English LanguageISC Class 11 · Chapter 2

ISC Class 11 Directed Writing: Feature Article, Review, Blog, Report and SOP

Updated 15 October 2026 · Fact-checked

Directed writing is Question 2(a) of ISC English Paper I: 250-300 words for 15 marks, built on every point given in the question. The 2028 syllabus lists five forms: feature article, book review, blog, newspaper report and statement of purpose. Examiners mark amplification of each point, the format, and language suited to the situation.

What Directed Writing is about

Directed writing is Question 2(a) of ISC English Paper I (Language). The ISC 2028 syllabus (for Classes XI and XII) says: 'The piece of directed writing must be based on the information and all the points provided. The required length is 250-300 words. The range of subjects includes feature article, book review, blogs, newspaper report, and statement of purpose.' It adds: 'Skills such as amplifying, describing and re-stating are involved. The candidates' ability in the above skills, including format, will be taken into account as well as their ability to handle language appropriately in the context of the given situation.'

In the board papers it carries 15 marks: a film review 'should not exceed 300 words' (2024) and a feature article on 'The Importance of Sports' in 'about 300 words' (2025). Both times the marking scheme said essentially the same thing; in 2024: 'This is an exercise in amplification. All points must be included and amplified.'

The question gives you a string of points separated by dashes. Your job is not to invent a new essay but to turn each point into a developed paragraph or part of one, in the right form and tone. The examiners' comments show where marks go: candidates who omitted a point ('inculcating discipline' in 2025, 'performance of the lead actors' in 2024), who misread a term ('mistook the setting for the set'), who wrote 'a pre-prepared review', or who wrote the wrong form ('book reviews or school reviews instead of film reviews').

Note that the 2028 list names a book review, not a film review, and adds blogs and the statement of purpose. Class 11 is examined by your school on this same pattern.

Weightage: Question 2(a): 250-300 words, 15 of the 80 marks of Paper I. With the proposal (2(b)), the CISCE specimen advises not more than 55 minutes for Question 2, so about 35 minutes for directed writing.Source: CISCE ISC 2028 English (801) syllabus, Question Two (a); ISC Specimen Question Paper 2025; ISC Analysis of Pupil Performance 2024 and 2025

Key concepts

Amplification: every point, developed: The marking scheme: 'All points to be included and amplified, and will be marked for content and linguistic ability.' Amplifying means taking a bare point ('builds teamwork') and giving it an explanation, an example and a consequence. A point that is merely mentioned earns little; a point left out earns nothing. Six points in 250-300 words means roughly 35-45 words per point after a short opening and closing.; Worked example
Amplify the point 'has health benefits' for a feature article on the importance of sports, in about 40 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
State the point.
Explain how it works.
Give a concrete example or consequence.
Answer: 'Regular sport keeps the body in working order. An hour of football or swimming strengthens the heart and lungs, controls weight and improves sleep. Doctors increasingly warn of lifestyle diseases among teenagers; a daily game is the cheapest medicine available.' (about 40 words)
Format of each form: The syllabus says format is 'taken into account'. CISCE does not print a fixed template for these forms, so use the accepted conventions. Feature article: a catchy title and a byline ('by Name, Class 11'). Newspaper report: a headline, a byline, and a dateline (place and date) opening the first paragraph, which answers who, what, when, where, why. Blog: a title, the date of posting and the blogger's name; a personal, conversational voice. Book review: title, author, publisher and genre at the start; a verdict at the end. Statement of purpose: addressed to the admissions committee of a named programme; first person, formal, ending with your name.; Worked example
Write the format elements for a newspaper report on a fire drill at your school.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
Headline: short, present tense, no full stop.
Byline: 'By a Staff Reporter' or your name.
Dateline: place and date at the start of the first paragraph.
Answer: Headline: 'Students Evacuate in Four Minutes During Fire Drill'. Byline: 'By Arjun Sen, Staff Reporter'. Opening: 'Pune, 12 August: Over 1,200 students of Greenfield School left their classrooms in under four minutes during a surprise fire drill on Monday...'
Register: language suited to the situation: The syllabus tests 'ability to handle language appropriately in the context of the given situation'. A newspaper report is impersonal, past tense, third person, factual. A feature article is lively and may address the reader. A blog is personal and conversational but still grammatical (no text-speak). A book review mixes description (present tense for the content of the book) with judgement. A statement of purpose is formal, first person, and specific about goals.; Worked example
Rewrite for a newspaper report: 'OMG, our annual day was amazing and I loved the dance by Class 9!!'
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
Remove first-person feelings and slang.
Report facts in the third person and past tense.
Answer: 'The annual day programme, held on Saturday, featured a folk dance by students of Class 9 that drew a standing ovation from the audience.'
Re-stating: own words, not the question's: Re-stating is one of the named skills. Copying the dash-separated points as they stand is 'mere listing of points', which the examiners discourage. Use the idea of each point, but express it in your own sentences and link the points so the piece reads as a whole.; Worked example
Re-state the point 'develops leadership qualities' without repeating the phrase.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
Find a synonym frame: taking charge, guiding others.
Attach a situation.
Answer: 'Captaining a team teaches a teenager to make decisions under pressure, to encourage a teammate who has dropped a catch and to take the blame when a plan fails.'
Statement of purpose: purpose, preparation, fit, goal: A statement of purpose (SOP) explains to an admissions committee why you want a particular course and why you are a good candidate. Without a CISCE template, a sound structure for 250-300 words is: an opening that names the programme and the core interest; your preparation (subjects, projects, activities); why this programme or institution fits; your goal after it; a brief closing. Use only the points in the question; invent no awards or institutions beyond what it gives you.; Worked example
Write an opening sentence for an SOP for a summer programme in environmental science.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
Name the programme.
State the interest with a specific trigger.
Answer: 'I am applying to the Summer Programme in Environmental Science because two seasons of measuring the water quality of the lake near my school have convinced me that I want to study how cities can protect their water bodies.'

