Y07W05PA - A Newsletter Column in My Own Voice

This week you wrote a newsletter column on a topic of your choice. Now you'll read another student's column and decide how well it works. Looking at someone else's writing sharpens what you notice — and gives you moves for your own voice.

Part 1

The Assessor Scorecard for

Transactional – Newsletter column

Markers look for columns that inform or engage in a conversational way and sound like a real person, not a generic adult. Check each strand below to see what strong work looks like.

Ideas & Content

A topic or angle the writer genuinely cares about. Ideas specific and personal enough to feel fresh. A reader who learns something or sees a topic from a new angle.

  • Authentic perspective and: relevance.

Structure & Cohesion

Movement from opening, to main idea, to conclusion. Progression that feels conversational, not stiff. Ideas connected so readers follow the thinking easily.

  • Natural progression and: flow.

Audience & Purpose

Voice that reaches young people, parents and community workers alike. Language and examples accessible to all. Engaging without being preachy or talking down.

  • Inclusive and engaging: tone.

Language Choices

Word choice and sentence style that carry the writer's voice. Language energetic and natural, not flat or stiff. Specific details and examples that bring ideas to life.

  • Genuine voice and: energy.

Conventions

Correct grammar, punctuation and spelling throughout. Varied, natural sentences. Writing that's polished but not stiff.

  • Accurate and polished.: Sentences are controlled and errors do not distract from the writer's voice.

Part 2

Today’s Marking Targets

Task in one sentence

Write a sample newsletter column on a topic of your choice that shows a genuine secondary student's voice for a mixed community audience.

Let’s Focus

Two strands matter most this week: Structure & Cohesion and Ideas & Content. Your column had to flow naturally and keep readers interested. Your perspective also had to feel fresh enough that readers want to hear from you again.

Structure & Cohesion

Strong columns move from an engaging opening, to a clear main idea, to a satisfying ending. Readers follow the thinking easily and never feel the structure is forced. Transitions feel smooth and natural inside the writer's voice.

What markers scan for

  • An opening that pulls the reader in.
  • A main point readers can spot easily.
  • Smooth transitions that don't feel forced.
  • An ending that lands and feels satisfying.

Score Bands

  • Basic

    The column feels jumbled or unfocused; readers struggle to follow the main idea.

  • Strong

    The column flows naturally with a clear opening, developed idea and satisfying ending.

  • Excellent

    The column flows smoothly; the structure feels natural and supports the writer's voice.

Ideas & Content

Strong columns offer a fresh perspective only this writer could give. The topic stays specific enough to feel real. Readers see something familiar in a new way or come across something they didn't expect.

What markers scan for

  • A perspective that feels personal, not recycled.
  • A specific angle the writer is invested in.
  • Ideas that show something familiar in a new way.
  • Details only this writer could give.

Score Bands

  • Basic

    Ideas feel generic or recycled; the reader can't sense the writer's real perspective.

  • Strong

    The column offers a real perspective; ideas feel fresh and genuinely interesting.

  • Excellent

    The column presents ideas that could only come from this writer; the perspective is unique and compelling.

Now read · Student sample

A Newsletter Column in My Own Voice

Year 7 sample · \~350 words

Student sample for assessment

Written by a Year 7 student in Docklands, Victoria, Australia.

Everyone keeps telling me I should be excited about being a Year 7 student. Supposedly this is meant to be an exciting time when you finally become a 'big kid' at secondary school. But honestly, being new at secondary school is mostly confusing. You have seven different teachers instead of one, the canteen has a thousand lunch options instead of twelve, and somehow everyone else seems to know where the PE building is without getting lost. I get it; we are supposed to have more independence. But some days independence just means wandering around trying to find Room 312 when you thought you were going to the science block. What I have figured out is that all the new Year 7s feel confused in exactly the same way. When someone asks you to find a classroom and you confidently go the wrong way, at least three other new students will follow you down that hallway. We are all in it together, and somehow that makes it less scary. The confusing canteen thing, for example? I used to stand there for ten minutes paralysed by choice. Now I know that everyone around you feels the same way. That shared confusion is actually kind of funny when you stop thinking of it as personal failure. The good part about being new is that you find out pretty quickly that the older students are not as intimidating as they look. They were confused once too. Some of them still are. I think the thing people should tell new Year 7 students is not that being at secondary school is exciting. It is hard and confusing and sometimes you will get lost in the hallways. But you are not alone in feeling that way, and that matters more than finding Room 312 on the first try. The best part is when you meet another Year 7 person who is also lost, and you figure out that you are both trying to find the same classroom. Then you are not even lost anymore; you are just two people with the same problem. That is a better start than excitement. That was my first month of secondary school. I am sure next term will feel more normal. But maybe it is okay if it does not.