Text Types: reports, articles, opinion articles, narratives and profiles

تانية بكالوريا English

الدرس ده عن إيه؟

Every text has a purpose (why it was written), an audience (who will read it) and features (how it looks and sounds). These three things tell us the text type.

الكتاب مليان أنواع نصوص مختلفة: في Unit 2 الكتاب بيقول «Through a research report, magazine articles, and a literary extract…» وبعدها «read a personal narrative». في Unit 4 فيه formal report عن هدر الأكل وopinion article وكمان review. وفي Units 6 و7 و8 فيه نصوص من «profile series» زي قصة Grace مع الأفيال وقصة Mariam اللي بتزيّن الكيك. وفي آخر Unit 3 الكتاب بيقول: «read and identify key details across all the text types in this unit».

ليه ده مهم؟ لأنك لو عرفت نوع النص من أول سطرين هتعرف تدوّر على إيه: في التقرير هتدوّر على أرقام ونتايج، في مقال الرأي هتدوّر على رأي الكاتب، في القصة هتدوّر على الشخصيات ومشاعرهم. وكمان الامتحان بيسأل أسئلة زي The writer mainly aims to… أو This text is most likely taken from…

3 أسئلة بتكشف نوع أي نص

1. Purpose (الهدف): الكاتب كتب ليه؟ علشان يدّي معلومات (inform)؟ ولا يقنعك (persuade)؟ ولا يحكي حكاية ويمتّعك (entertain / tell a story)؟ ولا يعرّفك بشخص (describe a person)؟
2. Audience (الجمهور): مين اللي هيقرا؟ مدير ومسؤولين (رسمي جدًا)؟ قرّاء مجلة (أخف شوية)؟ طلبة زيك؟
3. Features (الشكل واللغة): فيه عناوين فرعية؟ أرقام؟ «I»؟ حوار؟ أزمنة ماضي؟ أسئلة للقارئ؟

الخمس أنواع في جدول واحد

Each text type has a main purpose and typical features. Use this table to recognise them quickly.

موضوع واحد في خمس أنواع نصوص

علشان تشوف الفرق بعينك، الخمس نصوص الصغيرة دي كلها عن نفس الموضوع: نادي قراءة من غير موبايلات في مدرسة (موضوع الـ screen time والـ well-being). اقرا كل واحد ولاحظ الفرق.

1. Report

Reading Club Pilot: Findings and Recommendations

This report examines the results of a six-week phone-free reading club at a secondary school. Forty-two students took part. Attendance remained above 85% throughout the programme. Participants reported an average increase of 40 minutes of sleep per night. It is recommended that the club be extended to all year groups.

• This report examines…جملة الهدف (purpose) في أول التقرير.
• Forty-two students / above 85% / 40 minutesأرقام = معلومات دقيقة ومحايدة.
• It is recommended that the club be extended…توصية بلغة رسمية ومبني للمجهول. من غير «I think».

2. Article

Can a Book Beat a Screen?

Have you ever picked up your phone "just for a minute" and looked up an hour later? You are not alone. At one Cairo school, students are trying something unusual: a weekly club where phones stay in a box and books come out. Teachers say the room is quieter than any classroom, and sleep experts believe that reading on paper before bed can help the brain relax.

• Have you ever…? / You are not alone.الكاتب بيكلم القارئ علشان يشدّه. ده من علامات الـ magazine article.
• Teachers say… / sleep experts believe…بيعرض كلام ناس تانية، مش رأيه هو.

3. Opinion article

Every School Needs a Phone-Free Hour

I believe every school in Egypt should introduce a phone-free reading hour. Our students are exhausted by endless notifications, and a single hour without screens could give them back their focus. Some say teenagers will simply refuse. However, the students at one Cairo school queue to join their club. It is time we gave all young people the same chance.

• I believe every school … should…رأي واضح من أول سطر + should.
• Some say… However…رأي المخالفين والرد عليه.
• It is time we gave all young people the same chance.call to action (دعوة للتصرف) في الآخر.

4. Narrative

The Box

I stared at the cardboard box as if it were a cage. My phone was inside, and it had buzzed twice since I had put it there. My hands felt empty. I opened the novel on my desk and read the first line three times. Then, slowly, something strange happened: the room disappeared, and I was standing on a ship in a storm. When the bell rang, I realised I had not thought about my phone for forty minutes.

