You knew exactly what to say. You just said it wrong.
You sat through Paper 2. Your hand moved. You wrote 320 words. The marker still
knocked off six. Not because you had no ideas. Because
you wrote them the way you'd text a cousin — to someone who deserved the way
you'd write to a minister.
Same idea. Three different missions.
Yo sir can my class do a bake sale plz it for charity
Hi Sir, the class wants to do a bake sale for charity — is that ok?
Dear Sir, I am writing to request your permission to hold a charity bake sale during the morning break.
Today you learn the one move that recovers those marks.
Three letters: P-A-F.
Stage 1 · The Mission, Bridged
Three asks. One Saturday.
Think about the last time you wanted to go out on a Saturday. The
plan was the same — Caudan with three friends, back by six. But
you didn't ask three different people the same way.
▸ To your sister, on WhatsApp
"omg cover for me i'm going caudan tmrw"
▸ To your mother, at dinner
"Mum, can I go to Caudan with Anaëlle and Priya on Saturday? Back by six, promise."
▸ To Sir, requesting early leave from afternoon prep
"Sir, may I be excused from afternoon prep on Saturday? I have a family commitment in Port Louis at five."
Same Saturday. Same plan. But your sister got slang, your mother
got a polite ask, and Sir got a small piece of formal writing
with a reason attached. You did all three without thinking.
Directed writing is that same instinct — slowed down, made
conscious, and put on the page. The exam asks you to do, on paper
and on demand, what your mouth already does naturally.
The Big Idea
Directed writing is writing on a mission. Someone gave you a
purpose. Someone is going to read it. Everything you write must
earn its place by serving both.
Three letters carry the mission. P. A. F.
Get them right and the words start lining up behind them. Get them
wrong and the most beautiful sentence in the world will not save
your mark.
🎯 You already do this in real life. The next nine lessons just
make the muscle conscious.
Stage 2 · The Three Letters
P · A · F
Three questions every directed writing task is secretly asking.
Answer the three before you write a single line. Each one unlocks
the next.
✍️ Paper 2 · WritingW2 · StructureW4 · Register
P · Why are you writing this?
Purpose is the job the writing has to do. It answers one
question: what does this piece of writing need to make happen
in the reader's mind?
Every directed writing prompt names the purpose, sometimes
loudly, sometimes in passing. Common purposes in 1125 tasks:
Persuade — change the reader's mind on something
Argue — defend a clear position with reasons
Discuss — weigh both sides fairly, then state your view
Propose — put forward a new idea for consideration
Request — politely ask for permission or action
Inform — tell the reader what they need to know
Advise — recommend a course of action
Without the purpose, you cannot pick the right tone, the right
verbs, or the right closing line. Purpose comes first.
Predict before unlocking A
A prompt reads: "Write a letter to the Municipality of Quatre Bornes urging them to repair the broken streetlights on the route to your school." What is the purpose?
A · Who is going to read this?
Audience is the person on the other side of your writing. Every
decision you make about tone — formal or casual, warm or distant,
short sentences or long — is a decision about the reader.
In 1125, the audience is named in the prompt. Common audiences:
A figure of authority — headmaster, principal, minister, mayor. Needs formal, respectful, clear.
The school community — assembly, classmates. Needs warm but controlled, often persuasive.
A general adult readership — newspaper or magazine readers. Needs polished, professional.
A specific peer group — Form 4 students, prefects. Needs direct, semi-formal.
The audience tells you which words to keep and which to drop.
A headmaster does not want gonna. The school magazine
does not want I am writing to inform you. Read the
audience first; the vocabulary picks itself.
Predict before unlocking F
A prompt reads: "Write a speech to the Form 5 assembly persuading them to spend less time on their phones during NTC bus rides." What does this audience need from you?
F · What shape must it take?
Form is the container. Each form has rules of shape — an opening,
a closing, sometimes a heading or paragraph layout. Use the wrong
container and you signal to the marker that you did not read the
prompt carefully.
The five forms 1125 asks you to handle:
Email — Dear [name or title], short paragraphs, a clear sign-off
Letter — Dear Sir/Madam or named recipient, paragraphs, Yours faithfully / sincerely
Speech — Good morning, everyone. Opening that greets, body, closing that thanks.
