Y07W01WR How to Prepare for a School Presentation

Part 1

How to Write

Informative – Informative guide

An informative guide teaches a reader how to carry out a process or complete a task. It is written for someone who needs clear, practical steps they can follow and act on immediately. The tone is confident, direct and accessible — written by someone who knows the process well.

  • Ideas & content: Cover the key steps and decisions. Include enough detail at each point so the reader is never left guessing, but stay focused on what is genuinely useful.
  • Structure & cohesion: Organise content into a clear sequence — a brief introduction, the main steps in a sensible order, then a closing statement. Use sequence words such as first, next and finally to link sections.
  • Voice & audience: Write as a confident, helpful guide. Keep the reader’s needs in mind throughout and avoid sounding preachy or vague.
  • Language choices: Use precise vocabulary and write mainly in the present tense. Address the reader directly with you and vary sentence length for readability.
  • Conventions: Spell key terms accurately. Use commas in lists and full stops to close each idea clearly.

Common pitfalls: Covering too many points without enough depth — focus on what matters most and explain it well. Writing vague instructions rather than specifying exactly what something looks like in practice.

Part 2

Your Task Plan for Today

The brief

Question: Write an informative guide explaining how to prepare for a school presentation. Draw entirely on your own experience. Explain what the preparation process actually involves, what tends to go wrong and what makes the difference between a presentation that works and one that does not.

Stimulus: Your school is putting together a guide for students on how to prepare for and deliver a spoken presentation. The guide will be used by Year 7 students across the school. You have been asked to contribute a section based on your own experience of preparing for and giving presentations.

Task Analysis: This task asks you to draw on genuine personal experience — not general advice, but what you have actually done. You are producing an honest insider account for a fellow Year 7 student that shows the real preparation process, including what tends to go wrong and what genuinely makes the difference.

Quick Plan

Before you write, plan:

  • Your key message — what is the single most important thing that makes preparation work?
  • Three or four stages of your own preparation process
  • One moment that went wrong — what happened and how you handled it
  • Your closing takeaway — what should the reader leave knowing?

Opening strategy

Start with a specific moment from your own experience — not a general claim like “preparation is important”. Hook the reader in the first sentence, then signal what the guide will cover.

Process / steps

Walk the reader through your preparation stages in order. Under each, explain: What you did — be specific, not vague Why it helped — connect each step to a real outcome What can go wrong at that point, and how to deal with it

Examples that teach

At least once, show the reader what good preparation looks like in practice — not just a principle, but a specific action and what changed as a result.

Ending technique

Close with a single, clear message — the one thing a fellow student should carry away from reading your guide. Keep it direct and honest.