Checkpoint 6 · Paper 1 writing (non-fiction)

Non-Chronological Report — Writing Pack

How to write a full-mark information text (non-chronological report) for Paper 1: features, sections with subheadings, topic sentences, useful phrases and a strong sample.

British & IGCSE › Checkpoint 6 English (Cambridge Primary 0058)

A non-chronological report is an information text. It gives facts about a topic, such as an animal, a place, a sport, a festival or your school. It is called non-chronological because the information is not written in time order. Instead, it is grouped into sections, and each section has its own subheading.

Where it appears in the exam

Paper 1 Non-fiction, Section B Writing. 'Information text / non-chronological report' is one of the non-fiction text types that can be set.
The task may say: 'Write an information text for a children's website about…', 'Write a report for a class book about…' or 'Write a page for a guide to your town for visitors'.
The same skills also help you in Section A Reading, where you may be asked to identify the text type and its features.

1. What is a non-chronological report?

Question	Answer
Purpose	To inform and explain: to give the reader clear, organised facts about one topic.
Audience	Usually readers who want to learn, e.g. children reading an encyclopedia, a school website, a guide for new pupils or visitors.
Tone	Formal and objective: facts, not feelings. No 'I think' (unless the task asks for a short opinion section at the end).
Person and tense	Third person (it, they, camels, the school). Present tense for facts that are true now: Camels live in deserts. Past tense only for history: The school opened in 1998.
Not to be confused with	A newspaper report (one event, in time order, past tense) or instructions (steps in order).

	Non-chronological report	Newspaper report
Topic	A whole subject (dolphins, the pyramids, our school)	One event that happened
Order	Grouped by sections and subheadings	Most important facts first, then time order
Tense	Mainly present tense	Mainly past tense
Opening	A general statement that introduces the topic	The 5 Ws lead
Layout	Title, subheadings, maybe bullet points, a diagram or fact box	Headline, byline, paragraphs, quotations

How your writing is marked (25 marks)

Category	Marks	What a top answer needs in a non-chronological report
Creation of texts	5	Every part of the task is covered with accurate, interesting facts. The text stays informative and objective. The reader learns a lot.
Vocabulary and language	3	Technical (topic) words used correctly, e.g. habitat, predator, species, and precise adjectives.
Structure of texts	7	A clear title, an introduction, sections with subheadings, a topic sentence at the start of each section, and a conclusion. Layout features such as a bulleted list or fact box used well.
Grammar and punctuation	7	Consistent present tense, varied sentences (including relative clauses and some passive verbs), commas in lists, colons before lists, brackets for extra information.
Word structure (spelling)	3	Topic words spelt correctly, e.g. temperature, environment, protection, especially.

Marking rules you must know

The whole paper is 1 hour. About 30 minutes is suggested for the writing (Section B, 25 marks).
20 words or fewer scores 0. Between 21 and 60 words can score no more than 7 marks altogether.
Writing the wrong text type (for example a story about a camel instead of a report about camels) can cap Creation at 1 and Structure at 3 (or 2).

2. Features of a non-chronological report

Feature	Why it is used	Example
Clear title	Tells the reader exactly what the report is about	Camels: Survivors of the Desert
Introduction (general statement)	Introduces the topic and says what the report will cover	Camels are large mammals that are perfectly suited to life in hot deserts.
Subheadings	Group the facts so the reader can find information quickly	Appearance · Habitat · Diet · Interesting Facts
Topic sentence	The first sentence of each section tells the reader what the section is about	Camels have many features that help them survive the heat.
Present tense	Facts that are always true	Dolphins breathe through a blowhole.
Third person	Keeps the report objective	They… It… Visitors…
Technical vocabulary	Sounds expert and precise	mammal, habitat, predator, species, climate
Facts and figures	Make the report accurate and trustworthy	An adult camel can weigh more than 500 kilograms.
Generalisers	Describe a whole group, not one example	Most… Many… Some… Usually… All…
Bullet points or a fact box	Present short facts clearly	Fact box: Lifespan: about 40 years
Brackets for extra information	Add a definition or detail without a new sentence	Dromedaries (camels with one hump) live in North Africa.
Comparisons	Help the reader imagine size or speed	An adult camel can be taller than a grown man.
Diagram, picture or caption (optional)	Shows what the text describes	You can write [Diagram: the parts of a camel] in the exam instead of drawing.
Conclusion	Sums up and gives a final interesting thought	Camels have helped people for thousands of years.