Article — Headline, opening line that hooks, body in clear paragraphs
Report — Title, sub-headings, formal third-person tone
Form is the cheapest mark on the paper. The rules are short and
learnable. Learn them once and you bring them to every exam.
Predict before moving on
Which line tells you, just from its shape, that the writer is writing an email to a headmaster?
🎯 You just told three forms apart from one line each. A month
ago you would have stared at the prompt and guessed.
Stage 3 · Foundation Check
Lock the three before we move
▸ Where you are right now
Purpose = what the writing must make happen in the reader
Audience = the person on the other side, and what they expect
Form = the container with its own rules (email · letter · speech · article · report)
Every directed writing task names all three — read for them first
✍️ Paper 2 · WritingW2 · StructureW4 · Register
Six quick reads. Pick the one that fits. You need all six right
to enter the simulator.
Three corners. Three answers. Get all three right before you write,
and the piece writes itself. The simulator gives you three modes —
explore, race, then build your own.
Tap each corner to read what it asks of you. All three corners
unlock the centre.
↓ tap each corner ↓
Read the scenario. Pick one chip from each row — P, A, F.
All three correct, and the next scenario loads.
Here is a real exam-style task. Type the three corners
yourself. The model answer reveals on submit.
Task · You are the
Vice-President of your school's Student Council. You want to
start a Coding Club for Forms 4 and 5 that meets every Tuesday
after school. The President has asked you to draft a piece
persuading the Headmaster to approve the idea.
P · Purpose — to persuade. You
are asking the Headmaster to approve a new activity. The
piece must push him from "maybe" to "yes" with clear reasons.
A small layer of proposal lives inside the persuasion.
A · Audience — the Headmaster,
a senior authority figure. He is busy and respected. He
needs formal register, no slang, no jokes, and a clear,
concise opening. Show him you have thought it through.
F · Form — an email. Open with
Dear Sir, keep paragraphs short, end with
Yours faithfully, and your name and role. A formal
letter would also be valid, but email is more natural for an
internal school proposal today.
🎯 You just framed a real exam task before writing a word.
That is the move markers reward most heavily, and the move
weak students skip.
Stage 5 · Supporting Simulator
The Greeting Lab ⚡
⚡ Supporting Simulator✍️ Paper 2 · WritingW4 · Register
Audience awareness is most visible in the first line. Get the
greeting wrong and the marker knows in one sentence. Get it right
and you have bought yourself credibility for the next three hundred
words.
Five forms. Five openings. Pick the one that fits.
Stage 6 · Worked Example + Model Comparison
Watch one being built. Then see three grades, side by side.
✍️ Paper 2 · WritingW2 · StructureW4 · Register
Part A · A bake-sale email, built in front of you
Task · You and your class want to
hold a small charity bake sale at the school canteen for three
days next week. The money will go to the Mauritius Red Cross
cyclone relief fund. Write an email to your Headmaster requesting
permission to hold the bake sale.
Four steps. Three prediction gates. Predict each step before it
reveals. The same thinking will run under every directed writing
answer you write.
▸ Step 1 · Name the P-A-F before you write
Read the prompt. Underline the three corners in your head.
P: Request — politely ask for permission
A: The Headmaster — a senior authority figure, formal register
F: Email — Dear Sir, short paragraphs, Yours faithfully
Predict — Step 2
What should the FIRST line of the body do?
▸ Step 2 · The opening
Dear Sir,
I am writing on behalf of Form 5B to request your permission to
hold a small charity bake sale at the canteen during morning
break, from Monday to Wednesday next week.
Predict — Step 3
What should the next paragraph give the Headmaster?
▸ Step 3 · The body
The aim is to raise funds for the Mauritius Red Cross cyclone
relief work in the south. Each student in our class has agreed
to bring one homemade item from home, and we will sell each
piece at twenty rupees.
We will set up in the canteen courtyard fifteen minutes before
break and clear away within five minutes of the bell. Mrs
Ramnauth and Mr Bissoondoyal, of the canteen committee, have
agreed to supervise.
Predict — Step 4
How should this email close?
▸ Step 4 · The close
I would be very grateful if you could approve this request. I am
happy to share a full written plan in person at your convenience.
Yours faithfully,
Priya Coopen
Form 5B
🎯 One email, four moves. P-A-F set the angle, the opening landed
the purpose, the body carried the why and how, the close asked
again with respect. Marker reads ninety seconds of clean work.