Directed 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.

The statement of purpose

Suppose that in Class 12 you apply to a university abroad that asks for a 300-word statement of purpose.

Which parts of your Class 11 directed-writing practice will you use?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Purpose: name the programme and the specific interest.
Preparation: concrete projects and activities.
Fit and goal: why this programme, and what next.

Answer: The ISC SOP task is a rehearsal for real applications to colleges, scholarships and internships. Committees, like examiners, look for specific, relevant points developed in formal, correct English within a word limit.

Memory hook: Purpose, preparation, fit, goal.

Amplification in everyday writing

Imagine your class teacher gives you four bullet points and asks you to turn them into a notice for the school website announcing a charity run.

How do you turn bullets into readable text?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Turn each bullet into a sentence that answers why it matters.
Add a detail (time, route, cause).
Link the sentences so they flow.

Answer: Amplifying given points is what communications staff, journalists and teachers do daily: they receive notes and must produce clear prose. Directed writing trains exactly that.

Memory hook: Point, explain, example.

Reports: facts first

Suppose you witness a minor accident outside your school and a local news website asks you for a short written account.

How should you write it?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Lead with who, what, when and where.
Report only what you saw; attribute anything others said.
Use the third person and the past tense.

Answer: A factual, structured account is useful and fair; an emotional one is not. The newspaper-report form teaches this habit.

Memory hook: Report what happened, not how you felt.

Topics in this chapter

Newspaper Report: Format and Amplifying Every Point

How the school exam asks Directed Writing

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

Question type	How it is asked	Method
Feature article for a school magazine	'Write a feature article in about 300 words, to be published in your school magazine on the topic The Importance of Sports... Inculcates discipline - builds teamwork - has health benefits - develops leadership qualities - leads to character building - provides career options' (2025).	Title and byline; an engaging opening; one developed paragraph or half-paragraph per point, in the given order or a logical one; a closing thought. Do not drift into a general essay: the 2025 examiners noted candidates who 'wrote generally on the importance of sports instead of focusing on and expanding the specific points'.
Review (book review in the 2028 list)	The 2024 board paper asked for a film review using: 'Name of the film and director - lead actors and their performances - plot - setting - description of a scene that you particularly liked - rating and recommendation.' A book review is set the same way, with points such as title and author, genre, plot, characters, a favourite part, and recommendation.	Give the identifying details first; summarise the plot briefly without the ending; spend real words on the evaluative points (performance, a scene, a character); end with a rating or recommendation. Review the form asked for: a film review written as a book review loses the content marks.
Newspaper report	A school or local event (a fire drill, an exhibition, a flood relief drive) with points such as date and venue, chief guest, highlights, response and future plans.	Headline, byline, dateline; the first paragraph answers who, what, when, where; then details in descending order of importance; quotations attributed to named people where the question supplies them; third person, past tense.
Blog post and statement of purpose	A blog on an experience or issue with given points (for example a digital detox week), or an SOP for a course, internship or scholarship with points about interest, preparation and goals.	Blog: title, date, name; conversational but correct; end by inviting comments. SOP: formal first person; purpose, preparation, fit, goal; stay within the facts given.

