English LanguageICSE Class 8 · Chapter 6

ICSE Class 8 Diary, Journal, Article and Report Writing: Formats and Models

Updated 15 October 2026 · Fact-checked

ICSE Class 8 asks you to write diary entries, journals, articles and reports. A diary is a private, first-person record of a day and your feelings; a journal records learning or observations over time; an article informs or persuades readers under a title and byline; a report gives the facts of an event in order, in the past tense.

What Diary, Journal, Article and Report Writing is about

The CISCE English curriculum for Class VIII lists diary, journal, articles and reports among the writing forms, and adds writing across disciplines (for example a science observation journal or a history report) and using technology as a resource to enhance research work.

The four forms differ in audience, purpose and tone:

Form	Reader	Purpose	Tone and tense
Diary	yourself	record a day and your feelings	personal, first person, mostly past
Journal	yourself or a teacher	record learning, observations, reflections over time	thoughtful, dated entries
Article	the public (magazine, newspaper, blog)	inform, explain or persuade	engaging, has a title and byline
Report	an organisation or newspaper readers	give facts of an event	objective, past tense, often passive

CISCE sets no Class VIII paper, so your school decides how these are tested. Expect a diary entry about a special day, an article for the school magazine, or a report of a school event for the newsletter.

Weightage: CISCE publishes no question paper or weightage for Class VIII English; your school sets and marks these writing tasks.Source: CISCE Curriculum for Upper Primary Classes (VI-VIII), RDCD 2016, English (Class VIII)

Key concepts

Diary entry: Format:
1. Day, date (and time if useful) at the top left: 'Monday, 14th December 2026, 9.30 p.m.'
2. Salutation (optional): 'Dear Diary,'.
3. Body: what happened, in order, and how you felt about it. Use the first person and mostly the past tense for events, present for feelings now ('I still can't believe it').
4. Closing thought and your name or initial (optional).
A diary is private and honest: reflections, worries and hopes matter as much as events.; Worked example
Write the opening two lines of a diary entry on the day you lost an important match.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
Day, date, time.
Jump into the feeling.
Answer: Sunday, 7th February 2027, 10 p.m.
Dear Diary,
I'm still staring at the ceiling, replaying that last penalty again and again.
Journal: A journal is a series of dated entries that record learning, observations or progress over time: a reading journal, a science observation log, a travel journal. Each entry has a date, what you observed or did, and what you learnt or wondered. It is more focused and less emotional than a diary. Writing across disciplines: a plant-growth journal in science, a reading journal in English, a weather log in geography.; Worked example
Write one entry for a science journal on a bean seed experiment.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
Date and day number.
Observation with measurement.
Reflection or question.
Answer: Day 5, 12th August 2026: The seed in wet cotton has split its coat, and a white root about 1 cm long is growing downwards. The seed in dry cotton shows no change. Question: does the root always grow down, even if I turn the jar sideways? Tomorrow I will test this.
Article: An article is written for publication. Format:
1. Title: catchy and clear ('Screens Off, Minds On').
2. Byline: 'by Riya Sen, Class VIII-A'.
3. Introduction: hook the reader (a question, a fact, an anecdote) and state the topic.
4. Body: two or three paragraphs, each on one aspect (causes, effects, solutions; or advantages and disadvantages), with examples or facts.
5. Conclusion: sum up, give an opinion or a call to action.
The tone is engaging and suits the readers: lively for a school magazine, more formal for a newspaper.; Worked example
Write a title and byline for an article on junk food for your school magazine.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
Catchy title.
Byline with name and class.
Answer: 'Fries, Fizz and Fatigue: The Real Cost of Junk Food' by Arjun Nair, Class VIII-C
Report: A report gives an objective, factual account of an event that has taken place. Format:
1. Heading: 'Annual Science Exhibition Held'.
2. Byline: 'by Neha Rao, Student Reporter'.
3. Opening paragraph: the 5 Ws: what, when, where, who organised, who attended (and why).
4. Body: the main events in chronological order: chief guest, programme, highlights, prize winners.
5. Closing: the outcome or response ('The exhibition ended with a vote of thanks...').
Use the past tense, the third person, and the passive voice where suitable ('Prizes were distributed'). Keep personal opinions out; quote someone instead.; Worked example
Write the opening paragraph of a report on a tree-planting drive.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
Answer what, when, where, who.
Past tense, third person.
Answer: Kolkata, 4th July 2027: The Eco Club of St. Joseph's School organised a tree-planting drive at Rabindra Sarobar on Saturday, 3rd July. Over 80 pupils of Classes VI to IX, accompanied by teachers and members of the local residents' association, planted 250 saplings of neem, jamun and gulmohar.
Research with technology: The curriculum asks you to use technology to enhance research work, especially for articles and project reports.
Search with specific key words ('benefits of millets for children', not 'food').
Prefer reliable sources: government sites, encyclopaedias, reputed newspapers and organisations.
Cross-check a fact in two sources.
Note the source (site, date) and write in your own words; copying is plagiarism.
Use simple tools: a word processor for drafts, spelling and grammar checkers carefully, and charts for data.; Worked example
You find on a random blog that 'Children need 15 hours of sleep'. What should you do before using it in an article?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
Check a reliable source (a health ministry or paediatric association).
Compare with what you know (8-10 hours for teenagers).
Answer: Cross-check it in a reliable source; experts generally recommend about 8-10 hours for teenagers, so the blog's figure is wrong and should not be used.

