As you sit for you paper 1 tomorrow, here are some important tips to take note of:
Situational Writing
You have been exposed to the format of Note, Letter writing, Letter of Complaint/Compliment, Report writing and Write-up.
Structure of informal letter and note
Dear ___________________,
State the purpose. Points 1 - 3 in the first paragraph.
Points 4 - 6 in the next paragraph.
Name
Structure of a formal letter
Dear ___________________,
State the purpose. Points 1 - 3 in the first paragraph.
Points 4 - 6 in the next paragraph.
Yours sincerely,
Name
Structure of Letter of Compliment
Your purpose would be to praise / thank someone or a group of people, as such the language should be formal and positive.
Date:
Dear (name),
Title (Underline the title)
I am writing this letter of compliment to praise ............ for his ............ I was at (place) at (time) on (day). Points 1 - 3
Points 4 - 6
Yours sincerely,
(name)
Examples of a good title:
Letter Of Compliment Of The Positive Work Attitude Of Mr Tan
Letter Of Compliment Of Your Company
Letter Of Compliment Of The Quality Of Your Products
A good way to start off your letter of compliment is "I am writing this letter to thank/praise/compliment (name of the person) for his/her (what the action/act is). I was at (place) on (date) at (time)."
e.g I am writing this letter to thank Mr Paul Tan for his kindness in returning my lost wallet. I was at ABC Library on 2 May at 4pm.
Remember, you need to start this way to have a flow to the story and writing. You always introduce the time, place, setting and characters first before elaborating the main event and then conclude.
Structure of Letter of Complaint
*note that the word 'complain' = verb (action word) and 'complaint' = noun
Date:
Dear (name),
Title (Underline the title)
I am writing this letter to complain about ............ for his ............ I was at (place) at (time) on (day). Points 1 - 3
Points 4 - 6
Yours sincerely,
(name)
Examples of good title:
Letter Of Complaint Of The Work Attitude Of Mr Tan
Letter Of Complaint Of Your Company
Letter Of Complaint Of The Quality Of Your Products
A good way to start off your letter of compliment is "I am writing this letter to complain about (name of the person) for his/her (what the action/act is). I was at (place) on (date) at (time)."
e.g I am writing this letter to complain about Miss Francine Lee for her rude behaviour towards a customer at your store. I was at XYZ Shop on 4 May at 12pm when the incident happened.
Structure of Report Writing
Date:
Dear (name),
Title (Underline)
I was at (place) at (time) on (day) when an accident/incident took place. Points 1 - 3.
Point 4 - 6
Reported by: (name)
(position if any)
Examples of good title:
Report On An Accident Along Hougang Avenue 1
Report On An Accident Involving Paul Tan
Report On An Incident At The Canteen
Report On A Robbery At ABC Shop
You need to state the purpose for the report writing. Your title is your purpose as such your title needs to be grammatically correct and specific. A good way to start off your report writing is "I was at (place) on (date) at (time) when the incident/crime/accident happened."
e.g I was at XYZ Shop on 4 May at 12pm when the robbery happened.
Example of Letter Of Compliment
*Written from the point of view of a parent
Date: 4 May 2012
Dear Principal of ABC Primary School,
Letter Of Compliment Of ABC Primary School's Extra Chinese Lessons
I am writing this letter to compliment your school for the extra Chinese lessons. My son, Robin Chong of 5C, is attending the lessons at the school hall every Wednesday from 2pm - 4pm and he greatly enjoys the lessons. The lessons have helped him improve his Chinese language through the use of drama and music to teach Chinese.
The instructors have been very patient and understanding towards my son and he often tells me how happy he is when he comes home after the lessons. I am happy to see that he has improved in his test results for term 3 and would like to request for you to continue with the classes until next year. More classes could be opened up for the lower primary students so that they can also benefit from the lessons. Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
Mrs Chong See Wen
Structure of write-up
Dear _________________,
State the purpose. Points 1 - 3 in the first paragraph.
Points 4 - 6 in the next paragraph.
Name
Position if any.
Skills to take note when doing your situational writing.
1. Read the question first
2. Identify the format of the situational writing and note the structure you should use!
3. Identify and write down your role and who you are writing as.
4. Identify your audience and the tone of language you should use.
5. Read the passage/note/advertisement
- Always remember your role that you are writing as and who you writing to (your audience)
If it is a formal memo, letter or note, you need not start with "How are you?" Your tone of writing and language must be formal and to the point. Do not add in informal speeches or any short forms. Do not write as if you are writing to a friend or penpal. It must be formal if it required.
- Do not ever use short forms in your writing.
- State the purpose in the first sentence.
This is important. Your purpose of writing must be clearly stated in the first sentence as that is the most important part to what your note/letter/report/memo is about.
- Set paragraphs for your writing with two finger spacing from the left hand margin to clearly indicate paragraphing.
- Be straight to the point and do not add in unnecessary details or your own details! Follow the points given in the question strictly.
For your composition, if you want the safer option, stick to picture composition which is easier to comprehend. Look at the details in the picture and cover the details such as PLACE, TIME, CHARACTERS INVOLVED and WHAT THEY ARE DOING AND WHY THEY ARE DOING THE ACTIONS. Give a solution and possible lesson to be learnt.
Good ways to start off your composition:
The scorching rays of the blazing sun shone through the sky as I made my way home after a tiring day in school. I was famished and looked forward to having my lunch at home.
Good way to end off your composition:
This incident would forever be etched into my memories.
Check your tenses. You should be using past tense as much as possible. The stories are taking place in the past. Check your spelling and stick to simple words if you are in doubt and not able to spell properly. Do not risk getting your spelling wrong. Lesser mistakes are better than having too many mistakes while you try hard to impress.
ALL THE BEST EVERYONE :)
Thank you,
Sincerely,
Mr Nelson Ong
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