• I stared… / had buzzed / had putnarrative tenses: past simple + past perfect، و first person (I).
• as if it were a cageتشبيه بيوصف شعوره. الوصف والمشاعر من علامات الـ narrative.
• When the bell rang, I realised…النهاية فيها تغيير في مشاعر الشخصية (من الضيق للاستمتاع).

5. Profile

Nour Adel: The Girl Who Put Phones in a Box

At fifteen, Nour Adel was spending six hours a day on social media. Today, she runs one of the most popular clubs at her school. The idea came after a sleepless exam week. "I realised my phone was choosing my day for me," she says. With the help of her English teacher, she collected second-hand novels and set up a weekly phone-free hour. Next year, Nour hopes to help three other schools start their own clubs.

• Nour Adel: The Girl Who…اسم شخص حقيقي في العنوان = علامة قوية على الـ profile.
• At fifteen, Nour… / Today, she runs…ماضي للخلفية ومضارع للوضع دلوقتي.
• "I realised my phone was choosing my day for me," she says.اقتباس من كلام الشخص نفسه.
• Next year, Nour hopes to…خطط المستقبل: حاجة متكررة في نهاية الـ profiles.

إزاي النوع بيساعدك في الأسئلة؟

الكتاب في Unit 2 بيقول: «read a personal narrative for gist and identify how the narrator's mood shifts across the text». يعني في القصة السؤال الأهم عن المشاعر وتغيّرها. وفي Unit 8: «identify tone and evaluative language in personal profiles». يعني في البروفايل ركّز على الكلمات اللي بتمدح أو بتقيّم الشخص (زي determined, generous, remarkable).

إزاي بييجي في الأسئلة؟

النوع 1 — The writer mainly aims to:

(Text 5 above) The writer mainly aims to ______

a. persuade every school to ban phones

b. show how one student turned a personal problem into a project that helps others

c. report statistics about students' sleep

d. tell a frightening story about a storm

الإجابة b: ده profile عن Nour، بيحكي مشكلتها (6 ساعات سوشيال ميديا) وإزاي عملت نادي وعايزة تساعد مدارس تانية. (a) مفيش رأي للكاتب. (c) ده الـ report. (d) العاصفة كانت في خيال الراوي في Text 4.

النوع 2 — This text is most likely taken from:

This text (Text 1) is most likely taken from ______

a. a school's official evaluation document

b. a novel for teenagers

c. a personal diary

d. a social media post

الإجابة a: لغة رسمية، أرقام، «It is recommended that». ده شكل التقرير الرسمي.

النوع 3 — Give TWO features that show this is a …:

Q: Give TWO features that show Text 4 is a narrative.

Model answer: First, it is written in the first person and in past tenses ("I stared", "had buzzed"). Second, it describes the narrator's feelings, using a simile: "as if it were a cage".

تدريب

التدريب الأول: اقرا كل جزء واكتب نوعه: report / article / opinion article / narrative / profile، وقول الدليل.

1. 1. "This report presents the results of a survey on food waste in 300 households. The findings indicate that bread is the item most frequently discarded."

   Show answer

   Report — «This report presents», «findings indicate»، أرقام، لغة رسمية.

2. 2. "It is time to stop pretending that fast fashion is harmless. I refuse to buy a new T-shirt every month, and you should too."

   Show answer

   Opinion article — رأي قوي (It is time / I refuse / you should).

3. 3. "The wind howled outside as Karim pushed open the heavy museum door. Somewhere in the darkness, a statue seemed to move."

   Show answer

   Narrative — أحداث بالماضي، وصف، تشويق، شخصية (Karim).

4. 4. "At seventeen, Omar Hany repairs more phones in a week than some shops do. 'I started by breaking my own,' he laughs. Today, he trains younger students every Thursday."

   Show answer

   Profile — اسم شخص حقيقي، عمره، اقتباس، he، ماضي + Today.

5. 5. "Why do migrating birds fly over Egypt every autumn? Scientists say the answer lies in a chain of wetlands stretching across three continents."