Part B · Three answers. Same task. Different grades.
Same prompt. Three students. Three grades. Click each tab and
read how the same task lands at A*, at C, and at E.
~155 words · Form 5B · Priya Coopen
Dear Sir,
I am writing on behalf of Form 5B to request your permission to hold a small charity bake sale at the canteen during morning break, from Monday to Wednesday next week.
The aim is to raise funds for the Mauritius Red Cross cyclone relief work in the south. Each student in our class has agreed to bring one homemade item from home, and we will sell each piece at twenty rupees.
We will set up in the canteen courtyard fifteen minutes before break and clear away within five minutes of the bell. Mrs Ramnauth and Mr Bissoondoyal, of the canteen committee, have agreed to supervise.
I would be very grateful if you could approve this request. I am happy to share a full written plan in person at your convenience.
Yours faithfully,
Priya Coopen
Form 5B
▸ What makes this A*: Opens with a specific, single-sentence purpose. The marker knows exactly what the email is for in five seconds.
▸ Each paragraph carries one job: who and what · why · how · the final ask. No paragraph repeats another.
▸ Register is consistent:I would be very grateful matches I am writing on behalf of — same level of formality from line 1 to sign-off. Names and roles given for accountability.
~95 words · same task, different student.
Dear Sir,
I am writing to ask for permission to do a bake sale in the canteen. We want to do this next week.
The reason is that we want to raise money for charity. The bake sale will help families affected by the cyclone. The students in our class will bring food to sell.
We will be careful and clean up after. Teachers will help us. We hope you will say yes to this request.
Thank you for your time.
Yours faithfully,
Priya
▸ What works: Right form, right greeting, right sign-off. Register stays formal throughout. The basic shell is in place.
▸ What holds it back: Vocabulary stays flat — do a bake sale, we hope you will say yes. No specifics. The marker has to guess at when, which charity, who supervises. The email is correct but forgettable.
~50 words · same task.
Hi Sir,
Me and my friends want to do a bake sale to help cyclone victims next week. Plz let us do this it is for a good cause. We will bring cake and stuff. Hope you can let us know soon.
Thanks!
Priya
▸ What to fix first:Hi Sir is too casual for a Headmaster — the audience is wrong from line 1. Plz, and stuff, Thanks! all signal a writer who forgot who was reading.
▸ The deeper problem: No formal sign-off, no class given, no specifics. The purpose is buried in chatty tone. The email reads like a text message that ended up in the wrong inbox.
Short task. Real form. Real audience. You have everything you need
from the last six stages — now make it land in your own words.
Task · Write a short email (about
100 words) to the school librarian, Mrs Ramphul, requesting that
the library stock more books on Mauritian wildlife. Open with a
proper greeting and close with a proper sign-off. Give one clear
reason. Sign off with your name and form.
✍️ Your turn
0 words · Target: ≈ 100 words
A model answer · ≈ 110 words
Dear Mrs Ramphul,
I am writing to request that the school library consider
stocking more books on Mauritian wildlife. Several Form 5
students have shown a growing interest in our endemic species
— the pink pigeon, the kestrel, the Mauritius fody — but our
current collection is limited to general world-wildlife
titles.
A small selection of local titles would support classroom
work in Biology and Geography, and would be welcomed by
students preparing Speaking topics on the local
environment.
I would be glad to suggest specific titles if it would be
helpful.
Yours sincerely,
Kavish Soobun
Form 5C
Self-check rubric
Tick each item that your email genuinely does. Anything left
unchecked tells you what to fix.
Did I open with a proper greeting for school staff? W4
▸ A formal email to Mrs Ramphul opens with Dear Mrs Ramphul, — not Hi Miss or Yo Ma'am.
Did I state the purpose in the first paragraph? W2
▸ The first sentence names the form, the second names the purpose. I am writing to request ...
Did I give one specific reason or example? W1
▸ Naming the pink pigeon, the kestrel, a Form 5 Biology link — anything concrete beats a vague it would help.
Did I keep paragraphs short — one job each? W2
▸ Para 1 = purpose. Para 2 = reason. Para 3 = polite offer. Three paragraphs is plenty.
