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Writing non-fiction: articles, reviews and reports

Writing non-fiction: articles, reviews and reports

Key Stage 3
About 15 minutes

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At GCSE you will write a non-fiction piece for a real-world purpose. Each form has its own conventions, and choosing the right register for your audience is just as important.

Forms and conventions

Register

Match your language to your audience:
A school magazine article for Year 7s: friendly, lively, but still Standard English.
A report for the governors: formal, impersonal, precise.
A good test: would this audience take you seriously?

Reviews: evaluate, do not just describe

Weak: 'The film is about a dog who gets lost.'
Strong: 'Although the middle drags, the final chase is so gripping that I forgot to eat my popcorn. Four stars.'

Worked example

Write a headline and strapline for an article arguing that the school day should start later.

Headline: short, punchy, maybe with wordplay.
Strapline: a sentence that sums up the argument.
Match the audience: fellow pupils.

Answer: Headline: 'Wake Up to a Better Idea'. Strapline: 'Why a 10 o'clock start could make us healthier, happier and smarter.'

Key idea

Know each form's conventions (article, review, report, speech, leaflet) and choose the right register for your audience. Reviews must evaluate, not just describe.

The interactive lesson includes the diagrams for this topic.

Check you have got it

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