WRITING TO INFORM, EXPLAIN AND DESCRIBE

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WRITING TO INFORM, EXPLAIN AND DESCRIBE
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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

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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.

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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.

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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.
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• 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.

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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

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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

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AFOREST -

• A anecdotes/ alliteration
• F facts
• O opinions
• R rhetorical questions/ repetition
• E emotive language
• S statistics
• T triples (or rule of three)

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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)

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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 dont 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 its boiling already and I havent even left for school yet!
x
Which piece is more interesting? Why?
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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 ?
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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

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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.

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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.

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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