Writing tip: choose your sections

Most topics fit these subheading 'families'. Animals: Appearance · Habitat · Diet · Behaviour · Life cycle · Threats. Places: Location · History · What to see · Food · Weather. School: Facilities · Subjects · Clubs · Rules · Events. Sports or hobbies: History · Equipment · How it is played · Famous players · Why people love it. Pick 3–4 that match the task.

3. How to structure a non-chronological report

Part	What to write	Tips
Title	Short, clear and specific	Weak: Cats. Strong: Cats: Our Clever Furry Friends
Introduction	A general statement that hooks the reader + what the report will cover	2–3 sentences. Do not give all the details yet
Section 1 (subheading)	Topic sentence + 2–4 facts with examples or numbers	One idea per section
Section 2 (subheading)	Topic sentence + facts	Use generalisers and technical words
Section 3 (subheading)	Topic sentence + facts	Try a bulleted list here if it suits the facts
Interesting facts (optional)	A short section of surprising facts	'Did you know…?' or a fact box
Conclusion	Sum up the most important points and end with a thought about the topic's importance or future	1–2 sentences. Do not add new sections here

Follow the task. If the task says 'include information about where they live, what they eat and why they are in danger', those three things must become your subheadings. A report that misses a part of the task cannot reach the top band in Creation of texts.

Quick plan (3 minutes)

Write the title.
Choose 3 subheadings from the task bullets.
Under each subheading, note 2–3 facts or numbers (you may invent realistic ones if the topic is your school or town).
Note 4 technical words you will use.
Decide one layout feature: bullet points, fact box or a diagram label.

How to start: introductions you can adapt

General statement: Owls are birds of prey that hunt mainly at night. This report explains what they look like, where they live and how they hunt.
Known for…: Famous for its golden beaches and clear blue water, Sharm El-Sheikh is one of Egypt's most popular holiday towns.
A question for the reader: Have you ever wondered how bees make honey? Bees are small insects with a big job to do.
A surprising fact: A blue whale can be as long as two buses parked end to end. It is the largest animal that has ever lived on Earth.
For a school guide: Sunrise International School is a friendly primary school in New Cairo. This guide gives new pupils all the information they need for their first term.

How to end: conclusions you can adapt

Sum up + importance: In summary, bees are tiny but extremely important, because without them many plants could not grow.
Look to the future: If people protect their habitats, sea turtles will continue to swim in our oceans for many years to come.
A final fact: Overall, the pyramids are a wonder of the ancient world, and scientists are still discovering their secrets today.
For a guide: With its clubs, trips and caring teachers, our school is a wonderful place to learn and make friends.

4. Useful phrases and vocabulary

Introduction

[Topic] is / are…
Known for its…, [topic] is…
This report explains / examines…
There are many interesting facts about…

Topic sentences

One of the most interesting features of… is…
Another important fact about… is that…
When it comes to food, …
[Topic] can be found in…

Adding facts

In addition, …
Furthermore, …
As well as this, …
For example, … / For instance, …
Research shows that…
This means that…

Generalisers

Most…
Many…
Some…
Usually…
Almost all…
The majority of…

Comparing

…is larger than…
…as fast as…
Unlike…, …
Similarly, …
…is about the size of…

Conclusion

In summary, …
Overall, it is clear that…
Looking ahead, …
For all these reasons, …

