Form

Form is the type or format of a text, such as a letter, an email, a speech, a newspaper article, a report, a leaflet or a diary entry. Each form has its own conventions of layout, structure and features. A formal letter needs addresses and a sign-off, a speech needs direct address and rhetorical devices, and an article needs a headline and paragraphs.

Choosing and following the correct form shows a writer understands how different kinds of text work. Getting the form right helps a reader recognise instantly what kind of text they are reading.

In directed and transactional writing tasks, using the conventions of the specified form is assessed directly. Ignoring them, such as writing a letter with no greeting or sign-off, costs marks. In the reading paper, recognising the form of a text helps you understand its features and purpose.

Form works together with audience and purpose, and handling all three correctly is essential to a convincing, well-targeted piece of writing.

Asked to write a speech, a student should open by addressing the audience directly and use rhetorical questions. A speech should not be laid out like a formal letter.

Identify the required form and follow its conventions of layout, structure and features throughout, from a letter's greeting to a speech's direct address. In analysis, name the form and explain how its conventions shape the text. Make sure the form matches the audience and purpose, so your writing looks and reads exactly like the kind of text the task asks for.

You may also find Writing an ESL email and Writing a formal letter useful. Next, visit our skills guides for IGCSE English to see terms like this used in real answers. Our IGCSE English tuition page explains how lessons run. When you are ready, the paid one-hour trial is the first step.