Diary, Journal, Article and Report Writing in real life

Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Report: objective facts

Suppose a fight breaks out at a cricket match and two fans describe it: one says 'Their team started it, the cheats!'; a journalist writes 'A scuffle broke out in the East Stand in the 34th over; police separated the groups within five minutes.'

Which is a report, and why?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

The fan gives a biased opinion.
The journalist gives time, place and facts without taking sides.

Answer: The journalist's version is a report: objective, specific and in the past tense. Reports earn trust by keeping opinions out.

Memory hook: Report the facts; save the feelings for the diary.

Diary: reflection

Imagine reading your diary from three years ago and finding only 'Went to school. Had maths test. Came home.'

Why is the entry disappointing, and what should it have included?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

It records events but no feelings or thoughts.
You cannot remember how you felt or what mattered.

Answer: A good diary entry records how you felt and what you learnt, not just what happened. That reflection is what makes it worth reading later and worth marks now.

Memory hook: Diary = what happened + what it meant to me.

Article: hooking the reader

Suppose two articles on saving water appear in your school magazine: one begins 'Water is very important for life'; the other begins 'Did you know that a ten-minute shower can use around 100 litres of water?'

Which will pupils keep reading, and why?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

The first opening is obvious and dull.
The second is surprising and personal.

Answer: The second. An article competes for attention, so its opening must surprise, question or tell a story.

Memory hook: Hook first, facts later.

Topics in this chapter

Diary, Journal, Article and Report: Formats and Tone

How the school exam asks Diary, Journal, Article and Report Writing

The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.

Question type	How it is asked	Method
Diary entry	'Write a diary entry about the day you met your favourite author' / 'about your first day at a new school.'	Day and date; first person; events and feelings; reflection at the end.
Journal entries	'Write three entries of a reading journal for a novel you are reading' / 'Record a week of weather observations.'	Dated entries; observation or summary; what you learnt or wondered.
Article	'Write an article for your school magazine on the importance of sports in school life.'	Title, byline, hook, two or three developed points, conclusion with a call to action.
Report	'Write a report for your school newsletter on the Annual Sports Day.'	Heading, byline, 5 Ws in the first paragraph, events in order, closing; past tense, objective.

Tricks to remember Diary, Journal, Article and Report Writing

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

Diary = Dear me
A diary is a letter to yourself: personal, honest, first person.
Use it when: Choosing tone for a diary entry.
5 Ws in the first breath
What, When, Where, Who, Why: all in the opening paragraph of a report.
Use it when: Report openings.
Article HBC
Hook, Body (2-3 points), Call to action.
Use it when: Planning an article.

Diary, Journal, Article and Report Writing: exam-level solved questions

Ordered from exam level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.

Example 1: Model diary entry · 8 marks · Long answerExam level

Write a diary entry about a day when you helped an elderly neighbour during a power cut.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Day, date, time; 'Dear Diary,'.
Events in order: power cut, worry about neighbour, what you did.
Feelings and a reflection.

Answer: Saturday, 22nd May 2027, 9.45 p.m.

Dear Diary,

What an evening! At about six o'clock the power went off in the whole colony, and the heat inside our flat became unbearable within minutes. Then I remembered Mrs Fernandes downstairs. She is eighty-two, lives alone and uses a nebuliser for her breathing.

I took Ma's torch and knocked on her door. She opened it slowly, looking tired and frightened, and said her machine had stopped in the middle of her medicine. I ran back up, fetched our small inverter-charged fan and a bottle of cold water, and sat with her while Papa called her nephew and the electricity office.

We talked for almost two hours in the torchlight. She told me how she taught in a village school for forty years and walked three kilometres every day. I had never known any of this, although I pass her door every morning.

When the lights finally came back, she squeezed my hand and said, 'You are a good boy.' I felt proud, but also a little ashamed that it took a power cut for me to visit her. I have decided to drop by every Sunday from now on.

Good night,
Rohan

Example 2: Model report · 8 marks · Long answerHarder exam level

Write a report for your school newsletter on the Inter-School Quiz held in your school.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Heading and byline.
5 Ws in the first paragraph.
Events in order: rounds, highlights, result, prize distribution.
Closing; past tense, third person, passive where useful.