Tricks to remember Directed Writing

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

Count the dashes
Each dash-separated point is one piece of the answer; six points need six developed sections.
Use it when: Prevents omitted points.
PEC
Point, Example, Consequence: three sentences for every given point.
Use it when: Turns listing into amplification.
Five forms, five openings
Article: title + byline. Report: headline + byline + dateline. Blog: title + date + name. Review: title, author, genre. SOP: 'To the Admissions Committee'.
Use it when: Fixes the format in the first minute.

Directed Writing: exam-level solved questions

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

Example 1: Full model: feature article with six points · 15 marks · Long answerHarder exam level

Write a feature article in about 300 words for your school magazine on 'Why Every Student Should Learn to Cook', using these points: life skill - nutrition and health - saves money - teamwork in the family - creativity - respect for those who cook for us.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Title and byline.
Short, lively opening that addresses the reader.
Amplify all six points in order, each with an example.
Closing line that returns to the title.
Keep to about 300 words.

Answer: Why Every Student Should Learn to Cook
by Meher Kapoor, Class 11

Ask most sixteen-year-olds to make dinner and they will reach for a phone and a delivery app. Yet cooking may be the most useful skill no school timetable teaches.

First of all, cooking is a life skill. In two years many of us will live in hostels or rented rooms. A student who can make dal, rice and a simple sabzi will never depend on whatever the canteen serves.

Cooking also protects our health. When you cook, you decide how much oil, salt and sugar goes into your food. Packaged snacks hide all three, and doctors now see blood pressure problems in teenagers that were once rare.

Then there is money. A home-cooked meal for four can cost less than a single pizza. Over a month, a student who cooks saves enough to buy books or a pair of running shoes.

Cooking can bring a family together. When one person chops, another stirs and a third sets the table, an ordinary weekday dinner becomes a shared project, and conversation flows more easily over a hot stove than over a screen.

It is also a creative outlet. A recipe is only a starting point. Adding curry leaves to pasta or turning leftover rice into crisp cutlets is as satisfying as finishing a painting.

Finally, cooking teaches respect. Anyone who has rolled twenty rotis knows how much effort goes into every meal our mothers, fathers or cooks place before us. We stop taking food, and the people who make it, for granted.

So the next time you are hungry, skip the app. Pick up a knife, an onion and a little patience. Your body, your wallet and your family will thank you.

(About 290 words; all six points amplified in order.)

Example 2: Full model: newspaper report · 15 marks · Long answerExam level

Write a newspaper report in 250-300 words on a science exhibition held in your school, using these points: date and venue - number of schools and exhibits - chief guest and her message - two outstanding projects - response of visitors - plans for next year.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Headline, byline, dateline.
Lead paragraph: who, what, when, where.
Then the chief guest, the projects, the response and the plans.
Third person, past tense, factual.

Answer: Young Scientists Shine at Inter-School Exhibition
By Kavya Iyer, Staff Reporter

Bhopal, 22 November: Over 300 students from twelve schools displayed 85 working models at the Inter-School Science Exhibition held in the auditorium of Lakeview School on Friday.

The exhibition was inaugurated by Dr Sunita Rao, a senior scientist at a city research institute. In her address she urged students to 'ask one more question than the textbook asks' and to look for scientific solutions to the problems of their own neighbourhoods. She later spent two hours at the stalls, questioning the young exhibitors closely.

Two projects drew the largest crowds. A team from St. Joseph's School demonstrated a low-cost water filter made from sand, charcoal and discarded plastic bottles, which removed visible impurities from muddy water in minutes. Students of the host school presented a solar-powered sensor that switches off classroom fans and lights when a room is empty; they estimated that it could cut the school's electricity bill by a fifth.

Visitors, including parents and students of nearby colleges, crowded the hall throughout the day. Many said they were impressed by how clearly even the youngest participants explained their work. A Class 7 exhibitor said she had answered the same question about her rain gauge 'at least fifty times, and enjoyed it every time'.

The Principal, Mrs Anita Verma, announced that the exhibition would become an annual event. Next year it will include a section on climate solutions, and a panel of scientists will select the best three projects for a state-level competition.