Word / phrase	Meaning / use
habitat	the natural home of an animal or plant
species	a group of animals or plants of the same kind
mammal	an animal that feeds its babies on milk
predator	an animal that hunts other animals
prey	an animal that is hunted for food
adapted	has changed over time to suit its environment
environment	the natural world around a living thing
climate	the usual weather of a place
endangered	in danger of disappearing completely
protect / protection	keep safe from harm
remarkable	unusual and surprising in a good way
especially	more than usual, mainly
approximately	about, not exactly
temperature	how hot or cold something is
survive	stay alive in difficult conditions

5. Strong sample answer

Information text: camels284 words · Strong answer — Creation 5/5 · Vocabulary 3/3 · Structure 7/7 · Grammar & punctuation 7/7 · Spelling 3/3

Task: Your class is making an information book about animals for younger pupils. Write a non-chronological report about an animal that lives in Egypt. You should include: • what it looks like • where it lives and what it eats • some interesting facts.

Camels: Survivors of the Desert

Camels are large mammals that are perfectly adapted to life in hot, dry deserts. For thousands of years, they have carried people and goods across the Sahara. This report explains what camels look like, where they live, what they eat and why they are so remarkable.

Appearance

The camel that lives in Egypt is the dromedary (a camel with one hump). An adult dromedary can be about two metres tall at the shoulder and can weigh more than 500 kilograms. Its long legs keep its body away from the hot sand, and its wide, padded feet stop it from sinking.

Habitat

Dromedaries live in the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East. These places are extremely hot during the day, but they can be very cold at night. Their fur protects them from the burning sun and keeps them warm on cold nights.

Diet

Camels are herbivores, which means they eat only plants. Most camels feed on dry grasses, leaves and thorny desert bushes that other animals avoid. Their tough lips allow them to chew sharp thorns without getting hurt.

Interesting Facts

Many people believe that a camel's hump is full of water. In fact, the hump stores fat, which the camel's body can use for energy when food is hard to find. Camels have other clever features too:

• two rows of long eyelashes that keep out the sand

• nostrils that can close during sandstorms

• the ability to drink about 100 litres of water in around ten minutes.

In summary, camels are amazing animals that can survive where most others cannot. Because they are so strong and patient, they are still known as 'the ships of the desert'.

Why this gets the marks

Creation 5/5: all three bullets become sections: what it looks like (Appearance), where it lives and what it eats (Habitat, Diet), interesting facts (Interesting Facts). The tone is factual and suits younger readers. Accurate facts and numbers make the text trustworthy.
Vocabulary 3/3: technical words used correctly (mammals, adapted, dromedary, herbivores, nostrils) and precise adjectives (padded, thorny, tough).
Structure 7/7: clear title, introduction that previews the sections, four subheadings, a topic sentence at the start of each section, a bulleted list introduced by a colon, and a conclusion that sums up. Information is grouped by topic, not by time.
Grammar & punctuation 7/7: consistent present tense for facts (live, eat, stores, protects), present perfect for history (have carried), relative clauses (which means…, which the camel's body can use…), contrast shown with 'but' and 'In fact', brackets for extra information, a colon to introduce a list, and inverted commas for a name that is not literal ('the ships of the desert').
Spelling 3/3: ambitious words spelt correctly: perfectly, kilograms, extremely, herbivores, eyelashes, sandstorms, survive.

Timing plan for Section B (about 30 minutes)

Minutes	What to do
0–4	Read the task twice. Underline the genre (report / information text), the audience and every bullet. Write the title and 3 subheadings.
4–6	Note 2–3 facts under each subheading and 4 technical words.
6–26	Aim for about 250–350 words: introduction, sections with topic sentences, a list or fact box, conclusion.
26–30	Check: present tense? third person? subheadings on their own lines? commas in lists? spelling of topic words?

