Directed Writing

You will be required to write the following: 1 Letters - Formal Informal 2 Report - for a survey, for a school magazine/newsletter 3 Articles 4 Speech 5 Description of an event/person/place 6 Recount (e.g. retelling of events in a diary) The first thing you need to know is the format for each of the above for they garner about 3 marks. Letter - the usual addresses, date, salutation, etc should be there. You should sign off with "Yours faithfully" for formal letters and not 'Yours sincerely'. Salutations: Dear Sir or Dear Madam or Dear Edmund For informal letters: Dear Susan, For report, follow the format given by the textbook. Title of the report End with: Reported by: Jenny Ho Secretary English Society

For articles: Title of article By: Jenny Ho

How to start your essay?

I am sure many of you have a problem in starting your essay. Many of my students take a long time to start their introduction or worse, they use the overused intro.: Everyone in this world has a friend...... Everyone in this world love to watch television..

Your introduction must be something that grabs peoples attention. Use the following ideas: 1 Use some startling information or fact Start with a pertinent fact that explicitly illustrates the point you wish to make. Then, elaborate with a sentence or two. Example:

Topic: Teenagers and their problems o A recent survey on teenagers provided some food for thought for parents. It was found that about 70 per cent of them smoked, 40 per cent watched pornographic videos and 14 per cent took drugs.Several factors have been identified as contributing to these problems. 2 Use an anecdote An anecdote is a short story that illustrates a point. Example: Topic: The loafing syndrome among teenagers Raj and his friends do not go home after school. They hang out daily at a shopping complex to while their time away. There, they join many other students from other schools. Sometimes, they play some video games or just enjoy each others company. Raj and his friends are just the tip of the iceberg of the loafing syndrome among teenagers. 3 Dialogue Use an appropriate dialogue to start your story or convey a point. Use only two or three exchanges between speakers to make your point. Topic: An unforgettable incident Help! Someone just snatched my purse! The screams shattered the still of the night. Suddenly, lights were switched on and heads popped out of doors and windows. Hey, whats the matter? 4 Use a question You can also use a rhetorical question which jolts people into attention. Topic: Reduce, reuse and recycle Did you know that Malaysians throw away 1.2 million tonnes worth of newspapers daily? For every ten newspapers bought, only four are recovered for recycling. Thus, the government spearheaded a recycling campaign to encourage Malaysians to separate their waste. Topic: Coping with peer pressure What choice do you have if your friends are pressuring you to do something which you think is wrong? Would you walk away? Are you able to say no? 5 Use a definition Define your topic. Example: Topic: Gawai Dayak Festival In Sarawak, the word Gawai is the equivalent to a Festival. Numerous Gawais are celebrated throughout the year by the States indigenous people but Gawai Dayak marks the end of the harvest season and heralds a new year. 6 Use a quotation Topic: How to save water It is better to be safe than to be sorry. That is the message of the environmentalists to those who take water for granted. For one day, we may be faced with the situation whereby there is not enough water for everyone. Thus, we should take steps to save water. 7 Use a general statement Use a general statement about your topic, then narrow it to a specific point of view. Topic: Ways to reduce pollution Of late, there has been increasing concern with the impact of pollution on the environment and our society. The public outcry over the various environmental disasters in our own country should be lauded. How do we resolve these problems?
STEP THREE: WRITING THE ESSAY THE WRITING PLAN: 1. INTRODUCTION: Give some background information about the topic and state your stand.

Example: Co-curricular activities are activities that are planned for students after school through activities in clubs and societies. Students in schools are required to join at least one uniformed society and a club. In my opinion, co-curricular activities play an important role in a students life and it is certainly not a waste of time. 2. BODY: PRESENT YOUR ARGUMENTS TO SUPPORT YOUR STAND. There should at least be three or four paragraphs with good topic sentences and body sentences. Example: First and foremost, co-curricular activities provide students with a chance to develop their talents in music, sports and other living skills. Some students are unable to shine in the classroom but they are superb athletes and musicians. Co-curricular activities provide an avenue for them to become fulfilled individuals.

3. CONCLUSION: STATING YOUR STAND AGAIN Example: Many students and parents are of the opinion that co-curricular activities are a waste of time and they should be substituted with more beneficial activities. I certainly disagree with that. As we have seen, co-curricular activities play an important role in a students life. They complement the activities of the classroom. A wellplanned co-curricular programme helps students become wholesome individuals. Thus, co-curricular activities are definitely not a waste of time. 4. Remember to edit your work. Read your first draft once through and check the following things: a. Have you arranged the points well? Is the first point the most important or the least important? b. Have you included all the points and left out all the irrelevant points? c. Are there any phrases that are not very clear or sentences that are too long? d. Are there are spelling mistakes? e. Have you used punctuation correctly? f. Are there any grammatical errors?