Answer: Young Minds Shine at Inter-School Quiz
by Sana Qureshi, Student Reporter

Guwahati, 12th September 2027: Don Bosco School hosted the annual Inter-School General Knowledge Quiz in its main auditorium on Saturday, 11th September. Twelve schools from the city took part, each represented by a team of three pupils from Classes VII and VIII.

The programme began at 10 a.m. with a welcome address by the Principal, Fr. Thomas. The quiz master, a retired professor of history, conducted six rounds, including a picture round, a rapid-fire round and an audio round on Indian classical music. The audience round, in which spectators answered questions for small prizes, drew loud cheers.

After a tie-breaker between the top two teams, the team from Green Valley School was declared the winner, and the host school came second. Trophies and certificates were presented by the chief guest, a senior journalist, who praised the participants for their curiosity.

The event ended with a vote of thanks by the Quiz Club secretary.

Example 3: Model article · 8 marks · Long answerHarder exam level

Write an article for your school magazine on 'Why every pupil should learn to cook'.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Title and byline.
Hook and topic.
Three reasons with examples: independence, health, maths and science in action.
Conclusion with a call to action.

Answer: Stirring Up Life Skills
by Isha Kulkarni, Class VIII-A

Can you boil an egg? If the answer is 'I'll ask Mummy', read on.

Cooking is one of the most useful skills a teenager can learn. First, it makes us independent. A day will come when we live in a hostel or a new city, and knowing how to make dal and rice is far better than living on instant noodles.

Second, cooking makes us healthier. When we cook, we know exactly how much oil, salt and sugar goes into our food, and we discover that fresh vegetables can taste better than packaged snacks.

Third, the kitchen is a laboratory. Measuring ingredients is real-life mathematics, and watching dough rise or milk curdle is chemistry in action. Many pupils who find fractions boring suddenly understand them when halving a recipe.

Cooking also teaches patience, planning and respect for the people who feed us every day. So this weekend, step into the kitchen, roll up your sleeves and make something simple. Your family will thank you, and your future self will too.

Example 4: Journal across disciplines · 6 marks · Short answerHarder exam level

Write three short entries of a reading journal for a novel you are reading (use any book; describe your progress, not a full summary).

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Dated entries showing progress.
Each: pages read, one observation, one reflection or prediction.

Answer: Open answer; a model pattern: '3rd March: Read chapters 1-3. The narrator seems lonely: she talks to her dog more than to people. Prediction: a new friend will change this. / 6th March: Chapters 4-6. The new girl at school is rude at first; I think she is hiding something. I liked the description of the rainy market. / 10th March: Chapters 7-9. I was right about the secret, but not about what it was! The writer uses short chapters to keep me turning pages.'

Example 5: Diary versus report · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

Rewrite this sentence from a diary entry as it would appear in a report: 'I was so thrilled when our house won the march-past trophy, and we all screamed with joy!'

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Remove 'I' and feelings.
Third person, past tense, factual; passive voice if suitable.

Answer: 'The march-past trophy was won by Tagore House, whose members celebrated enthusiastically.' The report states the fact objectively, in the third person, without the writer's personal feelings.

Example 6: Fix a weak report opening · 4 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

Improve: 'Yesterday there was a very nice function in our school and everyone enjoyed it a lot. I liked the dance the most.'

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Missing: what event, which date, where, who organised, who attended.
Remove personal opinion; use specific facts.

Answer: 'Bengaluru, 2nd November 2027: Bishop Cotton Girls' School celebrated its Foundation Day in the school auditorium on 1st November. The programme, organised by the Cultural Committee, was attended by parents, alumni and the city's Deputy Commissioner as chief guest.' The new version answers the 5 Ws and replaces vague praise and personal opinion with facts.

Where the marks are

How a typical answer is marked: the value points the examiner looks for and the marks each earns.

Report or article (school paper). CISCE sets no Class VIII marking scheme; this split is indicative. (8 marks)

Step	Marks
Format: heading/title, byline, place and date (report)	2
Content: 5 Ws or developed points with facts and examples	3
Organisation and tone: logical order, suitable register	2
Accuracy: tense, grammar, spelling	1

Where students lose marks in Diary, Journal, Article and Report Writing

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Personal opinions in a report
Pupils write a report like a diary.
Wrong working
I think it was the best function ever.
Right working
The function was praised by the chief guest as 'a celebration of talent'.
Do this: State facts; let quoted people express opinions.
Usually costs: Tone and content marks.
Mistake: No feelings in a diary entry
Pupils list events like a timetable.
Do this: For each event, add how you felt and why; end with a reflection.
Usually costs: Content marks.
Mistake: Wrong tense in reports
Pupils slip into the present or future.
Wrong working
The chief guest gives away prizes.
Right working
The chief guest gave away the prizes.
Do this: A report describes a past event: use the past tense throughout.
Usually costs: Accuracy marks.
Mistake: Missing title or byline
Pupils start the body straight away.
Do this: Articles and reports always open with a heading and 'by [name]'.
Usually costs: Format marks.
Mistake: Copying research word for word
It is quicker to paste than to rewrite.
Do this: Take notes in key words, then write from your notes in your own words; cite the source.
Usually costs: Credibility; in projects, it counts as plagiarism.

