CCHY 2022 EL-1128 SW-Cheat-Sheet

1 ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT Paper 1: Situational Writing Cheat Sheet Secondary 4 Express / Secondary 5 Normal (Academic) NAME: ______________________( ) DATE: ______________ CLASS: _______ From the O Level English Syllabus Document (www.seab.gov.sg) These are the types of Situational Writing questions that have been set for O Levels: Year Type Situation 2013 INFORMAL LETTER Writing to your uncle who wants to give you a graduation gift (technological device) 2014 FORMAL LETTER Writing to a charity Project Organiser to express your interest to volunteer to help victims of weather in Malaysia 2015 ARTICLE Writing an online article for a competition by a travel website to encourage readers to visit a particular destination 2016 SPEECH Speaking to your CCA group about an end-of-year celebration to Sentosa 2017 INFORMAL E-MAIL Writing to your brother to choose an option to improve your activity levels (tracker, personal trainer or gym membership) 2018 FORMAL E-MAIL Writing to your Principal to express your preference for a new school facility 2019 FORMAL LETTER Writing to an ECG Counsellor to apply for a work experience opportunity 2020 INFORMAL E-MAIL Writing to aunt and uncle who want to sponsor an anniversary present (overseas trip) for your brother and sister-in-law 2021 ??? ???

2 Rubrics: TASK FULFILMENT (10 marks)  Good understanding of purpose  Clear awareness of context and audience  Organisational structure and format entirely appropriate  All required points developed in detail, fully amplified and well organised  Given information and visual stimulus well-used to justify personal opinion and interpretation LANGUAGE (20 marks)  Highly accurate, apart from very occasional slips  Sentence structures varied for particular effects  Verbs forms largely correct and appropriate tenses consistently used  Vocabulary wide and precise  Punctuation accurate and helpful  Spelling accurate, apart from very occasional slips  Paragraphs have unity, are linked, and show evidence of planning.  Tone and register entirely appropriate Approach: 1. Read the question to determine Purpose, Audience and Context 2. Analyse the Visual Text (label which info you can use for which bullet point) 3. Plan paragraph structure with information for each bullet point: a. Info from Visual Text b. Original ideas Formal vs Informal: Formal Informal Contractions (e.g. don’t, can’t, I’ll, she’d)  *exception: you can always use contractions in speech ✓ Spell out in full! Exclamation marks!  ✓ Questions?  *Change your question into a statement: e.g. I would like to enquire whether there is an application form I am required to fill up. ✓ e.g. Doesn’t it sound exciting? e.g. Guess what? e.g. Do you like dogs? Connecting words at the start of each paragraph - Firstly / Secondly / Thirdly - Furthermore - In addition to _____, I would like to… - Well - Anyway - As you know - Speaking of which Signing off (for letters) Yours sincerely (known audience) Yours faithfully (unknown audience) e.g. Cheers, John

3 1. FORMAL LETTER / EMAIL: Notes Sentence Starters Introduction • DO NOT include a greeting (e.g. Good morning, Hello) after “Dear ___,” • Self-introduction (only if necessary) • State your purpose • State the context (if necessary) – DO NOT copy from the Visual Stimulus • I am writing on behalf of ___________ to recommend some activities for… • I am writing regarding _______... • Thank you for giving me the opportunity to propose an idea for... o (one-liner only – don’t overdo it!) • In response to __________, I am writing to express my interest in… • I understand that your organisation… Body Paragraphs • In general, follow the bullet points to plan your paragraphs • DO NOT be long- winded, especially for simple bullet points like ‘date/time’ or ‘number of days’ etc. • Use connectors within and between paragraphs as appropriate • Use complex sentences at least once per paragraph to ensure sentence variety • Use the information from the Visual Stimulus but rephrase if possible and add in your own original ideas Making suggestions: • Each class could participate by setting up a booth at the event. • The school could put up attractive posters around the school to raise awareness for the event. • I would like to suggest that we… Benefits: • The benefits this programme would bring are manifold/ innumerable. • Through planning and executing this event, students would learn and apply organisational/ leadership skills. • By participating in the activities, students would gain a deeper appreciation for classical music. • Interacting with the public would encourage students to speak confidently. • Conducting a VIA project like this would instill the value of empathy in us. Persuasive phrases: • I am convinced that… • This will, without a doubt, … • It is evident that… • This certainly is something worth embarking on… • This option appeals to me because… Conclusion • Be succinct – simply: o restate your main point in one sentence o express your ‘hope’ o say thank you • I strongly believe that this event will be beneficial and meaningful for the students in our school. • I hope that you will consider my proposal favourably. • I look forward to your reply. • Please let me know if you have any further questions/concerns/suggestions.

4 Sample 1 [O Level 2018 TYS]: Letter: Email: 43 Orange Road Singapore 193049 23 September 2021 Mrs Jane Tan Principal Chung Cheng High School (Yishun) 11 Yishun Street 61 Singapore 768547 To: <jane_tan@moe.com.sg> From: <bobtan@gmail.com> Subject: Preference for New School Facility 23 September 2021 Dear Mr Tan, Preference for New School Facility I am Bob Tan from class 4A and I am writing regarding the new facility that will be built in our school. Personally, I believe that constructing a Science and Technology Building would be the best use of the school’s resources and would have the most significant impact on the student body. While a Performance Arts Centre or a Fitness Centre are certainly appealing options, I believe that the advantages they would bring pale in comparison to that of a Science and Technology Building. At present, our school already has an auditorium and the community centre nearby has a gym and pool. On the other hand, a Science and Technology Building is something that students would not have free access to anywhere else in Singapore, and hence, it is my preferred choice. As a student in the Science stream, I would reap many benefits from the construction of this building. Not only would my science lessons be greatly enhanced by the newly-furnished laboratories, but I would also be able to conduct research under the supervision of my science teachers. I have always wanted to study the effects of gamma rays on plant growth, but our current school lab oratory lacks the proper equipment for me to do so. With this new building, I would have access to a glass chamber to house the plants and computer-aided software to conduct statistical analyses of the data collected. Beyond my own personal interests, I am convinced that a Science and Technology Building would be useful for the whole school. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education has gained traction across the world. With fully furnished laboratories, IT rooms and workshops, teachers and students alike would have opportunities to develop these skills. Teachers could use the facilities to teach in innovative ways, while students could learn in a more self-directed manner. In addition, a Science and Technology Building would make our school stand out i