English Checkpoint Year 9 (Non fiction)

I think I can get HIgh

Informative Article Writing: Structure

Title, subheadings, clear paragraphs with one idea each, facts and examples

Informative Article Writing: Language

Precise vocabulary, formal tone, present tense

Informative Article Writing: Essay Structure

Intro (hook + thesis), Body (main ideas + explanation + elaboration), Conclusion (summary + final remark)

Report Writing: Language & Style

Formal, neutral, impersonal, no slang or contractions

Report Writing: Structure

To/From/Date, Title, Introduction, Main Body (facts/findings) [One of them has bullet points], Conclusion (summary/recommendation)

Report Writing: Organisation

Subheadings, bullet points, logical flow, linking words (Firstly, Furthermore, Moreover), often passive voice

Argumentative Article Writing: Features

Clear thesis, counter‑arguments, evidence/examples, 3rd person, formal language, rhetorical questions

Argumentative Article Writing: Skills

Transition words (Moreover, However, Clearly), modal verbs (must, should, may, could)

Argumentative Article Writing: Structure

Title, Introduction (hook + thesis), Body (support + opposing + counter), Conclusion (connector + call to action)

Dialogue Writing: Rules

Use quotation marks, punctuation inside quotes, new paragraph for each speaker, capitalise first word

Dialogue Writing: Speech Tags

Can be at beginning, middle, or end; vary verbs (said → shouted, whispered, replied)

Show Not Tell: Techniques

Sensory details, dialogue, action & behaviour

Informal Letter Writing: Features

1st person, informal greeting/sign‑off, contractions, varied paragraph length

Informal Letter Writing: Structure

Greeting → Opening (reason) → Body (points) → Closing → Sign‑off

Informal Letter Writing: Language

Light, warm, no slang/abbreviations, use Show Not Tell and idioms

Persuasive Article Writing: Features

1st person, present tense, rhetorical questions, persuasive/emotive language, anecdotes, facts/statistics

Persuasive Article Writing: Appeals

Pathos (emotion), Logos (logic), Ethos (credibility)

Persuasive Article Writing: Structure

Title → Intro (rhetorical question + opinion) → Body (reasons + evidence) → Conclusion (restate + call to action)

Review Writing: Features

Title, details, opinion, 1st person, past tense, informal tone, recommendation, star rating

Review Writing: Language

Opinion (I think…), evaluation adjectives (amazing, poor), time sequence words (first, then, finally)

Literary Techniques: Simile

Comparison using “like” or “as”

Literary Techniques: Metaphor

Comparison without “like” or “as”

Literary Techniques: Personification

Giving human qualities to non‑human things

Literary Techniques: Onomatopoeia

Words imitating sounds (boom, crash)

Literary Techniques: Idiom

Expression with non‑literal meaning (“piece of cake”)

Literary Techniques: Hyperbole

Exaggeration for effect

Literary Techniques: Understatement

Making something seem less important

Literary Techniques: Oxymoron

Two contradictory words (“pretty ugly”)

Literary Techniques: Paradox

Statement that contradicts itself but may be true

Literary Techniques: Imagery

Appeals to 5 senses

Literary Techniques: Euphemism

Milder word replacing harsh one (“passed away”)

Literary Techniques: Litotes

Two negatives to express a positive (“not bad”)

Literary Techniques: Alliteration

Repetition of initial sounds

Literary Techniques: Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds

Literary Techniques: Sibilance

Repetition of “s” or “sh” sounds

Literary Techniques: Pun

Play on words

Literary Techniques: Symbolism

Using symbols to represent ideas (dove = peace)

Literary Techniques: Irony

Difference between expectation and reality

Formal Informal Language: Formal

Serious, impersonal, no slang/contractions, avoids “I/you”

Formal Informal Language: Informal

Casual, personal, contractions, idioms, fillers, exclamations

Sentence Types: Simple

One independent clause

Sentence Types: Compound

Two+ independent clauses joined by coordinating conjunction (and, but, or)

Sentence Types: Complex

Independent + dependent clause (because, although, when)

Sentence Types: Compound-Complex

Two+ independent + at least one dependent clause

Active Passive Voice: Active

Subject does action (Jeremy washes dishes)

Active Passive Voice: Passive

Object becomes subject (The dishes were washed)

Active Passive Voice: Use

Passive used when doer is unknown, unimportant, or to emphasise receiver

Adverbial Phrases: Fronted

At start of sentence, followed by comma

Adverbial Phrases: Types

Time, Frequency, Place, Manner

Punctuation for Effects: Exclamation mark (!)

Emphasis, shock, surprise, excitement

Punctuation for Effects: Question mark (?)

Used for rhetorical or direct questions

Punctuation for Effects: Ellipsis (…)

Indicates pause, uncertainty, or trailing off

Punctuation for Effects: Em dash (—)

Adds dramatic detail or sets off information

Punctuation for Effects: Parentheses ( )

Acts like a side comment, similar to an emoji in tone

Punctuation for Effects: Capitalisation (ALL CAPS)

Indicates shouting or strong emphasis

Punctuation: Full stop (.)

It ends a complete sentence; also used after abbreviations (e.g. Prof.)

Punctuation: Comma (,)

Separates items in a list, clauses, or parenthetical elements

Punctuation: Apostrophe (’)

Used for contractions (can’t, it’s) and possession (girl’s, parents’)

Punctuation: Colon (:)

Introduces lists, explanations, or subtitles

Punctuation: Semicolon (;)

Links closely related sentences or separates complex list items

Punctuation: Hyphen (-)

Connects compound words

Punctuation: En dash (–)

Shows ranges (1998–2009) or scores (3–1)