Situational Writing Crash Course

FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

FORMAL EMAIL - PART 1 (INTERNAL)
 1. Formal Writing

2. Formal email – common topics

3. Common errors

4. Useful phrases

OBJECTIVES 5. Analysis of sample question and answer

6. Formal Email Test

 • Who is your AUDIENCE?

• Writing to an authority figure is always FORMAL

• Writing to the public / strangers is always FORMAL

Formal
Writing:  Email to a teacher/principal/authority figure

Types  Email to the editor of a newspaper

 Proposal letter/email for an event/facility

 Speech to teachers/school/strangers

 Feature Article on a website

 Email to other authority figures /
Email to a Teacher / Principal strangers

•Request for funds • Congratulate someone for an

Formal •Report on a past event achievement and invite him/her

Email - •Propose a new CCA / facility to an event

•Propose an activity
common • Suggest to work together / visit a
•Tone: polite and respectful place together / attend an event
topics •Sophisticated language • Suggest to contribute to a cause

• Tone: Detached and polite

• Sophisticated language
 The format/structure typically includes:

• Your name and

Introduction school/class
• Your purpose

FORMAT
• Main Points
AND 3 PEEL
Paragraphs
• Development of ideas
STRUCTURE • Examples

• Thank-you line
Conclusion
• Sign-off
 TONE IS TOO INFORMAL / TOO PUSHY
 E.g. “I want you to look at this proposal...” (“Kindly consider ...”)
 “You should consider these factors...” (“We hope you would
consider...”)

COMMON  “Please make the best decision” (“Thank you for considering...”)

ERRORS
TOO MUCH ACTIVE VOICE
 E.g. “I will hold the event on...” (“The event would be held on”)
 “We will have the activity on...” (“The activity will take place on”)
 LANGUAGE FORMAL
PERSUASIVE “This would greatly help…”
“This would be an eye-opening and enriching event” /
“In line with our school values of honesty and respect”
TONE POLITE
“Kindly contact me for further queries...”
RESPECTFUL
“We would be much obliged if”
“I hope you would consider my proposal”

LINGUISTIC A mix of Active and Passive voice (avoid sounding

Useful Phrases FEATURES confrontational or conversational)
“I would like to...” (active)
“This issue has been discussed and a decision has been
made…” (passive)
TRANSITIONS Transitions
- “Firstly,”
- “While some may believe that...”
- “Furthermore,”
- “In contrast,”
- “Besides...”
SAMPLE Q&A
FORMAL EMAIL
 Our Green City Campaign
Your school aims to promote education and engagement on the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) among students. They
believe that students can help Singapore to go green by working together with the school, community groups and
individuals. We invite students to propose organising one of the three activities for the school’s “Our Green City Campaign”.
Submit the proposal via email to the Principal.
Reduce Disposable Plastics
Save, not waste, Food
• Take bold actions to reduce the use of single-use
•Work with teachers and Secondary 3 plastic disposables
students taking Food and Consumer • Work with canteen vendors to offer incentives for
Education students and staff who bring their own reusable
•Organise a cooking competition among containers and bottles
the classes centred on saving food and • Educate and engage students on plastic
cutting waste disposables and litter through assembly talks and
•Engage the students in developing recipes
Visual for leftovers
•Educate students about the problem of
exhibitions
• Encourage students to bring their own reusables
and reduce plastic disposables in the school

Stimulus food waste and how to be mindful about

not wasting food in the food and beverage
industry in the future

Recycle at Home

• Encourage more HDB residents to adopt proper recycling

habits using the existing blue recycling bins in their estates
• Start a hashtag #recycletogether on Instagram to encourage
household recycling through photos and videos
• Educate and engage residents at housing estates and the
community through posters and door-to-door engagement
• Invite volunteers to go door-to-door to assist in collecting BYO Bottle and
recyclables
Container
 Situational Writing [30 marks]
You are to write between 250 to 350 words for this section.
Refer to the visual stimulus above and then plan your answer before beginning to write.
There has been an urgent need to reduce waste in Singapore. As the President of your
school’s Go Green Club, you have been invited by your Principal to plan an activity to raise
awareness on the environment as part of the school’s Our Green City Campaign. Based on
the webpage given, select one of the activities that you and your club members have chosen
to promote this environmental cause in your school.
Take note of each bullet
point and its keywords.
QUESTION In your email you should:
Organise your
 State your choice of activity
paragraphs based on
 Give reasons why you have chosen it these points
 Explain how the activity will be carried out by you and your club members
 Suggest how the activity can raise awareness about the plight of the environment