Practice questions on Diary, Journal, Article and Report Writing

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

Q1 · 1 mark · MCQExam level
Which feature belongs to a report but NOT to a diary entry? (a) date (b) first-person feelings (c) a heading and byline (d) 'Dear Diary'
Hint
Which is written for publication?
Answer
(c) a heading and byline.
Q2 · 8 marks · Long answerExam level
Write a diary entry about the day your best friend moved to another city.
Hint
Events of the day and honest feelings; a hopeful ending.
Answer
Value points: day, date and time; 'Dear Diary,'; farewell scene in order (helping pack, last walk, goodbye at the car); feelings (sadness, memories, worry); a plan to stay in touch; reflection; first person, past tense for events.
Q3 · 8 marks · Long answerHarder exam level
Write a report for a newspaper on a blood donation camp organised by your school's Interact Club.
Hint
Heading, byline, 5 Ws, numbers, quote someone, past tense.
Answer
Value points: heading ('Pupils' Club Inspires 120 Blood Donations'); byline; place and date; who organised, with which hospital or blood bank, where; who donated (parents, teachers, neighbours: donors must be adults); numbers; a quoted comment from a doctor; outcome; objective tone.
Q4 · 8 marks · Long answerHarder exam level
Write an article for your school magazine on 'Reading for pleasure in a digital age'.
Hint
Hook, two or three aspects, a call to action.
Answer
Value points: title and byline; hook (a question or fact about screen time); benefits of reading (imagination, vocabulary, focus); how digital tools can help (e-books, audiobooks, library apps) versus distraction; practical tips (20 minutes a day, a book club); conclusion with a call to action.
Q5 · 2 marks · Very short answerExam level
Give the 5 Ws that the first paragraph of a report should answer.
Hint
Five question words.
Answer
What happened, when, where, who (organised and took part) and why.
Q6 · 6 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Write a week-long observation journal (five short entries) for a project on birds visiting your balcony or school garden.
Hint
Date, time, what was seen, a question or pattern.
Answer
Open answer: five dated entries noting time, species or description (e.g. sparrows, mynas, a bulbul), numbers and behaviour, and at least one pattern or question (e.g. 'More birds come before 8 a.m.; is it cooler then?').
Q7 · 2 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
While researching an article, you find a statistic on one website only. Explain two steps you would take before using it.
Hint
Reliability and confirmation.
Answer
Check whether the website is reliable (government, reputed organisation, recent date), and cross-check the figure in at least one other trustworthy source; if it cannot be confirmed, leave it out or say it is an estimate.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1.What goes at the top of a diary entry?Show answer
The day and date (and time, if useful).
2.How is a journal different from a diary?Show answer
A journal records learning or observations over time in dated entries; a diary records personal events and feelings.
3.What is a byline?Show answer
The line under the title giving the writer's name: 'by Riya Sen'.
4.Which tense and person does a report use?Show answer
Past tense, third person.
5.What does 'writing across disciplines' mean?Show answer
Writing in other subjects too, e.g. a science observation journal or a history report.
6.Name two habits of good online research.Show answer
Any two: specific key words, reliable sources, cross-checking facts, noting sources, writing in own words.

Quick revision checklist

The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?

Can you set out a diary entry with day, date and time?
Can you write a dated journal entry with an observation and a reflection?
Can you write an article with a title, byline, hook and call to action?
Can you write a report opening that answers the 5 Ws?
Can you change a diary sentence into objective report language?
Can you check an online fact against a reliable source?

Diary, Journal, Article and Report Writing: frequently asked questions

Should I write 'Dear Diary' in every entry?

It is optional. Many teachers accept entries that begin straight after the date.

Can an article include my opinion?

Yes. Unlike a report, an article may argue a point of view, but support it with reasons and examples.

How long should a diary entry or report be?

Class VIII has no fixed limit; about 150-200 words is a common school length. Follow your teacher's word limit if given.

Is a newspaper report the same as a school report?

Both are factual accounts in the past tense with a heading and byline; a newspaper report adds the place and date line at the start of the first paragraph.

Based on: CISCE Curriculum for Upper Primary Classes (VI-VIII), English (Class VIII); CISCE RDCD: Curriculum Pre-School to Class VIII