The exhibition closed with a prize distribution, in which the water filter project won the first prize.

(About 270 words.)

Example 3: Full model: book review · 15 marks · Long answerHarder exam level

Write a review of a book you have read recently, in 250-300 words, for your school newsletter, using these points: title, author and genre - what the book is about - what you found most inspiring - the writing style - a part you particularly liked - rating and recommendation.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Identify the book precisely; use only facts you are sure of.
Summarise the content briefly, then evaluate.
Give a specific part you liked and why.
End with a rating and a clear recommendation.

Answer: Book Review: Wings of Fire
Reviewed by Rohan Das, Class 11

Title: Wings of Fire
Authors: A. P. J. Abdul Kalam with Arun Tiwari
Genre: Autobiography

Wings of Fire is the life story of A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, the scientist who later became President of India. It begins with his childhood in Rameswaram, where his father owned boats and the young Kalam helped the family by distributing newspapers, and follows him through his education to his long career in India's space and missile programmes.

What I found most inspiring is how ordinary his beginnings were. He was not born into wealth or privilege. His teachers, his family and his own stubborn curiosity carried him forward, and he never forgets to thank the people who helped him along the way.

The writing style is simple and sincere. Kalam explains technical work without drowning the reader in jargon, and he often pauses to reflect on what an event taught him. Some chapters on project management are slow for a teenage reader, but they show how much patient teamwork lies behind every launch.

The part I liked most describes a failed launch of the satellite launch vehicle and how the team responded. Instead of hiding the failure, Kalam presents it as a lesson, and his account of the later success feels earned.

I would rate the book four and a half stars out of five. I recommend it to every student who has ever doubted whether hard work can take a small-town child to the top. Read it slowly; it is a book about patience as much as about rockets.

(About 270 words.)

Example 4: Full model: blog post · 15 marks · Long answerHarder exam level

Write a blog post in 250-300 words titled 'My Week Without a Smartphone', using these points: why you decided to try it - the first two days - what you rediscovered - difficulties - what you learnt - an invitation to readers.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Title, date and name.
Conversational first person, but grammatical.
Each point in sequence.
Close by inviting readers to respond.

Answer: My Week Without a Smartphone
Posted on 3 March by Ishaan Mehta

Last month my screen-time report told me I had spent five hours a day on my phone. Five hours! That was the push I needed. I locked the phone in my mother's cupboard for seven days and decided to see what life looked like without it.

The first two days were honestly uncomfortable. I kept reaching for my pocket every few minutes, and the silence at the dinner table felt strange. I was sure I was missing important messages and a hundred funny videos.

By the third day, though, I started rediscovering things. I finished a novel that had been lying half-read since Diwali. I went cycling with my neighbour in the evenings and noticed that the park had new swings. I even had a long conversation with my grandfather about his school days in Kanpur.

It was not all easy. My friends planned an outing on our class group and I heard about it only the next day. I needed the phone for an online assignment and had to borrow my sister's laptop, with her watching over my shoulder.

What did I learn? That most of my screen time was not a choice but a habit. Now I keep the phone outside my room at night and switch off notifications while studying, and I am getting more done in less time.

Have you ever tried a digital detox? Tell me in the comments how long you lasted, and what surprised you most.

(About 255 words.)

Example 5: Full model: statement of purpose · 15 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

You wish to join a two-week summer programme in creative writing at a university. Write a statement of purpose in 250-300 words using these points: your interest in writing and how it began - your experience so far - why this programme - what you hope to gain - how you will use it.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Address the admissions committee; name the programme.
Formal first person; no invented awards beyond the points given.
Purpose, preparation, fit, goal.
Sign off with your name.

Answer: To the Admissions Committee, Summer Programme in Creative Writing

I am applying to the Summer Programme in Creative Writing because writing is the way I make sense of the world, and I want to learn to do it with skill rather than instinct alone.

My interest began in Class 6, when our English teacher asked us to keep a diary for a month. I continued long after the assignment ended. Those diaries taught me that ordinary days, such as a power cut, a quarrel with a friend or a visit to a crowded hospital, contain stories if one looks closely.

Since then I have written regularly. I edit the English section of my school magazine, and for two years I have contributed short stories and poems to it. Last year I conducted a weekly writing circle for students of Classes 8 and 9, which taught me how differently people respond to the same piece of writing.