Write your email in clear, accurate language and in a persuasive tone, adding any other
details that you may find appropriate. Use your own words as much as possible.
 1. Study the Visual Stimulus (VS) carefully,
noting down important points
REMINDERS
2. READ the question carefully, noting down
the P.A.C.F.L
3. Choose an option from the VS (if required)
4. Take note of the bulleted points in the
question and use them as a guide to
structure your answer
5. Plan each PEEL paragraph before writing
 2.AUDIENCE

1. WHAT IS THE 2. WHO AM I WRITING TO?

PURPOSE?
3. WHAT IS THE CONTEXT?

1. Recall the 1.PURPOSE

5.LANGUAGE 3.CONTEXT
P.A.C.F.L WHY AM I
WRITING THIS?

5. WHAT LANGUAGE
TO USE?

4. WHICH FORMAT?
4.FORMAT
 PURPOSE
 To persuade the principal to select your activity

AUDIENCE
2. Fill in the
 Principal of my school
P.A.C.F.L
CONTEXT
 Environmental campaign in school

FORMAT
 Formal Email

LANGUAGE
 Formal: polite, mix of active and passive voice
 To: limalan@greensecondary.com (write a realistic recipient’s address)
From: marktan@gmail.com (write a realistic sender’s address)
Date: 1 February 2021 (Write in full)
Subject: Environmental Activity for Campaign (Short and to the point)

(salutation) Dear Mr Lim, (recipient’s name),

FORMAT  Introduction
 3-4 PEEL paragraphs
 Concluding statements

(sign-off) Yours sincerely,

(your name) Mark Tan
(Class) Sec 2E
 Dear Mr Lim, Begin with an introduction of self
- Name
Introduction - Position (if relevant)
I am Mark Tan from Secondary 2E. As the
- Class
President of Evolve Secondary School’s Go
• Introduce yourself State your purpose in writing the
Green Club and on behalf of my club members, I email
• Your purpose
am eager to present to you our chosen activity  State the event or occasion
for our school’s upcoming Our Green City  State your choice

Campaign, “Save, not Waste, Food”.  Add any relevant original details
 1st Point – 2
After much observation and discussion, we think that food paragraphs
wastage is an urgent and serious matter to address,
especially in our school. Many students take food for (Refer to first
bullet point in the
1st and 2nd granted and are indifferent about wasting it. As a result,
resources to produce such food are unnecessarily wasted
Question)

PEEL and this waste adds to environmental pollution.  State Reasons

 What are some
Paragraphs We plan to carry out a cooking competition from 1 to 31 existing
July 2021. It will be held in conjunction with our school’s problems to be
• Point Go Green month. Working with Secondary Three teachers solved?
• Explain/Expand and students taking Food and Consumer Education (FCE)
 What are the
• Example will be a beneficial experience. Our aim is to engage these
benefits of your
• Link students in the problem of food wastage and to solve it choice?
together. We hope these activities will educate them to be
mindful about food preparation and consumption.  Refer to the
details in VS and
try to use your
own words
Using 2 paragraphs to express your ideas can give more clarity
REPEAT THIS PROCESS FOR THE THIRD/Fourth PARAGRAPH
 3rd paragraph
Possible ideas/Points:
 Refer to 3rd and
3rd PEEL paragraph: 4th bullet points
• create awareness among FCE students of the problem  details of how
3rd and 4th of food wastage in our school (lessons) activity will be
carried out
• show them shocking pictures of waste in the canteen
PEEL and trash bins  Expand on the
activity
• how such waste ends up polluting our environment
Paragraphs • appeal to them to be part of the solution  State how
awareness of
• Point wastage will be
4th PEEL paragraph: raised
• Explain/Expand • introduce the inter-class cooking competition
• Example 4th paragraph
• educate them on eco-friendly ways to plan for meals
• Link • Each class to create their own recipes for meals  details of how
activity will be
• observe how each class prepares and cooks the food, carried out
and minimises leftovers/waste
 Give examples of
• winning class will be chosen based on criteria: taste, your own where
creativity in the menu and the use of leftovers, and the necessary
least amount of waste generated.
 We believe that this activity will be fun and
insightful for all involved. More importantly, the
message of food wastage and its impact on the Conclusion
environment will be spread throughout the  Summarise
your ideas and
school. Ultimately, the goal is for each student to benefits
be inspired to play their part to reduce wastage at  Ensure you
Concluding home and in school. sound
respectful and
paragraphs appeal to your
principal to
Thank you for inviting us to submit our ideas to select your
raise awareness about the environment . We look choice.
• Summary of ideas
• Thank you note forward to hearing your feedback.  Thank your
principal and
wish him/her
Yours sincerely, well
Mark Tan
Sec 2E
TEST QUESTION
Complete the Situational Task using the steps taught
Write out your answer within 45 minutes
 A CHILD’S GUIDE TO BEING MONEY-WISE
www.moneywise123.sg

