IGCSE First Language English - NEWSPAPER REPORTS VS FORMAL REPORTS (EXTENDED WRITING Q3)

Two text types that every student dreads! It's been a while since either of them have made an appearance - could this be the year?!

Here's a short video looking at the differences and how to craft each one.

Enjoy ;)

#firstlanguageenglish #igcsesuccess #question3

[cakeshoe]

Here’s my penny’s-worth of News Reports.

Features of Newspaper Reports
1. Headline – e.g. a straight headline, a pun, a quotation / misquotation, question, alliteration, feature (see notes, below).
2. Date (written out, e.g. Monday, 1st April, 2023).
3. By-line (is NOT usually used for reports, they’re usually used with newspaper articles).
4. Subheadings (especially if there is a sudden change of focus).
5. Orientation paragraph (The 1st paragraph, containing the Who, What, Where, When, (Why, How) & usually only one or two sentences -- a summary of the main story.
6. Direct speech quotes (eye witness / experts).
7. Indirect speech (paraphrased for concision).
8. Reorientation paragraph (usually the final paragraph & usually in present or future tenses, dealing with what will/may happen next due to the events of the news report).
9. Related stories (sometimes an extra paragraph is added, dealing with similar/related stories that have happened, e.g. ‘While accidents like this are rare, a grade seven student was left with life-changing injuries in June this year, after a science experiment accident left her blinded in one eye, in Chepstow, Monmouthshire’).
10. Extremely short paragraphs – Try to keep to one main idea/focus per paragraph.
11. Photos (Captions for photos – obviously NOT required in FLE exams).
12. Mostly past tenses (Past tenses throughout, except for the reorientation paragraph).
13. Passive voice! (not: ‘The police arrested John Smith’ but ‘John Smith was arrested last night’).
14. 3rd person.
15. Impersonal and do not try to engage the audience! (no writer’s opinion – the ONLY opinion can be given by eye witnesses / expert’s quotations).
16. Give facts, facts, facts.
17. Succinct, direct style.
18. Factual adjectives / descriptions (e.g. The usually quiet hamlet of Shirenewton was the scene of ...).
19. (sometimes sensationalist vocabulary, e.g. ‘Residents fled from bush fires’. ‘Fled’ rather than ‘were evacuated’).
20. Uses abbreviations (e.g. NOT ‘Ariana Grande will get married to Dalton Gomez’, but ‘Ariana Grande to wed Dalton Gomez’.
21. Uses punctuation for concision (e.g. NOT ‘John Smith aged 34 who works in a secondary school…, ’ but ‘John Smith, a teacher, 34, …).

Notes on Headlines:
Headlines are usually written in the Present tense.
e.g. JOBLESS NUMBER FALLS – This indicates that the number of unemployed people has recently fallen.
BUT, for future events, an infinitive is used.
e.g. JOBLESS NUMBER TO FALL – This indicates that the number of unemployed people is predicted to fall.
Also, the passive voice is expressed by the Past Participle ONLY.
e.g. BUS DRIVER ARRESTED – This indicated that a bus driver has been arrested.

Straight Headline – DOG BITES MAN – (we can clearly understand what the news report will be about).
Quotation – TRUMP: “I’LL BE PRESIDENT AGAIN” – (often the speaker, followed by a colon, then the quote).
Misquotation – ‘TO BEAN OR NOT TO BEAN?’ – (a recognisable famous quotation, but changed like a pun).
Question – PRICES FALL? – (Written as a statement + question mark).
Pun – FLU YORK CITY – (A simple pun – but do NOT use puns or light-hearted sounding headlines with serious or tragic new reports).
Alliteration – POLICE PROACTIVELY PROTECTING PINs.
Assonance – PETE EATS SWEET TREATS.
Feature – OWLS ARE MUSHROOMS – (A feature headline is where the headline makes no sense until you read the new report. This was a real headline about sightings of rare snowy owls, which later turned out to be nothing more than overturned mushrooms).

Best of luck, guys -- You got this!

Oh, and just in case anyone is stressing out, just remember that the Grade Thresholds for some of the 2022 papers were really low: this means that in some of last year's papers, candidates only needed to get about sixty-something percent in order to reach an 'A' grade!

[nemhoichinkuki]

Hello, I am an IGCSE external student and I just want to say, your videos are a lifesaver. I had been struggling to find video resources that break down the English topics but your channel has helped me prepare to the best I can. If it hadn't been for you, I'd be tearing my hair out right now. Your videos have helped me stay on track and prepare to the best of my ability without a tutor. Thank you so much for your help😊
That said could you do a video giving a rundown of paper 2? I'm sure it would benefit a lot of us

[farbeyondcricket.]

Sir i have recently shifted to igcse and you have truly been a blessing. literally, I have learnt each and everything from A to z by watching you.

[musakh_]

I loved the skit, it would literally be me if it had come.

[MphileShongwe-nn]

i’ve started writing my finals. this is much needed

[charlotteshaw-glsb]

Hey there, thank you for the tips. I am sitting the exam on Wednesday, I want to ask how to develop the points for formal reports?

[aeqnta]

Dude you have genuinely saved my exams in English thank you much

[wajih]

i have my igcse in 2hrs. Will definitely be using this is if it comes up

[richav]

Hey! This video was really helpful!!!! Please continue your wonderful work~ 😀

[mayc]

hi sir, do we need to put any address in writing the letter or no? if not would it be fine to just write "dear..." to start it off and then put "sincerely, ..(name)" in the end? thank you!

[DrenX]

Hi, I love the content, please can you make a video for the other different text types?

[abubakarehsan]

Man just gave me a heart attack at the start in just mere seconds

[Ama-mhee]

Please keep posting more updated content. We want to see more of your quality work 🎉

[LavenderShams]

could you please do the interview writing.

[emanshahid]

Hi, in the 2018 formal report they gave a certain phrase to start the report, so in that case how do we give heading and subheadings. Are we supposed to write a heading and "introduction " before writing the given phrase?

[naishakapoor-ezcf]

hii, is it necessary to include the sub-topics for a formal report and also add "A formal report" in the headline?

[adacao]

What’s the difference between an article and a report? I always get the two mixed up in question 3…

[spidey]

The starting exam scene is my nightmare

[ZyphRoX_]

Hello sir do we have to use dates in journal writing?

[rugarechikede]

Am writting my English and am panicking your videos really do help l hope l pass