difference between account and report writing.

An account is not a specific exam response genre, though its good classroom practice for building up the skills of chronological ordering and informative semiformal style and is less intimidating than a report because its either a personal viewpoint or pre-supposes a personal interest in the subject matter, like a school trip. Its a description which may contain narrative. A formal report, which is one of the possible exam response genres, is impersonal and involves evaluation and drawing a conclusion, as well as the ordering of factual information, such as recommending someone or something to someone in an official position. Both reports and accounts can be written in the first person, if that is the relevant persona who witnessed the event or has a recommendation to make, though objectivity of style may be the overall register required. In paper 2, Reading Paper- Comprehension questions- There are certain candidates who use their own words in answering comprehension questions and some pick the same sentences from the text. What is the main difference in the marking criteria between the two? Own words, provided they are an accurate paraphrase, are always rewarded over lifting of language from the text, as this is what gives evidence of true comprehension. Sometimes, however, there is no sensible synonym for an individual word or way of paraphrasing an idea concisely enough, especially if it is technical. I want to know about the correct format for a report. Do students begin with their introduction or do they have to follow some pattern. I have tried to access the resources but I havent been able to get anything on this. Can you please guide me on this? Secondly are the students penalized on bad hand writing? Poor handwriting is not penalised. It is often, however, a mask for poor spelling, which may be. he style of narrative writing is dictated by the genre. It may include dialogue, or first person narration, which should sound realistic and this may include idioms, though not slang, jargon or swearing. It is a good idea if it includes at least some complex

sentences, though a range and variety of sentence structures, to match the stage of the narrative, is desirable. A full range of precise and ambitious vocabulary is another element being assessed, as is accuracy, obviously. Pace and structure are important too. Handling the climax and the ending, and getting reader attention with an engaging opening, are other narrative skills. There are a lot of things for candidates to think about, which is why planning is essential. The best thing is to follow the mark scheme and the advice given in examiner reports. No exam question invites a purely informal response, since the purpose of an English Language exam at this level is to assess the suitability of a candidate to follow a course of higher education in an English-speaking institution. Theres nothing wrong with ideas stolen from films well, good films anyway. One cant expect 16 yr olds writing under exam conditions to come up with original ideas, even if there were any left! The important thing is that there should be enough detail to make it sound original, and the awful cliches of And then I woke up or And I found myself in hospital should be avoided, and first person narratives shouldnt end with And then I died. And gory horror, and blood and guts, and green aliens should not come into it. Irrelevance is another matter, as this may be a warning sign of a preprepared composition which is not focused on the actual question. Please see the mark scheme on the site, which says that some relevance is required even for an E band mark. But obviously accuracy is also taken into account and a balanced mark is given. Unlike IGCSE, content and style are in the same mark scheme and not assessed separately.