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Newspaper Report: School Event

Persuasive Writing

Intermediate

25 minutes

Independent

The Prompt

“Write a newspaper report about a school event that went spectacularly right OR spectacularly wrong. Use the style and structure of a real newspaper article.”

Planning Hints

5 tips to help you plan your response

Start with a headline that grabs attention.

The first paragraph should answer: Who? What? Where? When?

Include quotes from "witnesses" or participants.

Use formal, journalistic language — third person, past tense.

Add details that make it feel real: specific numbers, names, times.

Starter Sentences

Suggested opening lines to get you started

“SCHOOL TALENT SHOW ENDS IN CHAOS AS STAGE COLLAPSES”

“LOCAL PRIMARY SCHOOL RAISES RECORD £3,000 IN SPONSORED READ-A-THON”

“YEAR 6 SCIENCE EXPERIMENT TRIGGERS FIRE ALARM — AGAIN”

Key Techniques to Demonstrate

Techniques the examiner will be looking for in your response

Annotated Model Answer

A high-quality example response with techniques highlighted

YEAR 6 BAKE SALE RAISES £847 — AND ONE VERY MEMORABLE FOOD FIGHT By S. Patel, Junior Reporter What began as an innocent charity bake sale at Riverside Primary School ended on Friday in what has been described by the head teacher as "the most enthusiastic display of community spirit I have ever had to clean up." The Year 6 Bake Sale, organised to raise money for the local animal shelter, started promisingly at 10am in the school hall. Over 150 cakes, biscuits, and pastries — including a three-tier chocolate creation made by dinner lady Mrs. Kowalski — were arranged across six tables. Parents, students, and staff queued eagerly. "It was going brilliantly," said event organiser Priya Sharma, 11. "We'd already raised over £500 by midday. Then someone dropped the lemon drizzle." The "lemon drizzle incident," as it has since become known, occurred at approximately 12:15pm when Year 4 pupil Jamie Fletcher tripped while carrying the school's largest lemon drizzle cake — a 30-centimetre sponge donated by local bakery Sweet Crumbs. The cake landed, face-down, on the hall floor. What happened next remains disputed. Some witnesses claim a stray piece of sponge was thrown accidentally. Others suggest it was entirely deliberate. Either way, within ninety seconds, the hall had descended into what one parent described as "absolute, glorious pandemonium." "There was buttercream on the ceiling," confirmed caretaker Mr. Davies, shaking his head. "The ceiling. I've been doing this job for eighteen years, and I have never seen buttercream on the ceiling." Remarkably, the bake sale still raised a total of £847.36 — a new school record. The animal shelter has expressed its gratitude, and the school cat, Biscuit, was reportedly seen licking icing off a radiator throughout the afternoon. Head teacher Mrs. Chen has confirmed that next year's bake sale will be held outdoors.

Hover or tap the highlighted phrases to see the technique and explanation

Techniques Used in This Answer

Headline

Quotation (x3)

Factual Detail (x2)

Understatement

Ready to Write?

Practice this prompt under timed conditions, just like the real exam. You have 25 minutes.

Planning Templates

Suitable for persuasive writing

Persuasive Writing Frame

A structure for persuasive articles, speeches, and letters. Organises your argument logically.

4 steps|3-5 minutes

Marking Focus Areas

organisation

vocabulary

grammar

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