This programme attracts me because it combines workshops with feedback from practising writers. I have learnt a great deal from books on writing, but I have never had my work read critically by a professional, and I believe that is what I most need now.

From the programme I hope to gain a stronger sense of structure, especially in longer stories, and the discipline of revising a draft several times.

I intend to bring what I learn back to my school's writing circle and to complete a collection of short stories about my town before I finish school. I would be grateful for the opportunity to join the programme.

Ananya Bose

(About 265 words.)

Where the marks are

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

Directed writing, 250-300 words. Indicative split: the CISCE marking scheme says the piece 'will be marked for content and linguistic ability' with all points included and amplified, and the syllabus adds format; CISCE prints no marks against each part. (15 marks)

Step	Marks
Format of the form asked (title and byline; headline, byline and dateline; blog heading; review details; SOP address and sign-off)	2
Content: every given point included and amplified with explanation or example	7
Language: register suited to the form and situation; accuracy; organisation and linking	6

Where students lose marks in Directed Writing

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

Mistake: Omitting or barely mentioning a point
Students skip the point they understand least. In 2025 'some candidates struggled to elaborate on the point related to inculcating discipline, which was often omitted'; in 2024 some omitted the lead actors' performances.
Wrong working
'Sports also inculcate discipline.' (one line, then the next point)
Right working
'Sport inculcates discipline. A swimmer who trains at 5 a.m. every day learns to keep a routine, follow a coach's instructions and accept the rules of competition, habits that carry over into study.'
Do this: Tick off each dash-separated point as you amplify it; give each at least three sentences.
Usually costs: Content marks for every point missed.
Mistake: Writing a memorised or general essay
Prepared answers feel safe. The examiners wrote that 'Several candidates wrote a pre-prepared review and missed some of the required points' and advised students 'not to memorise prepared answers'.
Do this: Build the piece from the given points, in their order unless another order is clearly more logical.
Usually costs: Content marks; relevance.
Mistake: Writing the wrong form
Under pressure students write the form they have practised. In 2024 'some candidates mistakenly wrote book reviews or school reviews instead of film reviews'.
Do this: Underline the form (feature article, review of a book, blog, report, SOP) and the publication before planning.
Usually costs: Format and content marks.
Mistake: Listing the points instead of developing them
The points look like a checklist. The examiners: 'Discourage mere listing of points, digressions, and unnecessary verbosity.'
Wrong working
'Cooking is a life skill, it is healthy, it saves money, it builds teamwork, it is creative and it teaches respect.'
Right working
One developed paragraph per point, as in the feature article model above.
Do this: Explain, illustrate and draw a consequence for each point.
Usually costs: Most of the content marks.
Mistake: Wrong register for the form
Students write every form as a school essay. A report written in the first person with feelings, or a blog full of text-speak, ignores the syllabus requirement to 'handle language appropriately in the context of the given situation'.
Do this: Report: third person, past tense, facts. Blog: personal but correct. SOP: formal first person.
Usually costs: Language marks.

