functional writing section three junior certificate
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Functional Writing Section Three Junior Certificate
Aim of this Section Write according to the task required. Language used is mainly formal. Avoid abbreviations or slangTry to be brief and clearThere is no extra marks for filling up pages with irrelevant information.
Types of Questions Asked:
Letters
Of reference Job applicationFor an author To a newspaperAs an agony auntOf complaint
Speeches On a topicOf welcome or of farewellPep talksProposal
Diary
Reviews Of a Cd, film, play or movie
Article For a newspaperFor a tourist brochure (persuasive)
Report The particular details of an event
Factual Description Of a photograph Set of instructions
Two types of letters
Personal or informal letters
• A personal letter is a letter you would write to a friend or someone you know well.
• The tone of the letter should be relaxed and casual. You can use some slang but avoid text language!
• What goes into your letter depends on who you are writing to and the reason why you are writing. You should try to use personal stories and keep the tone lively and interesting.
Layout
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Your address
Date
Greeting, e.g. Dear, Hey, Hi etc
Sign off,
Name
Informal Letter Checklist
Your address in top right hand corner
Date on right hand side
Greeting (Dear Jamie . . .)
First paragraph – explain why you are writing your letter
Second and third paragraphs – interesting, relaxed tone, telling personal stories.
Sign off (Talk to you soon,/Later,/Love, etc.)
Signature
Formal letter Letters vary from letters of complaints to job applications Addition of the address of the recipient is important
Language is more formal and serious The full name of the person you are writing to should be included (where possible)
Formal Letter Now compare this next letter to the last
informal letter.
The next letter uses the same content, which means it gives us the same information, but it is written differently. It uses a formal tone.
Spotlight 1. Compare the two letters. Note three ways in which
they differ.
2. “The second letter uses a formal tone.” Would you agree or disagree with this statement? Explain why. (O/R/E)
3. Which letter would you rather receive? Why? (O/R/E)
Formal LetterFormal letters are written to someone you don’t know very well or to a business or
organisation.
A formal letter has a slightly different layout to an informal letter and it is important to
learn the difference between them!
Formal lettersFormal letters are written for many reasons:
To apply for a job To make a complaint To write to a
newspaper To write to a bank
etc. etc.
The tone of a formal letter is very important. The letter must be:
Serious Business-like Use polite
language
Layout
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Your address
Date
Greeting, e.g. Dear Mr/Ms or To Whom It May Concern
Sign off,e.g. Yours Sincerely or Yours Faithfully
Name
Their address
SAMPLE FORMAL LETTER23 Mountain View,
Caherlow,Co.Tipperary.
24 March 2006
Mr O’Reilly,AIB Bank,Caherlow,Co.Tipperary.
Dear Mr O’Reilly,
I am writing to complain about the service at your AIB branch on Wednesday last, 18 March 2006.
I entered the lobby of your bank at approximately 11.45 a.m. to withdraw money from my account. As the ATM was out of order, I had to join the long queue for Cash Services. After waiting for forty minutes, I finally completed my transaction.
As a result of the delay in the bank I missed my bus to Dublin where I had an important doctor’s appointment. This appointment has had to be rescheduled for 15 April – that is almost three weeks away.
I find it completely unacceptable that your ATM was out of service and that extra staff were not available to deal with the long queues the broken ATM caused. I urge you to make sure this never happens again or I will be taking my business somewhere else.
Yours sincerely,
Thomas Ryan
Your address
Date
Name and address of recipientGreeting
Opening paragraph explaining the reason for the letter
Other paragraphs giving details of the complaint
Appropriate sign off
If you know the name of the
person you’re writing to, sign
off ‘Yours sincerely’. If not, sign off
‘Yours faithfully’.
Over to you!Read the following letter. It is written in a personal and
casual tone.
Your job is to rewrite the letter in an appropriate, formal tone. You can make up your own details so that the
letter contains more information.