6. Common mistakes

Mistake	Why it costs marks	Fix
Telling a story: 'One day a camel called Sandy walked across the desert…'	Wrong text type — Creation and Structure can be capped	Write facts about camels in general, in the present tense
Writing in time order like a recount	It is not non-chronological	Group facts by subheading
No subheadings, or one long paragraph	Loses Structure marks	Use 3–4 subheadings that match the task bullets
'I love camels, they are so cute!'	Personal opinion breaks the objective tone	Keep feelings out. Use facts and precise adjectives
Using 'you' and 'I' all the time	Too chatty for a report	Third person: camels, they, it
Mixing tenses: 'Camels lived in deserts and they eat plants'	Grammar errors	Present tense for facts that are true now
Facts that are wrong or silly	The reader cannot trust the text	Use facts you know. For your own school or town, invent realistic details
Missing conclusion	The report stops suddenly	Finish with one or two sentences that sum up

Checklist before you finish

A clear, specific title.
An introduction that says what the report will cover.
3–4 subheadings that match the task bullets.
Each section starts with a topic sentence.
Present tense and third person all the way through.
At least 4 technical words used correctly.
One layout feature: bullet points, a fact box or a diagram label.
A short conclusion that sums up.

أهم نصيحة في التقرير المعلوماتي

هذا نص معلوماتي وليس قصة، فلا تكتب One day a camel… بل اكتب حقائق عامة عن الموضوع بالمضارع البسيط (Camels live… They eat…).
قسّم كلامك بعناوين فرعية (subheadings)، واجعل كل نقطة في السؤال عنوانًا مستقلًا، وابدأ كل جزء بجملة رئيسية (topic sentence).
استخدم كلمات علمية مثل habitat و predator و species، وأضف bullet points أو fact box، فهذا يساعدك على الحصول على درجة عالية في Structure.

Practice tasks

Write a non-chronological report for a guide for new pupils joining your school. Include: • the school's facilities • the clubs and activities • the school rules. (Plan only.)
Show answer
Title: Welcome to Sunrise School: A Guide for New Pupils. Introduction: general statement (where the school is, how many pupils) + 'This guide explains…'. Subheading 1 Facilities: library with 3,000 books, science lab, swimming pool, playground (facts and numbers). Subheading 2 Clubs and Activities: bulleted list — chess, football, art, robotics, with days. Subheading 3 School Rules: present tense, third person — 'Pupils wear…', 'Phones are kept…' (passive). Conclusion: sum up why it is a friendly place to learn. Keep third person, no story.
Which of these sentences belong in a non-chronological report? Explain. (a) Penguins cannot fly, but they are excellent swimmers. (b) Yesterday I saw a penguin at the zoo. (c) Most penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere.
Show answer
(a) and (c) belong: they are general facts in the present tense and third person. (b) does not: it is a personal recount in the past tense and first person.
Write a topic sentence for a section called 'Diet' in a report about crocodiles.
Show answer
Example: 'Crocodiles are carnivores, which means they eat only meat.' or 'When it comes to food, crocodiles are patient hunters.' A topic sentence tells the reader what the whole section is about.
Add brackets to give extra information: The Nile is the longest river in Africa. (It is about 6,650 kilometres long.) Make it one sentence.
Show answer
The Nile (about 6,650 kilometres long) is the longest river in Africa. Brackets add extra information without starting a new sentence.
Choose four good subheadings for a report about the ancient pyramids of Giza.
Show answer
For example: Location · Who Built Them and Why · How They Were Built · Interesting Facts (or Visiting the Pyramids Today). The subheadings group information by topic, not by time.
Rewrite this weak paragraph so it suits a report: 'I think dolphins are really cool. You see them jump. They eat fish and stuff.'
Show answer
Example: 'Dolphins are intelligent sea mammals. They often leap out of the water, which helps them travel quickly and look for food. Most dolphins feed on fish and squid.' (Opinion removed, third person, present tense, precise vocabulary, a relative clause.)

All pages in this course

Start here: the exam

Reading: grammar & punctuation

Reading: understanding texts

Paper 1 writing: non-fiction

Paper 2 writing: fiction