Report and Letter Writing
Section: Writing | Syllabus: Cambridge Primary English First Language (0058)
Writing for a Specified Audience: Reports
- A report gives information about a topic in an organised way, for a specified audience
- Report features:
- Title that tells what the report is about
- Introduction - overview of the topic
- Subheadings to organise information
- Facts and information in paragraphs
- Conclusion - summary of key points
- Report language: present tense for facts that are still true, third person, formal tone
- Content and language should suit the specified audience - a report for younger children uses simpler vocabulary than one for adult experts
Using Specialised Vocabulary Accurately
- When writing about a familiar topic, use specialised (technical) vocabulary accurately rather than vague, generic substitutes
- For example, a report on the water cycle should use precise terms like evaporation, condensation and precipitation, not just "water going up and coming down"
- Accurate specialised vocabulary makes writing sound informed and helps the reader understand the topic precisely
Vague version: "Water goes up into the sky and then comes back down as rain."
Question: Rewrite this using accurate specialised vocabulary for a report on the water cycle.
Replace "goes up into the sky" with the specialised term evaporation - water changing from liquid to vapour and rising. Replace "comes back down as rain" with condensation (vapour forming clouds) and precipitation (water falling as rain). Answer"Water rises through evaporation, forms clouds through condensation, and falls back to the ground through precipitation." The specialised vocabulary makes the explanation precise and informed.
Writing for a Specified Audience: Letters
- Letters can be formal (to people you don't know well) or informal (to friends and family) - the audience determines which is appropriate
- Formal letter layout:
- Your address (top right), then the date
- Recipient's address (left)
- "Dear Sir/Madam" or "Dear Mr/Mrs [Name]"
- Body paragraphs, then "Yours faithfully" or "Yours sincerely" and your name
- Informal letter features:
- Friendly greeting ("Hi", "Dear [Name]")
- Chatty, conversational tone with personal details and questions
- Warm sign-off ("Love", "Best wishes")
The audience for a letter decides its layout, greeting, tone and sign-off
Worked Example: Matching Content and Language to the AudienceQuestion: Write the opening line of a letter about a school trip to a headteacher (formal), and the opening line of a letter about the same trip to a friend (informal).
Formal (to the headteacher): "Dear Mr Munachoonga, I am writing to thank you for organising last week's trip to the science museum, which the whole class thoroughly enjoyed." Informal (to a friend): "Hi Sam, you'll never guess what we did on the school trip yesterday - it was honestly the best day ever!" AnswerThe formal letter uses a respectful greeting and full, polite sentences. The informal letter uses a casual greeting and chatty, exclamatory language - both describe the same event, but the content and language are matched to the audience.
Common Mistakes
MistakeUsing casual, chatty language in a formal report or letter
Fixmatch the formality of your language to the specified audience - formal writing should stay formal throughout
MistakeUsing a vague, generic word when the correct specialised term is available
Fixuse accurate topic-specific vocabulary when you know it, rather than a generic substitute
Interactive revision notes, videos and practice questions load below.