Meeting

Date & time of meeting

Call of Order

Invocation/ Devotion/ Prayer

Apologies / Congratulations / Condolences

Matters arising from the minutes (this should be in continuous prose)

Any other matters/ business

Minutes of a
Meeting
A minute is a tangible record of a meetings proceedings.

Format for a Meeting’s Minute

Title of Meeting :

Name of Organization:

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Date: Venue:

Present :

Purpose of meeting:

Strategies :

Action to be taken: