Instruction Writing

British & IGCSE › Checkpoint 8 English (Cambridge Lower Secondary 0861)

1. What is instruction writing?

Instruction writing tells a reader exactly how to carry out a task, step by step, so that they can complete it successfully without needing to ask a single question. Recipes, assembly guides, safety procedures, the method in a science experiment, game rules, directions and 'how to' guides on a website are all instruction writing.

Its purpose is not to entertain or to persuade but to enable the reader. The test of good instructions is simple: could a reader who knows nothing about the task follow them and get the right result? If the reader hesitates, guesses or has to read a step twice, the instructions have failed — however elegant the sentences are.

Where it sits in the exam

Year 8 students sit the Cambridge Lower Secondary Progression Test Stage 8 in school and later the Checkpoint (0861) test, in the same format: Paper 1 Non-fiction and Paper 2 Fiction, each with Section A Reading (25 marks) and Section B Writing (25 marks), and each lasting 1 hour 10 minutes. About 35 minutes is suggested for the writing on recent papers.

How your instructions are marked (25 marks)

2. Features of instruction writing

3. How to structure instruction writing

How to start

1. Outcome first: By the end of this guide, you will have a working model volcano that really erupts.
2. Why it is worth doing: Fresh mint makes a glass of tea taste wonderful, and growing it yourself is easier than you think.
3. Time and difficulty: This guide explains how to set up your school email account in six steps. It takes about ten minutes.
4. Speak to the reader's situation: Starting at a new school is confusing, but finding your way around the library does not have to be.

How to end

1. Describe success: Your bird feeder is now complete; within a week, the first sparrows should arrive.
2. Aftercare: Wash the brushes in warm water and store them upright to dry.
3. What next: Once you are confident, try the more advanced version on page two of the booklet.
4. Encourage: Enjoy your first homemade loaf — you made it yourself!

4. Useful phrases and sentence starters

5. Strong sample

6. Common mistakes

• Describing instead of instructing: 'The library is a lovely, quiet place' gives no action. Start steps with a verb.
• Vague amounts: 'add some water', 'cook it for a while'. Give numbers.
• Steps in the wrong order or a missing step (forgetting to switch the oven on until step 6).
• Warnings after the step: by then the accident has happened. Put them before.
• Two or three actions crammed into one step — split them.
• Writing for the wrong reader: technical words for a seven-year-old, or explaining the obvious to an expert.
• Only commands: no introduction, no reasons, no conclusion — too short and no sentence range.
• Inconsistent layout: some steps numbered and some not, or bullets mixed with dashes.

Practice tasks

1. Task 1: Write a guide for new Year 7 students explaining how to get ready for school the night before, so that their mornings are calm. Include: • what to prepare • the order to do it in • one tip for when things go wrong. Write a plan.

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   Title: 'How to Have a Stress-Free School Morning: A Night-Before Checklist'. Introduction: the result (leave home on time, nothing forgotten), takes 15 minutes each evening. What you need: timetable, school bag, planner, uniform, water bottle. Stage 1 — Check: 1. Look at tomorrow's timetable. 2. Tick off homework due in your planner. Stage 2 — Pack: 3. Pack books in timetable order. 4. Add PE kit if needed. 5. Fill the water bottle and put it in the fridge. Stage 3 — Prepare yourself: 6. Lay out your uniform. 7. Set your alarm and put the phone across the room. 8. Sleep by 10 p.m. Tip: if you forget something in the morning, check the list on your door before leaving. Conclusion: a calm morning and a better start to the day.

2. Task 2: Your friend from abroad is visiting Egypt and wants to make a traditional Egyptian dish or drink. Write an email explaining how to make it. Include: • the ingredients • the method • one safety point. Write the opening and the first three steps.

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   Example: 'Hi Adam,' (on its own line), then: 'I'm so glad you want to try making karkadeh — it's the perfect drink for hot weather, and it only takes twenty minutes. Here's exactly what to do. You will need: 50 g of dried hibiscus flowers, one litre of water, four tablespoons of sugar and a sieve. Be careful: boiling water can burn badly, so use oven gloves. 1. Rinse the hibiscus flowers in cold water to remove any dust. 2. Boil the litre of water in a large pan. 3. Once it is boiling, turn off the heat and add the flowers; leave them to soak for ten minutes (the water should turn deep red).' (Email greeting and friendly tone kept, and steps still precise and numbered.)

3. Make these steps precise: 'Put some flour in a bowl. Add eggs and mix it for a while. Cook it until it's done.'

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   Example: '1. Sift 200 g of plain flour into a large mixing bowl. 2. Make a small hollow in the centre and crack in two eggs. 3. Whisk for two minutes until the mixture is smooth and has no lumps. 4. Pour one ladle of batter into a hot, lightly oiled pan and cook for one minute on each side, until golden brown.'

4. Rewrite this badly placed warning so that it is useful: '4. Pour the boiling water into the cup. Be careful because it is hot.'

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   'Warning: boiling water can scald. Hold the cup by its handle and ask an adult to help if the kettle is heavy. 4. Pour the boiling water slowly into the cup, stopping 1 cm below the rim.' The warning now comes before the step and says exactly what to do.