SEAB GCE O-Level English Language

Situational writing asks for a text with a stated purpose, a particular reader and a setting, usually prompted by a visual text such as a poster, a notice, a flyer or an infographic. The visual supplies the facts. The writer chooses which facts to use, adds ideas of their own that fit them, and sets everything in the right form and register. ## Reading the situation before writing Before drafting, answer four questions in a line each. - Purpose: what is the text for (to complain, apply, inform, propose, persuade, thank, recommend)? - Audience: who reads it, and what do they already know or want? - Context: what has happened, where and when, and what does the reader need to do next? - Points: which items of information in the visual and the task must be addressed? The task usually lists several points to cover. Every one needs a paragraph or at least a developed sentence. A point is developed when it carries a reason, an example, a consequence or a detail, not just a mention. The visual's details (dates, prices, places, names, features) should be used accurately and worked into the argument, so that the text clearly depends on them. Copying a block of the visual's wording reads badly, so rephrase it. ## Formal letters A formal letter goes to someone the writer does not know well, or to someone in authority. Its parts, in order: 1. The writer's address, then the date, then the recipient's name, position and address (the layout should be consistent and easy to read). 2. A…