The exam-style question
This is a directed writing: report question, in the style of the First Language English papers. Read it as you would in the exam, then compare your plan with the model.
Using the findings below, write a report for your head teacher on the state of the school canteen and recommend improvements. Organise it clearly for a busy reader. This is our own practice material.
Findings: Canteen Review
A group of students was asked to gather views on the school canteen. Queues: at peak times students wait up to fifteen minutes, and some report missing part of their break. Food: the hot options are popular, but vegetarian and halal choices often sell out before the second sitting.
Seating: there are not enough tables, so younger students frequently eat standing in the corridor. Price: most students feel prices are fair, though a few say the meal deal has shrunk. Cleanliness: tables are wiped between sittings, but the recycling bins are usually overflowing by the end of lunch.
Student suggestions: a second serving point, a pre-order system, more meat-free and halal portions cooked, and clearer recycling signs. Staff comment that they are short-handed at the busiest half-hour. The head teacher would like a short, organised report she can act on quickly.
Model response: Directed writing: report
A report is organised for a busy reader: clear sections, a factual tone, and findings set out before recommendations.
A trial lesson can compare your child's own answer with this model on Directed writing report.
Common errors we see
- No clear structure or headings for a busy reader
- An emotional or informal tone instead of a factual report register
- Vague recommendations not linked to specific findings
- Missing a purpose statement or overview at the start
- Copying the findings verbatim rather than organising them
How this maps to the mark scheme
Examiners mark against assessment objectives. These are the skills the paper rewards.
For directed writing: report, the objectives in play are listed below. The wording is summarised for Cambridge IGCSE First Language English (0500) on our qualification page.
- Understand explicit meanings.
- Select and use information for specific purposes.
- Organise and structure ideas and opinions for deliberate effect.
- Use register and style appropriate to purpose and audience.
- Make accurate use of spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Choose the relevant facts from the passage and organise them clearly. A formal, neutral register and accurate writing complete the response.
Other boards word their objectives differently, but the same skills earn the marks. Your board's official syllabus gives the exact weighting.
Where to go next
Learn the method in our guide to directed writing: report, then try the directed writing: report practice tasks. You can browse every annotated model response or see how we teach this in our First Language English tuition.
When you have written your own answer, take it to a paid one-hour trial lesson and the teacher who would continue will mark it with you.