SPM English1119

Paper 1 (Section A): Directed Writing (35 marks) Question Writing a Report (Informal) As the secretary of the Book Club, you have been asked to write a report to be published on the schools website about a recent talk given by a local novelist to the Club members. In the report, include the following: some information about the novelist the objective of the talk the subject of the talk question and answer session at the end of the talk follow-up activity (e.g. writing workshop)

Preparing to Write the Report Step 1 : What does the question want me to do? 1. You are to write an informal report A report is an account of a speech, debate, meeting, etc., especially as taken down for publication. A report is an account or statement describing in detail an event, situation, or the like, usually as the result of observation, inquiry, etc.: a report on the peace conference; a Medical report on the patient. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/report

2.

You have been asked to write a report about a Book Club event- a talk given by a novelist to Book Club members. This is like news reporting where you report about an event that has taken place (say, a week or a month ago). It is important that you describe the happenings at the event using the past tense. You have to include the given points in the question. Now, lets see how you can elaborate those points. a) some information about the novelist give the name of the novelist (it doesnt have to be real) some background information like the kind of book(s) s/he has written b) the objective of the talk c) explain why the Book Club invited the novelist: whats the objective/aim? the subject of the talk Briefly explain what the novelist talked about.

3.

This can include the title of the talk d) what happened at the end of the talk a question-and-answer session a two-hour writing workshop

SPM English1119

Take a look at the FORMAT of the informal report.

Malaysian Novelist Shares Her Secrets By Hans Sulo Introduction In one or two sentences explain what your report is about: who was invited by the Club and what was the subject of the talk? Points 1. some background information about the speaker and the objective of the talk 2. subject of the talk: what the novelist said in the talk 3. end of the talk : question & answer session, 2-hour workshop Conclusion Write an appropriate conclusion in one or two lines. For example, was it successful? How did the members feel?

Step 2 : Write the Report Use the format above to guide you when you write the report. Then compare your answer with the suggested answer on the next page. Remember to give your report a title and insert your name below the title (e.g., Malaysian Novelist Shares Her Writing Craft By Hans Sulo).

SPM English1119

Answer
Paper 1 (Section A): Directed Writing Question Writing a Report (Informal)

Malaysian Novelist Shares Her Writing Craft By Hans Sulo On Saturday, 28th May, 2011, Malaysian novelist Juliana King was invited by the Book Club to give a talk on How to Write Stories that Sell to its members. The talk was organized at the request of many of the members who wanted to learn the craft of story writing. Juliana King was invited as she is one of Malaysias most promising new writers and she writes stories for and about teenagers. She has written two best-selling novels, Im 17 and I Can Fly, which have been translated into Russian, Malay, Thai and Chinese. Juliana King was invited because we felt that she would be able to relate to a young audience. Having written two novels that have sold over 200,000 copies, Juliana was able to share her knowledge and experience about her writing craft. She spoke passionately and enthusiastically for ninety minutes about what it meant to be a writer. She said one should have a good command of the language. She also said that writers must read widely as this would improve their knowledge and develop in them a greater sensitivity to the language. In addition, she said a writer must be disciplined because writing is a lonely job; he or she would have to spend many weeks or months writing, writing, writing. Above all, Juliana said that to be a writer, one must be really passionate about writing. The talk ended with a question-and-answer session where members posed several questions and the answers by Juliana were compiled into a booklet for sale. There was a short break and this was followed by a two-hour writing workshop for 15 students. The outcome of the workshop were 15 short stories published and sold by the Book Club. The event was a big success because we really learned a lot. The Book Club committee members have decided to make this an annual event by inviting other local writers.