How much of your allowance do you save every week? Saving and earning money are not only for adults. Children
can do them too! It’s never too late to save for your future.
Here are some tips to help you save money and become money-wise!

SAVE MONEY: BRING, NOT BUY

• Buying snacks can hurt your

wallet over time
• Bring your own drinks or home-
made snacks when you go out
• Bring a refillable water bottle

VISUAL
wherever you go
• Tip: Ask yourself if you really
SAVE MONEY: KEEP A PIGGY BANK need something instead of

STIMULUS • Put aside some allowance every week

buying on impulse.

• Keep it somewhere safe, like in a piggy

bank, so that you won’t be tempted to GROW MONEY: EARN YOUR OWN
spend it MONEY
• Resist the temptation to reach into your
savings • Make your own crafts and turn
• Once in a while, count your savings and those skills into cash
keep track of how much you have saved • Take your items to a craft fair or
try listing them on online sites like
Etsy or Carousell
• Do chores around the house for
extra cash
• Start a bank account where your
payments can be deposited.
 Situational Writing [30 marks]
You are to write between 250 to 350 words for this section.
Refer to the visual stimulus above and then plan your answer before beginning to write.
Financial literacy is becoming an important skill for primary school students.
You are a Secondary Three leader who has been selected to conduct a workshop for a
class of Primary Six students during the June holidays. The aim of the workshop is to
educate the class about saving and growing money. The details of the workshop are in
the visual stimulus given to you. You are to write an email to explain your plans for the
workshop to the Principal of your school.

QUESTION In your email, you should:

 State the purpose of the workshop and suggest a title
 Select one way to save money and one way to grow money. Give reasons for your
choice
 Suggest a hands-on activity for each of these two activties the students can engage in
 Explain how the workshop will benefit the class

Write your email in clear, accurate language and in a persuasive tone, adding any other
details that you may find appropriate. Use your own words as much as possible.
 1. Study the Visual Stimulus (VS) carefully,
noting down important points
TEST TIPS
2. READ the question carefully, noting down
the P.A.C.F.L
3. Choose an option from the VS (if required)
4. Take note of the bulleted points in the
question and use them as a guide to
structure your answer
5. Plan each PEEL paragraph before writing
 2.AUDIENCE

1. WHAT IS THE 2. WHO AM I WRITING TO?

PURPOSE?
3. WHAT IS THE CONTEXT?

Write out the 1.PURPOSE

5.LANGUAGE 3.CONTEXT
P.A.C.F.L WHY AM I
WRITING THIS?

5. WHAT LANGUAGE
TO USE?

4. WHICH FORMAT?
4.FORMAT
  PURPOSE
Fill in the
 To ________________________________________
P.A.C.F.L
 AUDIENCE
 ___________________________________________
THEN, WRITE
 CONTEXT
YOUR
 ___________________________________________
ANSWER FORMAT
 ___________________________________________
 LANGUAGE
 ___________________________________________