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                                            Personal Writing

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                                            Personal Writing

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□ Personal writing should be just that- personal, authentic and honest.
□ In the marking scheme, examiners are instructed to award marks for reflection, therefore you must display the ability to reflect on important events or people in your life, or beliefs and opinions that you hold.
□ How has your life been impacted or changed due to any of the above? What were the consequences of certain events or people on your outlook on life?
□ Use plenty of personal pronouns and include details to create authenticity and intimacy.
□ Try to highlight your ability as a talented writer by including sensuous language, adjectives and poetic techniques like personification or similes.
□ If you struggle with extending the length of your work you could try adopting a cyclical structure to your essay. You could begin your piece by describing your surroundings and bringing your environment to life for the reader. You can do this by describing what you can see, hear, smell, feel and perhaps taste, if relevant (maybe the plastic tip of your pen!). You could then introduce the topic of the essay and reveal your thoughts on it (this would suffice as the introduction of the main points of the essay- three would do).
□ The body of your essay may explore three to four relevant points on the topic at hand and of course your reflections on said points. For instance, an essay about useless clutter may lead you to explore false friends, social media and despised school subjects in the body of your work. You must reflect on the impact of the aforementioned points on your life and outlook on life.
□ To conclude, a sound or some other distraction might alert you to the surroundings you described in the opening, thus bringing your essay full circle. You could include a more global or broader reflection on the topic of the essay here and suggest how discussing the topic in your essay has benefited you as a person going forward in your life.
□ Above all, remain original and true to yourself. Please do not lie or try to be sentimental as it is usually overdone and comes across as disingenuous.

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                                          Descriptive Writing

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                                          Descriptive Writing

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□ A descriptive essay must be heavily sensuous and contain all the elements of descriptive writing like sensory imagery (appeals to the five senses) and poetic techniques (personification, similes, metaphors etc).
□ Exciting adjectives and startling imagery will enhance a descriptive piece.
□ Suggestiveness can also be more impressive than blatantly telling a reader what is happening. For example, rather than saying it was a windy day you could instead describe a lonely plastic bag bouncing along on a footpath to convey the same idea.
□ The plot is  not necessarily central to the piece and can be very loose. Indeed, describing an experience is probably more important, as is lifting people and places off the page so it is easy for readers to picture them in their mind's eye.
□ This style of essay can include observations on aspects of life generated by objects, experiences, people or places mentioned in your descriptive piece.
□ Writing continuously in the present tense can be difficult yet advantageous as it allows the reader to feel like they are seeing events unfold right in front of them, thus creating immediacy and intimacy.

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                                               Diary Writing

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                                               Diary Writing

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□ Register is very important for diary writing so show an awareness of language and tone, which should be informal and casual for diary writing.
□ Emojis, abbreviations and slang can be used in diary writing as it should be like talking to a friend. Nonetheless, it is always best to avoid using profanity or crude language.
□ Include lots of details, thoughts, feelings and reflections on recent events to make it appear as authentic as possible.
□ A date should be included for all entries. If you are writing a selection of diary entries you could also include the time if they occur on the same date.
□ A salutation like 'Dear Diary' should be included at the beginning of a diary entry but is not necessary for each one if writing a number of entries.
□ Signing off informally is also appropriate for diary writing.

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                                                Blog Writing

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                                                Blog Writing

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□ The word 'blog' comes from 'web log' and is usually an informal series of posts based on a range of topics from fashion to food.
□ Blog writing is very similar to diary writing with regards to register and the inclusion of details, thoughts, feelings and reflections is important.
□ The major difference between diary writing and blog writing is sequencing- in blog writing the most recent entry or post comes first and should appear at the top of the page (reverse chronological order). The opposite is true with regards to diary writing (chronological order).
□ You could ask your audience to leave a comment on your blog or to like and share your post. This shows that you have an awareness of the genre and that it is different to diary writing

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                                                Letter Writing

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                                                Letter Writing

