The OxfordAQA writing tasks each name a form, a purpose and an audience. They reward how well you communicate, organise and control your English, not length. Practise pinning down those three anchors before you write.
Draft each opening, then reveal how our teachers would shape it. Keep within the word limit the paper sets, and confirm the current tasks on the 9280 syllabus.
1Write the opening two paragraphs of an email to a friend who has moved to another town. Tell them about a club you have just joined and invite them to visit for its open day. Keep to the form, purpose and audience, and write within the word limit the paper sets.
Show plan, model opening & checklist
Plan: Anchor on form (email), purpose (share news and invite) and audience (a friend, so a relaxed register). Greet warmly and give the news first.
Then lead into the invitation with a concrete detail such as when the open day is. Leave the closing for a later paragraph.
Model opening: Hi Danish, How's the new place treating you? I've got some news: I finally joined the film club at the community hall, and honestly it's become the best part of my week.
Checklist:
- Greeting and register suit a friend
- News comes before the invitation
- The invitation to the open day is clear
- Paragraphs are separate and ordered
- Within the word limit the paper sets
2Your class visited a science centre and a teacher has asked for a short report. Write the heading and the first section of a report describing what the class did and one thing that could be improved next time. Suit the form and the more formal audience, and stay within the guided length the paper sets.
Show plan, model opening & checklist
Plan: The form is a report, so use a heading and clear sections. The audience is a teacher, so the register is more formal than an email.
Open by stating the report's purpose, then give an organised account before the suggestion. Keep the tone factual and neutral, not a story.
Model opening: Report on the Year 10 visit to the National Science Centre. Purpose: This report describes what our class did during the visit on 14 March and suggests one improvement for future trips.
Checklist:
- Used a heading and a report structure
- Register is factual and suited to a teacher
- Content is organised, not narrated as a story
- States its purpose early
- Within the guided length the paper sets
3Write the title and opening paragraph of an article for your school magazine, arguing that students should be allowed to run their own lunchtime activities. Grab the reader, suit the audience of fellow students, and keep to the length the paper allows.
Tried these practice tasks? A teacher can mark your child's attempt and explain the next step in a paid one-hour trial.
Show plan, model opening & checklist
Plan: Form is an article, purpose is to persuade, audience is other students. Use an engaging title and a hook (a question or a small scene) then state your position clearly. The tone can be lively, but the writing must still be organised and controlled.
Model opening: Give Us the Lunch Hour. Every day, hundreds of us spend forty minutes doing not much at all, so why not let students plan the clubs, games and quizzes we would actually turn up to?
Checklist:
- Has a title and an engaging opening
- Register suits fellow students
- States the argument's position early
- Reads as an article, not a letter
- Within the length the paper allows
4Write the opening of a formal letter to the manager of a sports centre, asking them to reconsider a rise in the junior membership fee. Use the conventions of a formal letter and a polite, formal register, and write within the word limit the paper sets.
Show plan, model opening & checklist
Plan: Form is a formal letter, so use an appropriate opening and state the reason for writing in the first line. The audience is an official, so keep the register polite and controlled: a reasoned request, not a complaint that vents. Avoid slang and heavy use of contractions.
Model opening: Dear Ms Rahman, I am writing on behalf of the junior badminton group to ask whether the recent increase in our membership fee could be reviewed.
Checklist:
- Correct formal-letter opening for the reader
- Reason for writing stated in the first line
- Register stays polite and formal
- Avoids slang and casual contractions
- Within the word limit the paper sets
5A neighbour asked you to look after their cat for a weekend while they were away. Write a short note to leave for them.
Explain what you did each day and one thing they should know now they are back. Match the informal note form and stay within any length the task sets.
Show plan, model opening & checklist
Plan: Form is a short note, purpose is to inform, audience is a neighbour, so friendly but clear. Organise by what they need to know: the routine you followed, then the one important point. Keep it brief; completeness and clarity matter more than length here.
Model opening: Hi Mr Lim, Welcome back! Mimi has been absolutely fine. I fed her morning and evening as you asked and changed her water every day.
Checklist:
- Note form and a friendly register
- Covers each day's care clearly
- The one 'need to know' point stands out
- Organised so the reader follows easily
- Within any length the task sets
See the method and an annotated model on the writing tasks (ESL) page for OxfordAQA 9280, or the technique in our writing tasks (ESL) skills guide.