Practice questions on Directed Writing

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

Q1 · 15 marks · Long answerExam level
Write a feature article in about 300 words for your school magazine on 'The Value of Learning a Second Language', using: opens doors to other cultures - improves memory and concentration - career advantages - travel - helps understand one's own language better - how to begin.
Hint
Title and byline; six points amplified, each with an example; end with practical advice.
Answer
Expected: a catchy title and byline; a short opening hook; a paragraph or half-paragraph on each of the six points (for example, reading Tagore in Bengali; research on bilingual memory stated generally, without invented figures; jobs in tourism, diplomacy and translation; travelling in Japan or Tamil Nadu; noticing grammar in one's mother tongue; starting with apps, films and a conversation partner); a closing line. About 300 words.
Q2 · 15 marks · Long answerHarder exam level
Write a newspaper report in 250-300 words on a tree-plantation drive organised by your school with the local municipal body, using: date and place - participants - number and kinds of saplings - speech by the municipal commissioner - challenges faced - follow-up plan.
Hint
Headline, byline, dateline, lead paragraph; past tense, third person.
Answer
Expected: headline ('500 Saplings Planted Along River Road'); byline; dateline and a lead answering who, what, when, where; native species named; the commissioner's message reported with attribution; challenges (rocky soil, stray cattle) and how they were met; follow-up (tree guards, monthly watering rota). Factual tone throughout.
Q3 · 15 marks · Long answerHarder exam level
Write a review in 250-300 words of a book you have read, for your school newsletter, using: title, author, genre - setting - main character - theme - a memorable passage or episode - rating and recommendation.
Hint
Choose a book you know well and use only facts you are sure of. Evaluate; do not just retell.
Answer
Expected: the identifying details first; the setting described in a sentence or two; the main character characterised, not merely named; a theme explained with reference to events; one episode described and evaluated; a star rating or a clear recommendation saying who should read it. No more than about a third of the review on plot.
Q4 · 15 marks · Long answerHarder exam level
Write a blog post in 250-300 words, 'What a Day at a Government Hospital Taught Me', using: why you were there - what you saw in the waiting area - the doctors and nurses at work - a person you spoke to - what you learnt about public health care - a request to readers.
Hint
Personal, reflective voice; respect the dignity of the people you describe.
Answer
Expected: title, date and name; first-person narration of the visit (accompanying a grandparent, for example); vivid but respectful description of the crowded waiting area; the pressure on and dedication of the staff; a conversation with one patient or attendant; a reflection on the importance of public health care; a request such as volunteering or registering as a blood donor. Conversational but correct English.
Q5 · 15 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Write a statement of purpose in 250-300 words for admission to a one-year diploma in photography, using: how your interest began - skills you have developed - a project you are proud of - why this course - your future plans.
Hint
Formal first person; be specific about one project; do not invent prizes not suggested by the points.
Answer
Expected: addressed to the admissions committee; an opening naming the diploma and the core interest; the origin of the interest (a family camera, a school trip); skills (composition, editing software); one project described concretely (a photo series on street vendors of the locality); fit (studio practice, mentorship); future plans (photojournalism or documentary work); sign-off with name.
Q6 · 4 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
A candidate is asked for a film review with the points 'setting' and 'performance of the lead actors'. She writes about how the film was shot on a studio set in Mumbai and does not mention the actors. Using the 2024 examiners' comments, explain the two faults and how to correct them.
Hint
What did the examiners say about 'setting' and about the actors?
Answer
The 2024 examiners reported that many candidates 'mistook the setting for the set', writing about the movie set instead of where and when the story takes place, and that some 'omitted that point entirely' for the lead actors' performances. Correction: describe the setting of the story (for example, a hill town in the 1970s) and give a sentence or two evaluating each lead actor's performance.

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.How long is directed writing and how many marks does it carry?Show answer
250-300 words; 15 marks (Question 2(a)).
2.Which forms does the 2028 syllabus list?Show answer
Feature article, book review, blogs, newspaper report and statement of purpose.
3.Which skills are named?Show answer
Amplifying, describing and re-stating, with format and appropriate language also taken into account.
4.What did the marking scheme say about the given points?Show answer
All points must be included and amplified.
5.What is a dateline?Show answer
The place and date at the start of a newspaper report's first paragraph.

Quick revision checklist

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

Can you write the opening format lines for all five forms from memory?
Can you amplify a bare point into three sentences (point, example, consequence)?
Can you keep a newspaper report in the third person and past tense?
Can you write a 280-word piece that uses every given point, in about 35 minutes?
Can you explain the difference between a feature article and a report?

Directed Writing: frequently asked questions

Does CISCE give a fixed format for directed writing?

No template is printed for these forms, but the syllabus says format is taken into account. Use the standard conventions: title and byline for an article, headline, byline and dateline for a report, and so on.

Will a speech or a film review be asked in Class 11?

The 2028 syllabus lists feature article, book review, blogs, newspaper report and statement of purpose. Earlier papers set a film review (2024) and a speech (2025 specimen). Your school may still set a related form, so learn the principle: amplify every point in the right format.

Can I change the order of the points?

Usually keep the given order. Reorder only when another order is clearly more logical, and never drop a point.

Can I invent facts and quotations in a report?

You may supply plausible details (names, numbers) that the points imply, as a reporter would. For a book review, use only facts about the book that you are sure of.

Based on: CISCE ISC 2028 English (801) syllabus (Classes XI and XII): English Language, Question Two (a); CISCE ISC Analysis of Pupil Performance 2025: English Language (feature article, marking scheme, examiners' comments); CISCE ISC Analysis of Pupil Performance 2024: English Language (film review, examiners' comments); CISCE ISC Specimen Question Paper 2025: English Paper 1 (Language), with answer key