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GCSE: Writing to Inform, Explain and Describe

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I'm struggling to write enough for my GCSE English language creative writing coursework. Is this a problem?

I only did 750 words for my GCSE English language and I was 1 mark off an A*. Someone else did twice as much and they only got a B.

cpdavis

4,606 GCSE Writing to Inform, Explain and Describe essays

  • Marked by Teachers essays 21
  • Peer Reviewed essays 37
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  1. Marked by a teacher

    A Foreboding Night. Ian sat on the curb, his hands buried deep inside the pocket of his jeans.

    5 star(s)

    *****
    This is a very good piece of descriptive writing which is well controlled throughout.
    There is some excellent imagery particularly personification, syntax is varied for dramatic effect and the…

    • Essay length: 656 words
    • Submitted: 14/03/2012
    • Marked by teacher: (?) Katie Dixon 29/04/2112
  2. Marked by a teacher

    Morning of the execution. Within a few hours, her brother would be executed for something he hadnt even done. The injustice of it all! Her eyes prickled and fire burned inside her.

    5 star(s)

    An excellent piece of creative writing. Techniques are used superbly to create drama and tension.
    Similes, phonological devices, varied syntax, metaphors and description are all skillfully used to create a…

    • Essay length: 2080 words
    • Submitted: 26/12/2011
    • Marked by teacher: (?) Katie Dixon 10/02/2012
  3. Marked by a teacher

    Supermarket Description - Sleek, automatic, glass doors slid smoothly open, only to divulge a cacophony of noise.

    5 star(s)

    *****
    An excellent piece of descriptive writing which shows a wide vocabulary, effective use of onomatopoeia, figurative language including original similes and a skilful use of varied syntax. The senses…

    • Essay length: 904 words
    • Submitted: 06/10/2011
    • Marked by teacher: (?) Katie Dixon 29/04/2112
  4. Marked by a teacher

    Describe a person you admire. Though I have lived a colourful and varied life, the event which had the greatest effect on my well-being was the day I came of age, for it was on this day that it had been arranged that I should be told that my father was

    5 star(s)

    *****
    This is an excellent and extremely funny piece of writing. It is original and quirky and the writer has created an ironic voice which is consistently maintained.
    This reads…

    • Essay length: 521 words
    • Submitted: 26/09/2011
    • Marked by teacher: (?) Katie Dixon 29/04/2112
  5. Marked by a teacher

    (Descriptive Writing) Describe the sights and sounds of a market place

    5 star(s)

    This is a very good essay, requiring only a little editing to make it excellent. The simple narrative maintains interest and escorts the readers through a series of scenarios, effectively…

    • Essay length: 804 words
    • Submitted: 19/10/2009
    • Marked by teacher: (?) Jeff Taylor 26/04/2013
  6. Marked by a teacher

    Narrative essay 1

    5 star(s)

    A highly effective and descriptive essay, demonstrating skillful use of language to convey emotion. The horror and despair are cleverly conveyed and the depiction of the fire as a "beast"…

    • Essay length: 679 words
    • Submitted: 29/04/2009
    • Marked by teacher: (?) Jeff Taylor 26/04/2013
  7. Marked by a teacher

    A slave's diary.

    5 star(s)

    This is highly successful account of a slave's experience at the hands of the traders. It evokes his sense of desperation, loss and final acceptance in the face of his…

    • Essay length: 818 words
    • Submitted: 07/03/2008
    • Marked by teacher: (?) Jeff Taylor 26/04/2013
  8. Marked by a teacher

    Travel and tourism letter for a school trip.

    4 star(s)

    An very good example of a letter written to explain the logistics of a school trip. There is a lot of information and it is generally set out logically and…

    • Essay length: 481 words
    • Submitted: 29/12/2011
    • Marked by teacher: (?) Katie Dixon 10/02/2012
  9. Marked by a teacher

    Descriptive Writing. Over a ridge to the north, surrounded by rolling hills on each side, a desolate church stood isolated and abandoned, the fog slowly creeping towards it;

    4 star(s)

    ****
    This essay shows a sophisticated and wide vocabulary and that the writer has the ability to create an atmosphere of horror and foreboding. There is some effective use of…

    • Essay length: 701 words
    • Submitted: 16/11/2011
    • Marked by teacher: (?) Katie Dixon 29/04/2112
  10. Marked by a teacher

    Describe a typical day in the life of a teacher in Singapore.

    4 star(s)

    ****
    A clearly and simply written essay which is very detailed. There is some repetition of phrases and some mistakes with prepositions but generally this is an accurate and well…

    • Essay length: 619 words
    • Submitted: 18/10/2011
    • Marked by teacher: (?) Katie Dixon 29/04/2112
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Writing to inform

  1. 1 Give factual information and use a formal style.
  2. 2 Use straightforward language to convey essential information. Your audience could be anyone.
  3. 3 Use the present tense, write in short clear sentences, address the reader as 'you'. Use connectives and technical terms.
  4. 4 Break up your writing with diagrams, illustrations, images and subheadings.
  5. 5 You can give more information (eg: why and what you find interesting) and the genre could ask you to give instructions, write recipes, give directions or write manuals.

Writing to explain

  1. 1 Establish who you are writing to and why you are writing.
  2. 2 Genre – Explaining data, giving a speech or explaining how a mechanism works.
  3. 3 Purpose – To be clear, to show meaning and to make something clearer.
  4. 4 Write in the third person, use either past or present tenses, use clear factual language.
  5. 5 Give a balanced view and use connectives of comparison (whereas, though, while, unless, however).

Writing to describe

  1. 1 Your thoughts and feelings are important.
  2. 2 Genre – Writing a story, describe a scene, writing a diary entry.
  3. 3 Purpose is to build an image in the reader's mind.
  4. 4 Use adjectives and adverbs, similes, metaphors and all five senses ( touch, smell, taste, sight, sound).

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Conclusion analysis

Good conclusions usually refer back to the question or title and address it directly - for example by using key words from the title.
How well do you think these conclusions address the title or question? Answering these questions should help you find out.

  1. Do they use key words from the title or question?
  2. Do they answer the question directly?
  3. Can you work out the question or title just by reading the conclusion?

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Peer reviewed

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