REMEMBER:
• Follow the layout of the formal letter.• Structure your letter into three or four separate
paragraphs.• Write clearly and include relevant information.
• Use polite and businesslike language.
In your own words(a)
Describe what is appropriate when writing formal letters
(b)
Describe what is inappropriate when writing formal letters.
Sample Question Write a letter of application in response to the following advertisement.Trainee Mechanic required No. experience necessary. Apply in writing to Nolan’s Garage, Main St, Co, Carlow. (Sunday Independent, 18 January 2004)
Plan
1. Where you saw the
advertisement& position
Your age, qualificatio
ns, experience
Hobbies, interests
Enclosed CV, available for
interview
Sample 168 The Crescent,Tullow,
Co. Carlow.19-01-04
The Manager,Nolan’s Garage, Tullow,Co. Carlow.Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to apply for the position of Trainee Mechanic as advertised in the Sunday Independent of !8 January. At present I am a third year student at Coolmine Secondary School and I am currently studying for my Junior Certificate exams. I have worked as a pump attendant for the past two months in Lawyer's Garage in Carlow Town. I am interested in pursuing a career as a car mechanic and I regularly service and maintain my mother’s car. I am hard working and eager to learn.I enclosed a curriculum vitae and the names of the two referees. I am available for interview at any time. I will be able to start work as as soon as I finish my exams. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Yours faithfully, Andrew Butler
Formal letters should always contain:
Formal style
The language used should be clear and to the point
Avoid excessive descriptions
Stick to the point
Keep the tone formal
Question When you return to school next September you will be going into Transition Year. Shortly after the start of the school year, as part of the Transition Year programme, you will be going out on Work Experience every Friday. You are expected, in advance, to find a suitable workplace. Write out the letter you would send to an employer telling him/her what Transition Year is, requesting work experience, explaining why you would like that kind of work and saying what you hope to gain from the experience. The main purpose of the letter is to persuade the employer to take you on every Friday for the year.
Hints Paragraphs
1: Explain TYP 2. Request work experience 3. Explain why you would like it and what you hope to gain. 4. Conclusion
Style has been pointed out i.e persuasive. Make sure you sound positive and persuasive throughout the letter.
Enthusiasm is your greatest asset!!!!!
Reviews A review is usually a personal opinion of a play, film, CD or book.
When writing a review you should include the following:
Full title including author, director, band or performer. Brief background information.
Summary of a play, album or book etc. without giving away the ending or significant details.
Your opinion: the high points (e.g the actors, the script, the lyrics, the special effects) and the low points or weakness.
Recommendation: Would you recommend it? If so, who would you recommend it to? Why?
If you liked it you should be enthusiastic and encourage others to see or hear it. If you hated it you might offer some constructive criticism
and possibly see some good points!!
EXAMPLE PIRATES OF THE
CARIBBEAN
QuestionTask: To Write a review that provides information and opinion on your local newspaper of your favourite Music, book, television programme, computer game or film.
Layout
Product
Introduction
Focus on describing the plot
Focus on evaluation
Recommendation
Report Report is based on findings.
You must outline why the report was carried out, what methods of research were used, what the findings were and the conclusions reached.
Structure title
Terms
Research
Results
conclusions
recommendations
Sign and date
Title: What the report is about e.g a survey of traffic problems in your local area. Terms: who carried out the report? For whom? Why? For example ‘the report carried out by class 3A as requested by the board as requested by the board of management in order to implement a new policy for the school. Research: what kind of research was carried out? Survey? Questionnaire? Who was asked?
structureResults: what were the results of the survey? List in a factual manner without opinion the results of the survey or questionnaire.Conclusions: what conclusion can you draw from the results as listed above? Your opinion should be supported by the facts as listed above in section 4. Recommendations: what recommendations would you make based on the conclusions you listed above? These should be feasible but can be divided into short and long term goals. Sign and date: sign on behalf of the group you represent and date the report.
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