Match the response to its audience and format
Choose the right voice and conventions for an informal email or a formal/semi-formal article, report, essay or review.
Section W4 · Use appropriate register and style for purpose and audience
Exam scope and assessment notes
This is an original starter sequence, not a complete 130-guided-hour course or a timed specimen paper. Browser speech synthesis is supplemental practice, not Cambridge audio; an Afrikaans voice may be unavailable or use unsuitable pronunciation, accent or pacing. No speaking component is assessed in 0548. Writing examples are self-review models, not Cambridge marks or grades. A qualified Afrikaans teacher should review the original language before this is described as publication-ready.
Before you begin
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
Which prompt cues help you choose format and tone?
What you will learn
- W4: use appropriate register and style for purpose and audience.
- Recognise the different writing formats assessed in Paper 1.
Make the purpose visible
Paper 1 Exercise 5 uses an informal email to a friend or relative. Exercise 6 requires a more formal response: an article, report, essay or review.
An informal email can use a friendly opening and personal experience. A formal report should state the situation clearly and organise evidence before recommendations.
The 2025–2027 and 2028–2030 syllabuses both ask for 120–160 words for each writing task. The second task's exact format depends on the rubric.
Keep the voice consistent
A formal audience does not require complicated language. It requires a respectful, clear style and details relevant to the reader.
Use the prompt's purpose, audience and format as a checklist. Do not add a greeting to a report unless the task calls for correspondence.
Sources for this lesson
Pause and explain
Which response best fits a formal report to a teacher?
Worked example
Prompt: write to a friend about an art exhibition you visited. Which format and voice fit best?
Show the worked solution
- Identify the audience.
- Choose the format named or implied by the task.
- Use a personal detail and friendly tone.
Answer An informal email fits a friend. The response can describe one exhibit, say what the writer enjoyed and ask whether the friend would like to go.
Try a topic test
Choose Easy, Normal or Difficult. Save your answers and open worked review after finishing.
Test this topic →From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
The prompt asks you to email a friend about a weekend market. Name two features of a suitable response.
Give me a hint
Think about informal relationship and personal experience.
Compare my reasoning
- Choose an informal email.
- Include what you saw or did.
- Use a friendly closing or question.
A suitable response uses an informal email voice, gives a specific market experience and may close with a friendly question to the friend.
Look for these in your work
- Matches the audience
- Uses a relevant experience
- Maintains an informal voice
You must write a short report for a school organiser about a delayed bus on an excursion. Give a suitable opening and one recommendation.
Give me a hint
State the purpose, then connect the issue with an action.
Compare my reasoning
- Identify the audience.
- Summarise the transport issue.
- Recommend a practical change.
Example opening: «Hierdie verslag beskryf die busvertraging tydens die uitstappie.» Recommendation: «Bevestig die vertrektyd 'n dag vooraf met die busmaatskappy.» The style is factual and respectful.
Look for these in your work
- Uses report format
- States the issue
- Makes a relevant recommendation
A prompt asks for a review of a school concert. A draft only lists the songs. What should be added?
Give me a hint
A review gives an experience and a supported opinion.
Compare my reasoning
- Keep one relevant event detail.
- State a judgement about the concert.
- Explain it with an example.
Add a supported opinion, such as what made one performance effective or difficult to hear. A review needs evaluation as well as a list of songs.
Look for these in your work
- Adds evaluation
- Supports the opinion
- Stays relevant to a review
Common mistakes
- Using an informal greeting in a formal report
- Writing a review when the prompt requests a factual report
- Forgetting to address the intended audience
What can you explain now?
Which response best fits a formal report to a teacher?
Compare with the explanation
State what happened and give a clear recommendation
A report informs a defined reader and may include suggestions.
After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.
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Make it stick
Explain one decision that helped you answer: w4: use appropriate register and style for purpose and audience.
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.