Did I avoid slang and casual contractions? W4
▸ No gonna, wanna, plz, thx. Write I would be grateful not I'd be grateful.
Did I keep the email close to 100 words (90 – 120)? W2
▸ Under 80 = too thin. Over 130 = the librarian stops reading. A short email earns its mark by being tight.
Did I close with a formal sign-off + my name + form? W4
▸ Named recipient + Yours sincerely. Unnamed recipient + Yours faithfully. Name and class on the next line.
Did I check spelling, capital letters, and full stops? W5
▸ Read it once aloud, then once silently. Two passes catch ninety percent of slips.
🎯 Eight checks. Every one of them maps to marks. You now have
a checklist no one taught you in Form 4 — and it works for
every directed writing task you will write.
Stage 8 · Trap Cards
Three traps that lose this paper
These are not strange or rare mistakes. They are the three that
show up in Grade 10 and Grade 11 papers every year. Learn each
one. Watch yourself for it. Beat it once and you carry the fix
forever.
⚠️ Trap #1 · The Register Slip
You opened formal. By paragraph three you slipped into casual.
The Headmaster gets I would be grateful in line two and
stuff like that in line six. The marker scores you on
the slip, not on the brilliant idea trapped inside it.
✓ Beat it: Write your opening line
and read it aloud once. Now write each new sentence and read it
aloud against the opening. If a sentence does not sound like it
belongs next to line one, rewrite it before you write the next.
⚠️ Trap #2 · The Missing Furniture
The form has rules. Letters and emails need a greeting, a
closing, and your name. Speeches need an opening greeting and a
thank-you. Articles need a headline. Reports need a title. Skip
one piece and you lose marks that cost you nothing to earn.
✓ Beat it: Before you stop
writing, scan the top and the bottom of the page. Is the right
opening there? The right closing? Your name and form? If you
cannot tick all three, you have not finished — add them and
move on.
⚠️ Trap #3 · The Word Count Wobble
A 250 – 350 word task at 180 words tells the marker you ran out
of ideas. The same task at 420 words tells the marker you cannot
prioritise. Both lose marks for the same reason — your structure
did not hold.
✓ Beat it: Aim for the middle of
the range, not the top. For a 250 – 350 word task, target 300.
Three or four paragraphs of seventy-five words each. Stop when
you hit the number, then re-read for the close.
Stage 9 · Speed Drill + Final Boss
60 seconds. Then the big one.
⚡ Match the Form · 60s60
⚡ Speed Drill✍️ Paper 2 · Writing
Read each line. Click the form it belongs to. The clock does
not pause. Best score saves to this device.
▸ Pre-flight checklist before the Final Boss
Name the P-A-F before you write a single word
The greeting and the sign-off must match the audience
Paragraph 1 names the purpose — never bury it
One paragraph, one job. Do not let two paragraphs do the same work.
Hit the middle of the word-count range; do not write to the top
Read your opening and your close together — they must sound like the same writer
🎯 Final Boss · Full directed writing task
✍️ Paper 2 · Section A · Directed WritingW1 · ArticulateW2 · StructureW3 · VocabularyW4 · RegisterW5 · SPaG
You are the President of the Student Council. You want to
launch a weekly Debate Club for Forms 4 and 5 that meets on
Tuesday afternoons in the Library Annexe. The Headmaster has
not yet heard the idea.
Write an email to the Headmaster proposing the launch
of the Debate Club.
In your email you should:
explain why a Debate Club would benefit the school community
outline how it would run — when, where, who supervises, who can join
Begin your email with Dear Sir and supply a suitable ending.
Write about 250 to 350 words.
25 marks total · 10 for content · 15 for quality of writing
✍️ Write your answer
0 words · Target 250 – 350 words
A* model answer · ≈ 320 words
Dear Sir,
I am writing in my capacity as President of the Student
Council to propose the launch of a weekly Debate Club, open
to Forms 4 and 5. The Council believes such a club would
strengthen the school's culture of discussion, sharpen
public-speaking skills, and prepare students for the demands
of Component 3.
A Debate Club would benefit the school in three ways.
First, it would give students a structured space to discuss
the issues that genuinely affect young Mauritians — from
the future of the sugar industry to mental-health support
in secondary schools — and to do so with evidence rather
than slogans. Second, it would build the confidence many of
us currently lack when asked to speak under pressure.
