Y07W29WR The Secret Ballot and Why It Matters

Part 1

How to Write

Informative – Informative account

An informative account explains a real event or historical process for readers who were not present and need a clear picture. It is written for an audience seeking factual understanding rather than analysis or opinion. The tone is authoritative and accessible, presenting information in a logical order the reader can follow.

  • Ideas & content: Identify the most important events or stages and include enough detail to make the account meaningful. Prioritise significance — not every fact needs to be included.
  • Structure & cohesion: Organise your account in a clear sequence — typically chronological. Use time markers and connective phrases to move the reader smoothly from one point to the next.
  • Voice & audience: Write with calm authority in third person. Avoid expressing personal opinions; let the information speak for itself.
  • Language choices: Use precise vocabulary suitable to the subject. Write in the past tense for events and present tense for ongoing facts. Keep sentences clear and varied.
  • Conventions: Spell names and key terms accurately. Use full stops and commas to control the pace of information.

Common pitfalls: Listing events without explaining why they matter — connect each detail to the significance of the account. Starting too broadly before arriving at the actual subject.

Part 2

Your Task Plan for Today

The brief

Question: Write a three-paragraph informative account for a Year 7 civics class explaining what the secret ballot is, why it was introduced and why Australia played a significant role in its history. Select and organise the most relevant information in your own words.

Stimulus: The following facts about the history of the secret ballot have been gathered from history sources.

- Before secret ballots, voters in many countries publicly declared their vote aloud or by a show of hands
- Victoria introduced the secret ballot in 1856 — the first place in the world to do so for a general election
- South Australia introduced the secret ballot in the same year, 1856
- Public voting made intimidation and bribery by employers and landlords common
- The system was so successful that Britain and the United States both eventually adopted it — it became known internationally as the ‘Australian ballot’
- Under the old system, employers could watch how their workers voted and punish those who voted the wrong way
- A standardised printed ballot paper was a key part of the new system
- The secret ballot was linked to broader campaigns for democratic rights, including the eight-hour working day
- Ballot secrecy is now considered a fundamental feature of democratic elections worldwide

Task Analysis: This task asks you to take a set of unordered facts and produce a focused, well-organised historical account for a Year 7 civics class. You need to explain what the secret ballot is, why it was introduced and why Australia’s role matters — in a way that is clear, logical and written entirely in your own words.

Quick Plan

Plan your three paragraphs:

  • Paragraph 1: What voting was like before the secret ballot, and why that was a problem
  • Paragraph 2: What Australia did and when — the specific reform and its significance
  • Paragraph 3: Why it mattered — the impact of the change and its legacy
  • Select which facts to use and which to leave out.

Paragraph focus

Each paragraph needs one clear idea. Open each with a topic sentence that signals the paragraph’s focus before you develop it with specific facts. Don’t mix ideas across paragraphs.

Cohesion strategies

Link your paragraphs smoothly. Phrases such as as a result of this, following the reform and this change meant that will help the account flow logically from one idea to the next.

Tone & voice

Write in third person with a clear, factual tone for a Year 7 civics audience. Avoid expressing personal opinions. The account should feel informed and authoritative.