Writing to inform and explain
English · Key Stage 2 · The School
Structure is the argument
Non-fiction writing needs signposts: a title, an opening that says what this is about, sub-headings for each part, and a short close. One idea per paragraph, and the first sentence of each paragraph says what the paragraph is about. A reader should be able to understand your text by reading only those first sentences.
Formal register
Informing means stepping back: "Volcanoes erupt when pressure builds" rather than "I think volcanoes are really cool because they explode". Avoid contractions (do not, not don't), avoid "you", and let the facts carry the interest. Formal does not mean complicated — short clear sentences are more formal than long tangled ones.
Use the right words, and explain them
Technical vocabulary makes writing precise: magma, crust, tectonic plate. Use the exact word, then explain it in the same sentence the first time: "magma — molten rock beneath the surface". That habit shows the examiner you understand the word rather than just decorating with it.
Informal: "So basically you've got to heat it up loads and then it just kind of melts." Formal: "The sample is heated until it melts." Notice what changed: no 'you', no contraction, no filler, and the doer removed. Now try the reverse test on your own writing — search it for 'you', 'stuff', "n't" and 'a lot'. Each hit is a sentence to rewrite.