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□ There are two types of letters- formal and informal.
□ Formal letters are usually written to people we don't know, therefore they should be very polite and formal in tone. They should also be concise and direct.
□ On the other hand, informal letters are usually written to people we know so the register should reflect this- they should be casual and informal in tone and language.
□ It's important to include the sender's address and the date in the top right-hand corner of the page. The recipient's title and address should only be included in a formal letter. This should be placed directly above the salutation (the greeting of the letter, 'Dear ...').
□ In a formal letter, introduce the purpose of your letter in the first paragraph. Include details in the second and the outcome you expect in the last paragraph.
□ Ask questions and give lots of details in an informal letter, e.g. 'How did your Christmas exams go? Did you get what you expected in Maths?'
□ With regards to a formal letter, the valediction (the sign off, 'Yours sincerely' etc.) will depend on the salutation. If you named the recipient, use 'Yours sincerely'; if you began the letter with 'Dear Sir/ Madam', close it with 'Yours faithfully'.
□ The valediction can be casual in an informal letter, e.g. 'Lots of love'.

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                                          Short Story Writing

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                                          Short Story Writing

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□ A narrative or story arc should help you in structuring your story. This means that your story should contain a beginning (exposition), middle and conclusion (resolution).
□ You should introduce your character/s (no more than three) and the seeds of conflict or the complication in the beginning (exposition). Use sensuous language to bring your character/s to life- lots of adjectives etc. Dialogue is also important to character development and can allow the reader to understand the character/s more easily by seeing them interact with others.
□ The rising action should then lead to a climactic moment which should be a moment of great tension and emotional intensity. Short sentences can help to heighten tension as can pathetic fallacy, in particular, hot or stormy weather.
□ The falling action naturally leads to the resolution which can either end well or terribly. Try not to end on a cliffhanger as it can leave the reader very unsatisfied.
□ Be creative with your narrator- they don't have to be the main human character. You could tell the story from the perspective of an inanimate object like a clock, a pen or a wall. Animals can also be used as narrators or even central figures to your story.
□ Including letters, emails, diary entries or news bulletins can be useful narrative tools which can help flesh out the plot or reveal a back-story which may give a reader a better understanding or a character or situation.
□ It is much easier to write in the past tense but the present tense can be more effective as it creates intimacy and immediacy. Whatever you do, keep to one and avoid mixing them up.
□ A twist in the story can make it more interesting and invigorate the conclusion. Perhaps the reader assumes that the narrator is human but only realises in the conclusion that this is not the case at all.
□ Indeed, tying up a short story can be difficult for some writers so you could adapt a cyclical structure as suggested for personal writing. You could begin the story with a ticking clock and return to the ominous sound at the end once more.
□ Pathetic fallacy can be useful to include in the concluding lines of a short story. A character who has overcome a situation or come to some significant realisation may walk by a calm lake which emphasises the mood of the character.

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                                              Article Writing

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                                              Article Writing

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□ Articles can be written on a variety of topics and are usually intended for publication in a magazine, newspaper or on a website. The register will be determined by the targeted audience- if your article is for a school magazine or website, use a tone and language that will engage and entertain them.
□ Rhetorical devices can be useful to engage your audience. Personal pronouns (I, you, us, we etc.), humour, anecdotes and rhetorical questions will all help your audience relate to you and your article.
□ If appropriate, the inclusion of facts, figures and quotes can add authority to your article and help prove your point.
□ Give your article an interesting title and use headings to divide your article and make it easier to read.
□ If it's an article for a website, invite your audience to leave a comment below or to share it on their own social media accounts.

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                                             Speech Writing

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                                             Speech Writing

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□ You could be asked to write a talk or a speech for a formal event including a debate. If you see the word 'motion', this should indicate that you are required to write a speech for a debate.
□ All speeches should consider their audiences and adjust their register appropriately. For instance, a speech for your classmates can be less formal than a speech for delivery at an international event.
□ Rhetorical devices should be present in all types of speeches. These include the following:
1. Personal pronouns like we and us appeal to the collective and help engage the audience.
2. Humour also helps to engage the audience,
3. Personal anecdotes also help entertain and engage the audience.
4. Triadic patterns and repetition can help emphasise your point and persuade your audience to agree with you.
5. Facts and figures add authority to your piece and support what you're saying.
6. Quotations do the same as using facts and figures.
7. Using clear language helps your audience understand what you are saying and engage with your talk/ speech.
6. Imperative language also helps to persuade your audience to agree with you.