1. Overview
In directed writing you are given a short prompt and asked to write a specific type of text - an email, a letter, a report, an article or a review - for a particular reader and purpose. You are not only marked on your English; you are also marked on choosing the right register (how formal you sound) and the right format for that reader. Getting the format and register right is the quickest way to secure some marks and make a good impression - but most of the credit comes from how fully you develop each bullet point, and from accurate, varied English.
Key Definitions
- Register: How formal or informal your language is. You write to a head teacher differently from how you write to a friend.
- Audience: The person who will read your writing. Everything - tone, greeting, vocabulary - should suit them.
- Purpose: Why you are writing - to persuade, to inform, to complain, to suggest, to describe. The purpose shapes what you include.
- Format: The shape and features expected of the text type (an email has a subject line and a sign-off; a report has headings).
- Bullet points (prompts): The instructions in the question. You must respond to every one, or you lose content marks.
Core Content
The method
- Read the prompt twice. Underline the text type, the audience, the purpose, and every bullet point you must cover.
- Choose your register. Formal for someone in authority or a stranger; informal for a friend. Decide before you start and keep it consistent.
- Plan around the bullets. Give each bullet point its own idea, plus one or two details of your own to develop it.
- Open in the right format, cover every bullet in clear paragraphs, then close in the right format.
- Check register and range. Have you stayed formal/informal throughout? Have you used varied vocabulary and sentence types?
Format and register at a glance
| Text type | Reader & register | Opening | Closing | Key features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Email / letter (formal) | someone in authority; formal | Dear Mr Ahmed, | Yours sincerely, [name] | clear purpose in the first line; polite requests |
| Email (informal) | a friend; relaxed | Hi Sam, | See you soon, [name] | friendly tone, contractions (I'm, don't, we'll), questions |
| Report | a teacher/committee; formal, neutral | short heading + purpose | a recommendation | headings, facts, suggestions |
| Article | magazine/website readers; lively | a hook (a question or surprising line) | a memorable ending | a title, opinions, examples |
| Review | readers deciding whether to try something; lively, honest | what you are reviewing | a recommendation (or not) | description + judgement, reasons |
Formal sign-offs: if you open with a name (Dear Mr Ahmed,) close with Yours sincerely; if you open Dear Sir/Madam (you do not know the name) close with Yours faithfully. A formal letter usually has no subject line; a formal email keeps one.
Worked example, built in stages
Prompt: Your school is choosing how to spend some money on the library. Write an email to your head teacher suggesting one improvement. In your email: say what you suggest, explain why it would help students, and describe how it could be arranged.
Stage 1 - unpack the prompt. Text type: email. Audience: head teacher -> formal. Purpose: suggest and persuade. Bullets: (1) what you suggest, (2) why it helps, (3) how to arrange it.
Stage 2 - plan one idea per bullet.
- Suggestion: a quiet study zone with extra power sockets.
- Why: students have nowhere quiet to revise or charge devices; it would raise concentration.
- How: convert the unused back corner; ask the student council to gather requests.
Stage 3 - model answer (register + format annotated):
Subject: A suggestion for the library budget
Dear Mr Ahmed,
I am writing to suggest how the new library funding could be used. (clear purpose, formal opening)
I would like to propose a quiet study zone in the unused corner near the back windows, where students could revise in silence. (bullet 1) At the moment there is nowhere quiet to work in free periods, so students revise in noisy corridors or give up altogether; a dedicated space would let them concentrate and make far better use of their time. (bullet 2 - closely linked to bullet 1, so they share a paragraph)
It could be arranged quite simply. The corner would need only a few desks, some extra power sockets so students can charge their laptops, and a clear "silence" rule displayed on the wall. To make sure it suits everyone, the student council could gather suggestions from each year group before it opens. (bullet 3, developed with detail)
Thank you for considering this idea. (polite close)
Yours sincerely, Priya
Notice: it covers all three bullets, stays formal throughout, and uses the email format (subject line, greeting, sign-off).
How directed writing is marked
The two directed-writing tasks together are worth around half of the Reading and Writing paper, and their marks fall into two kinds: content (did you cover every bullet, develop each idea, and suit the audience and purpose?) and language (accurate, varied and well-organised English in the right register?). Covering a bullet in one flat sentence scores far less than developing it. The exact split is set by Cambridge per session - follow the marks printed on your own paper.
Exam Focus
- Cover every bullet point. A missed bullet is lost content marks - the fastest way to underperform.
- Match the register to the reader and keep it consistent from greeting to sign-off.
- Use the format's features (subject line, headings, sign-off) - they are quick marks.
- Develop, don't list. Add a detail or reason to each bullet rather than writing one flat sentence per point.
Common Mistakes
- ❌ Wrong: Writing to a head teacher as if to a friend ("Hey, great idea...").
- ✓ Right: Keep a formal, polite register for someone in authority.
- ❌ Wrong: Ignoring one of the bullet points.
- ✓ Right: Plan around every bullet so none is missed - one paragraph per bullet is a safe default, though two closely linked bullets can share one.
- ❌ Wrong: Using the wrong format (an article when a letter was asked for).
- ✓ Right: Match the text type named in the question exactly.
- ❌ Wrong: One flat sentence per bullet with no development.
- ✓ Right: Add a reason, example or detail to each point.
Exam Tips
- Underline the text type, audience, purpose and bullets before planning.
- Decide formal or informal first, and keep it consistent.
- Give each bullet its own idea and room to develop it - one paragraph per bullet is a safe default, but two closely linked bullets can share one.
- Use the opening and closing that fit the format.
- Leave a minute to check register and correct small errors.
Practice task
Write a review of a place you have visited (a cafe, park or shop) for your school website, so other students can decide whether to go. Cover: what it is and where, what you liked, and whether you recommend it.
Check yourself: a strong answer names the place and location, gives an honest description with reasons, ends with a clear recommendation, and keeps a lively but readable tone throughout - the register of an article/review, not a formal letter.
Related skills
- Writing: discursive and opinion tasks - the final "give your views" task.
- Language accuracy and register - the language marks every writing task carries.