   Show answer

   Article (informational) — سؤال للقارئ، معلومات، كلام علماء، من غير رأي شخصي.

6. 6. "Respondents aged 15-18 spent an average of 6.2 hours a day online. It is recommended that schools review their homework policies."

   Show answer

   Report — Respondents، متوسطات، recommendation.

7. 7. "I remember the first day I walked into the vocational school. My stomach was in knots, and I was sure everyone was staring at me."

   Show answer

   Narrative (personal narrative) — I remember، مشاعر، ماضي.

8. 8. "Some people claim that museums are boring. They could not be more wrong. A well-designed museum is the most exciting classroom a child can visit."

   Show answer

   Opinion article — رأي المخالفين ورد قوي (They could not be more wrong).

التدريب التاني: Choose the correct answer.

1. 9. Which feature is most typical of a report? a. dialogue between characters b. headings, data and recommendations c. rhetorical questions and strong opinions d. similes and metaphors

   Show answer

   b — دي علامات التقرير. (a) و(d) narrative. (c) opinion article.

2. 10. A text about a young Egyptian chef that includes her childhood, her challenges and quotes from her is most likely ______ a. a report b. a profile c. an opinion article d. a leaflet

   Show answer

   b — شخص حقيقي + تحديات + اقتباسات = profile.

3. 11. The main purpose of an opinion article is to ______ a. entertain readers with a story b. give neutral data c. persuade readers to accept a point of view d. describe a person's life

   Show answer

   c — persuade.

4. 12. In a personal narrative, the writer usually ______ a. uses the passive to sound objective b. describes events and feelings in the past c. lists recommendations d. avoids the word "I"

   Show answer

   b — ماضي + مشاعر + غالبًا I.

5. 13. "The writer mainly aims to evaluate both the benefits and the limits of a school recycling project." This text is probably ______ a. a narrative b. a balanced article or report c. a poem d. an advertisement

   Show answer

   b — evaluate both = بيعرض الجانبين بشكل متوازن.

التدريب التالت: State whether the statement is True (T) or False (F). Justify your answer from the five texts in this lesson.

1. 14. Text 2 (the article) tells readers what the writer personally believes schools should do.

   Show answer

   False — الكاتب بيعرض كلام الناس: «Teachers say… sleep experts believe…» من غير ما يقول رأيه هو.

2. 15. Text 3 (the opinion article) responds to an opposing view.

   Show answer

   True — «Some say teenagers will simply refuse. However, the students … queue to join».

3. 16. Text 5 (the profile) includes the person's own words.

   Show answer

   True — «"I realised my phone was choosing my day for me," she says.»

4. 17. The narrator in Text 4 feels relaxed from the beginning to the end.

   Show answer

   False — في الأول «stared at the box as if it were a cage … hands felt empty» وبعدين اتغير. المود shifts من الضيق للاستمتاع.

التدريب الرابع: جاوب في جملتين أو تلاتة.

1. 18. Give TWO features that show Text 1 is a report and not an article.

   Show answer

   Model: It uses formal, objective language with data such as "Forty-two students" and "above 85%". It also ends with a formal recommendation: "It is recommended that the club be extended".

2. 19. How does the mood of the narrator change in Text 4? Give evidence.

   Show answer

   Model: At first, the narrator feels trapped and uncomfortable: the narrator stares at the box "as if it were a cage", and the narrator's hands "felt empty". By the end, the narrator feels absorbed and calm: "I had not thought about my phone for forty minutes".

3. 20. What does the quote in Text 5 show about Nour?

   Show answer

   Model: It shows that she is self-aware and honest. She realised that her phone was controlling her time, and this realisation motivated her to change.

4. 21. You want to persuade your head teacher to start a school garden. Which text type would you choose? Why?

   Show answer

   Model: I would write an opinion article (or a formal proposal) because my purpose is to persuade. I would state my opinion clearly, give reasons with evidence, and end with a call to action.

5. 22. Rewrite this report sentence as it might appear in an opinion article: "Students who attended the club slept 40 minutes longer on average."

   Show answer

   Model: "Imagine giving every student forty extra minutes of sleep a night. That is exactly what this club did, and every school should copy it." — بقت فيها مخاطبة للقارئ ورأي و should.