Y08W39PA - What the United Nations Is and How It Works

This week you wrote an informative report on the United Nations — what it is, how it works and its limitations. Now you'll read another student's piece and judge how strong it is. Working through how assessors evaluate institutional writing builds your ability to apply the same lens to your own work.

Part 1

The Assessor Scorecard for

Informative – Informative report

Strong institutional writing defines what something is, explains how it operates and acknowledges its limitations. Assessors look for accurate understanding, the right level of detail for the audience, and conventions strong enough to build reader trust.

Ideas & Content

Accurate explanation of what the institution is before describing how it works. Information about structure, purpose and reach. Acknowledgement of what it can and cannot do. Understanding of relationships — for instance, how veto power works and why it matters.

  • Clear explanation: the writer demonstrates accurate understanding and explains relationships within the institution.

Structure & Cohesion

Logical order: what it is, how it works, what it does, where it falls short. Information builds from basic to complex. Each section leads naturally to the next — a journey through understanding, not three separate topics.

  • Clear organisation: information builds logically from basic definition to complexity to critique.

Audience & Purpose

Background of the audience considered throughout. Basic definition before technical detail. Language and examples pitched to a Year 8 reader meeting the topic for the first time. Comparisons that turn abstract structures into something concrete.

  • Age-appropriate explanation: the writer chooses language and examples suited to a Year 8 learner.

Language Choices

Precise language with technical terms defined in context. Varied sentence length and structure throughout. Paraphrasing in the student's own voice, never copying. Active verbs that keep the writing clear and direct.

  • Defined, clear language: technical terms are explained; language is active and varied.

Conventions

Accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar across the piece. Errors that interrupt understanding lower marks significantly. Clearly separated paragraphs and correctly capitalised proper nouns. Facts stated accurately, signalling a trustworthy writer.

  • Accurate, confident writing: conventions support reader trust in the writer's knowledge.

Part 2

Today’s Marking Targets

Task in one sentence

Write a three-paragraph informative piece explaining what the United Nations is, how it works and what its main limitations are, in your own words.

Let’s Focus

Three strands matter most this week: Ideas & Content, Conventions and Language Choices. Ideas decides whether you grasp UN structure and key relationships. Conventions decides whether your accuracy builds reader trust. Language Choices decides whether the UN feels accessible without being oversimplified.

Ideas & Content

Strong writing this week explains accurately what the UN is, when it was founded and how many member states it has. It describes the main organs clearly, explains how veto power works and why it matters, and acknowledges that the UN can be slow, bureaucratic or blocked by powerful states.

What markers scan for

  • Accurate facts about the UN's founding, size and main organs.
  • Clear distinction between the General Assembly (one vote each) and the Security Council (veto power).
  • Explanation of why the veto matters in practice.
  • Limitations acknowledged, not glossed over.

Score Bands

  • Basic

    Facts about the UN appear but understanding of how it works is limited; limitations are mentioned without explanation.

  • Strong

    The writer accurately describes the UN's main structure and purpose, with key information explained and limitations partly developed.

  • Excellent

    The writer demonstrates solid understanding of UN structure, explains why the veto matters and shows the tension between equal representation and powerful-state influence.

Conventions

Strong writing this week shows accurate spelling — especially of proper nouns like United Nations, General Assembly, Security Council and Secretary-General. Sentences are complete and correctly punctuated. Grammar supports clarity. In institutional writing, strong conventions signal that the writer knows what they're talking about.

What markers scan for

  • Correct spelling of key institutional names.
  • Clear sentence boundaries and accurate punctuation.
  • Proper nouns consistently capitalised.
  • Grammar that supports rather than blocks understanding.

Score Bands

  • Basic

    Several spelling errors appear, especially of proper nouns, with sentence fragments and inconsistent capitalisation of institutional names.

  • Strong

    Proper nouns are spelled correctly and capitalised, sentences are complete and correctly punctuated, and grammar supports clarity throughout.

  • Excellent

    Conventions are nearly flawless; proper nouns are handled consistently and the writing reads with authority and clarity.

Language Choices

Strong writing this week defines terms before using them, varies sentence structure and avoids copied phrasing. Useful comparisons help — the veto means one country can stop an action; the General Assembly is like all members voting equally in a meeting. Active verbs and varied sentence lengths keep the explanation engaging.

What markers scan for

  • Technical terms explained or clear from context.
  • Sentence length and structure varied across the piece.
  • The student's own voice, not copied phrasing.
  • Examples and comparisons that make abstract ideas concrete.

Score Bands

  • Basic

    Some technical terms go unexplained, sentence structure is repetitive, and language occasionally sounds copied from sources.

  • Strong

    Most technical terms are explained, sentence variety is good, and the language sounds like the student's own voice rather than copied.

  • Excellent

    Technical language is introduced and explained clearly, sentence variety creates rhythm, examples illuminate abstract ideas, and the voice is confident and authentic.

Now read · Student sample

What the United Nations Is and How It Works

Year 8 sample · \~250 words

Student sample for assessment

Written by a Year 8 student in Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia.

The United Nations was founded in 1945 after World War II, with the goal of preventing future global conflicts. It now has 193 member states. The UN's main purpose is to maintain international peace and security, though it also works on human rights, development, and humanitarian aid. It is governed by six main organs: the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Secretariat, the International Court of Justice, the Economic and Social Council, and the Trusteeship Council. Each organ has different responsibilities and powers. The General Assembly represents all 193 member states equally, with each country having one vote. Small nations have the same voting power as large ones. The Security Council is smaller and more powerful—it has fifteen members, including five permanent ones: the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China. These five have veto power, which means any one of them can block a decision even if the others agree. The Secretary-General, currently António Guterres, leads the Secretariat and represents the UN internationally. The UN also runs peacekeeping operations, though it doesn't have its own army—peacekeepers are volunteers from member countries. However, the UN has real limitations. The veto power held by the five permanent members often prevents the Security Council from acting quickly. Powerful countries can block actions that harm their interests, even if most of the world thinks action is necessary. The UN is also criticised for being slow and bureaucratic—decisions take a long time to make and implement. Without real enforcement power, the UN struggles to make its decisions stick. Its effectiveness depends heavily on whether member states cooperate and follow its decisions, and not all do.