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.