Third, it would create a visible space for cross-house
exchange. At present, students rarely interact across
houses outside sport.
In practical terms, the Council proposes the following
arrangement. The club would meet every Tuesday between
14:30 and 15:30 in the Library Annexe, which is free at
that time. Each meeting would centre on one motion, agreed
the previous week. Two teams of three would speak for and
against, followed by an open floor for ten minutes. Mrs
Naidoo of the English Department has kindly agreed to
supervise and to chair the early sessions. Membership would
be capped at twenty students per form, on a first-come
basis, to keep meetings focused.
Funding is not required. The Library Annexe needs no
equipment, and motions will be printed by the Council.
I would be very grateful if you would consider this
proposal at your earliest convenience. I am happy to meet,
alongside the Vice-President and Mrs Naidoo, to discuss any
concerns or revisions you may wish to suggest.
Yours faithfully,
Yash Beedessy
President, Student Council
Form 5A
▸ Why this lands A*: The first
line states the purpose AND identifies the writer's role. The
marker knows the weight behind the proposal immediately.
▸ Three-part body: benefits,
practical plan, funding note. Each paragraph carries one job.
Three reasons inside the benefits paragraph — the rule of
three without being signposted.
▸ Mauritian content, not just setting:
sugar industry, mental-health in secondary schools, Component
3. The marker recognises every reference. Specificity raises
the proposal above generic.
▸ Sign-off matches opening:Yours faithfully (no name in greeting), full role
and form given. Same register from line one to last line.
🎯 You just walked through what an A* directed writing answer
actually looks like in the wild. It is not magic — it is six
good moves in sequence. The same six moves work on speeches,
letters, articles, and reports. Next lesson, you start
choosing which one to use.
Five things to carry forward
You came in writing on instinct. You leave writing on a mission. Hold these
five lines close — they are the spine of every directed writing task you
will ever sit.
1
Directed writing is writing on a mission. Someone gave you a purpose.
Someone is going to read it. Every word must serve both.
2
Before you write a single line, name the three: Purpose, Audience, Form.
Get the three right and the task starts writing itself.
3
Register is not decoration. It is the proof that you understood who you
were writing to. A flawless idea in the wrong register loses marks.
4
Form has rules. An email opens and closes. A speech greets and thanks.
A letter signs off. Skip the rule and you skip the marks.
5
Word count is the task's frame, not its enemy. 250–350 words is enough
room to land the mission cleanly. Use it on purpose.
Vocabulary Cluster · Writing on a Mission
▸ Eight purpose-setting verbs (open with these)
propose
to put forward an idea for consideration
"I am writing to propose a weekly debate club for Forms 4 and 5."
urge
to strongly encourage someone to act
"I urge the council to reconsider its decision."
request
to politely ask for something
"I am writing to request permission to use the hall on Saturday."
recommend
to suggest something is worth doing or trying
"I would recommend launching the trial in Term 2."
suggest
to offer an idea for someone else to consider
"May I suggest that the meeting be held after assembly?"
advocate
to publicly support an idea or cause
"We advocate for cleaner beaches across the island."
implore
to beg earnestly — strong, urgent tone
"I implore you to consider the safety of the younger students."
demand
to ask for something firmly as a right
"The community demands a safer crossing near the school gate."
▸ Five audience-awareness adjectives (tune the tone)
formal
following the conventions of serious, official writing
"The letter kept a formal tone throughout, as the audience required."
courteous
polite and respectful, without being stiff
"Her opening line was courteous, warm but professional."
direct
clear and to the point, without padding
"He was direct: the problem, the cause, and the fix in three sentences."
respectful
showing care for the reader's status or position
"Her tone stayed respectful even as she disagreed."
professional
businesslike — competent, controlled, polite
"The email read as professional: no slang, no jokes, no rambling."
"Every word you write is addressed to someone. Earn the right to be read."
↗ Forward reference
You now know the shape of every directed writing task. Next, we hand you
the source material — the texts the question makes you read before you
write. Lesson 5.2 trains the eye that picks the right ideas from a page
under exam pressure. After that, Lessons 5.3 to 5.7 take each form one
by one — speech, letter, email, article, report.
▸ Up next
Lesson 5.2 · Reading the source material; selecting points