IGCSE News Report Writing

NEWS REPORT

• Remember, if you’re asked to do a newspaper report you don’t need pictures or columns.
• Newspapers (online or on paper) are vital sources of information.

Organization

• First paragraph 4 Ws (follow the structure for success (right)
• Expert or witness comments included to give weight to the story
• Don’t use ‘I’, stay objective and unbiased. Just report the facts.
• Given the events in order (start to finish). Use time connectives (first, later, finally) to link paragraphs/events.
• Most events will be described in the past tense ‘The man was stabbed 18 times’. However this may change in the headline (Man dies of stabbing!) and the final paragraph, which looks to the future (Police are investigating the incident and are appealing for any witnesses. They will release the full coroner’s report tomorrow).

Structure for Success

How to structure a newspaper article:

• A catchy headline that captures the main theme of the story. (THIS WILL PROBABLY BE GIVEN BY THE EXAM – if it is – USE IT!!)
• First paragraph should tell the reader the main events (who, when, what, where).
• Then tell the events in order (from start to end).
• Be factual.  Be unbiased.
• Include an eye witness “quote”.
• Paragraph each new point.
• Use time connectives (after, later that day, at the same time).
• End with a prediction of the future, e.g. ‘police are now investigating …’ / ‘ They hope that next year will be even more of a success’.

One of the simplest and most detailed aspects of your Paper 2 exam is news reports. They should be detailed. So, you may need to use up a large portion of your ink to get this right!

Planning

• What am I going to report?
• This makes it easier to present the facts in a coherent way. As a result, you will obtain more marks.

What is a Newspaper report?

Newspapers are read by people who want information about something that has happened. They want reports quickly so reports have to be easy to read and have a snappy presentation style. They tell readers about events that have been happening in their local area, or national or international news.

Question Samples

You will be given a question and two or three bullet points. The bullet points are the main points of your report so try to focus on them.

Starting Point – Headline

• You would have to create a headline that captures the essence of the event.
• It should excite the reader’s curiosity.
• Exaggeration is effective in this case, so, a little bit of “believable lies” will work!
• Examples: Wild Cricket Match / Historical Cricket Match / Omegas Won the Cup After 23 Years

Byline

• Add the byline after the headline.
• Byline consists of the name of the reporter who is reporting the event and the place from where the news is being reported.
• Examples: Imran Ali, Doha / Jim Reeves, New York / Annie Smith, Manila / Radhe Shyam, Chennai

The Content

After completing the initial points, there comes the content of your newspaper report.

Paragraph 1

• The first paragraph should contain the 5W’s and 1H- What, Where, When, Why, Who and How.
• What was the event that took place, when did it happen, where did it take place, why did it happen and how did it occur.
• Example on how to plan your first paragraph:
  • What – A cricket tournament
  • When – On the nineteenth of March 2021
  • Where – Omega International School, Chennai
  • Who – Team Blue won
  • Why – Annual Sports Event
  • How – By defeating team Team Yellow

Paragraph 2

The second paragraph should contain the testimonies of people who are related to the event at hand. If you want to include what people said make sure it is in direct speech (inverted commas) or indirect speech (no inverted comma). Example on how to plan your second paragraph:

Reporting in direct speech:
“It was a tough match against the yellow team, but we won. I can’t express how I feel. Thank you all for supporting us.” said the Blue team captain.

Reporting in indirect speech:
The Blue team captain said that the match was tough and the team deserved the win, he also said that they worked really hard for the same.

In the third paragraph briefly talk about what will happen in the future concerning the story. This is to develop an interest in the mind of the reader.
Example on how to plan your third paragraph:

When will the next tournament be held
How will the team members be rewarded.
“The winners of team blue received a cash prize of 1000 rupees. The authorities informed the next tournament will be conducted on the same date next year.”

Another pointer, use past tense at all times, since the reporter mentions an event which already took place.

Final Report

AO2 Writing Assessment Criteria

• W1 articulate experience and express what is thought, felt and imagined
• W2 organise and structure ideas and opinions for deliberate effect
• W3 use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures appropriate to context
• W4 use register appropriate to context
• W5 make accurate use of spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Express what is thought, felt and imagined

• Organise and convey facts, ideas and opinions effectively
• Demonstrate a varied vocabulary appropriate to the context
• Demonstrate an effective use of sentence structures
• Demonstrate an understanding of audience, purpose and form
• Demonstrate accuracy in spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Areas of Writing

As developing writers themselves, candidates should be introduced to a range of writing skills, including the ability to create and compose texts with a variety of forms and purposes, e.g. descriptive, narrative, discursive, argumentative and persuasive. This study should include focus on the following text types: letter, report, article, journal, speech, interview and summary.