Informal writing
About 80 to 90 words in the informal register on four bullets, with opinions and more than one tense.
Learn
Informal writing, explained point by point
Everything the GCSE specification expects you to be able to do, and how to actually do it - the same lesson a signed-in student studies from.
Know the task
Foundation Question 3 is also Higher Question 1: a choice of two tasks, each with four bullets, answered in about 80 to 90 words in the informal register. It is worth 20 marks: 12 for communication and content and 8 for linguistic knowledge and accuracy.
Cover all four bullets
Every bullet is part of the task, and leaving one out limits your communication mark. You need not give them equal length.
Write informally to a friend or a young audience
Use તું and તારું, or તમે for a group of friends, and a friendly opening and close: પ્રિય નેહા, કેમ છે? ... તારી બહેનપણી, or તારો મિત્ર from a boy.
Inform, narrate, give opinions and interest the reader
The task asks you to give information, tell what happened, say what you think and why, and persuade or interest the reader: તું પણ આવજે, બહુ મજા આવશે! you should come too, it will be great fun!
Show more than one time frame
Bullets usually point to the past, the present and the future. A sentence in each shows the range the accuracy grid rewards.
Link ideas with connectives
કારણ કે, એટલે, પણ, તેમ છતાં and પછી make your writing flow and let you develop each point.
Informal writing key terms
The words the specification and the mark schemes use, each defined the way an examiner wants it.
- Informal register
- The friendly language used with friends and people your age: તું, તારું, everyday greetings.
- Bullet point
- One part of the task you must cover in your answer.
- Narrate
- Tell what happened, in the past, in order.
- Persuade
- Try to bring the reader round to your view, or to do something.
- પ્રિય
- Dear, to open a letter or message to a friend: પ્રિય રવિ.
Common mistakes in Informal writing
The slips that cost marks year after year, and what to do instead.
Mixing તું and તમે when writing to one friend.
Choose તું and keep to it, with તારું and the તું verb forms.
Writing the whole answer in the present.
Find the past and future bullets and answer them in those tenses.
Spending most of the answer on one bullet.
Plan a few sentences for each bullet before you start.