journal writing for igcse

101 in Journal Entry - IGCSE English

What is a journal.

Journal is a record of events that occurred in the writer's life. It may be their emotions, ideas, or beliefs. The purpose of writing a journal is to reflect, it is a personal piece of writing and the response to a question should be subjective.

This question mostly appears in Paper 1 of your English Language and Literature question paper .

How to Attempt the Question

You will be given a reading booklet insert containing the passage for the journal writing. Read through the passage carefully. The adjacent question will be provided in the question paper booklet.

You would have to choose relevant points from the passage after having a thorough understanding of the question.

Now, convert the passage's selected points into your own words. After that, you can start putting the points together in a cohesive manner in the form of a journal.

Let’s take a look at how to convert the selected points from the passage into your own words.

“It is better to do something you like than study something which is not useful in the future.”

“I like to study something I’m interested in rather than something I’m not and waste my time. Moreover it will help me in the future as well.”

Can you see how I modified the sentence structure and words from the highlighted section without altering the paragraph's meaning? This is how it's done; it's not easy at first, but with practise, it will become easier.

• A journal is typically a paragraph or two, this depends on the marks and word count in the question paper. Meanwhile there are some pointers that you should keep in mind while writing a journal.
• Begin your journal by writing the date and day at the left hand side of the page.
• A journal should always be written from a first person point of view. The use of the word ‘I’ in your writing demonstrates this.
• The tone of your writing should be self-reflective. It should be a recollection of memory. That's you thinking back on something you've done or seen in your day.
• Your journal should only reflect on incidents or observations that happened recently.
• Your thoughts, points, and viewpoints should be expressed by using emotive language, which gives the reader more insight into the writer's feelings.
• The tense should be past or future tense, depending on whether you're writing about recent events or anticipating future events or situations.
• Including rhetorical questions in your work will increase the reader's curiosity and improve your work.
• Finally, don't be afraid to try new things; a journal is, after all, a subjective medium.

Here’s an Example:

This can give you some insight on how to write a journal entry. Read Passage A in the insert and answer this question

Imagine you are a zookeeper. Later that evening you write in your journal reflecting on your thoughts and feelings about your life now and how things have changed.

Write your journal

In your journal you should include:

• describe what you have to do each day, why you do it and how that makes you feel
• explain what you have noticed about the boy and his father and your feelings about each of them
• consider how things have changed for you and the world around you since you first started working at the zoo and suggest what you think the future may hold for you.

Base your passage on what you have read in Passage A, but be careful to use your own words. Address each of the three bullet points.

Begin your journal, ‘Today was…’

Write about 250 to 350 words.

Monday, 26th July 2021

Today was certainly a difficult day. That oh-so familiar internal monologue, which forces me to think about my future here, plagued my mind once again. We had two visitors - a father and his son - both robots, of course. What affected me the most was the young boy’s fascination with me; the fact that he realised I was different, but couldn’t quite determine why. I guess his programming didn’t allow for him to understand the world and its people before robots. It left me feeling dejected. I sat down at one point and I just quietly considered how much the world has changed - how much people have changed - how much I have changed. This place has been my livelihood for some many years, and has brought me an immeasurable amount of joy. But now I am aging and I am starting to struggle and it leaves me with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach; one which won’t go away. Technology is advancing at such a rapid rate, and it leaves me wondering if there's a place on this Earth for the last zookeeper.

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Diary Entry and Journal Writing for GCSE and A-Level

Often in English Language exams, you’ll be asked to write a diary or journal entry as a creative piece of nonfiction. You may also be asked to analyze (write about) somebody else’s diary entry. This document will help you prepare for both of these types of questions in an exam paper. Below, you’ll find a famous extract from The Diary of Anne Frank, some analytical exam-style questions, and a creative writing based task.

This document is suitable for anyone studying diary and journal writing at any level, from GCSE (aged 14) and above. It is particularly useful for the following exam boards: CIE / Cambridge, OCR, AQA, WJEC / Eduqas, CCEA, Edexcel.

Thanks for reading! If you find this page helpful, take a look at our full Basic and Advanced Descriptive Writing.

If you’re interested, check out our other articles about English Language Paper 2: Practise Diary Extract

English Language Paper 2: Practise Letter Extract .

READING AND WRITING TASKS: THE DIARY ENTRY OF ANNE FRANK

Context: Anne Frank was a German-Dutch Jewish girl who was a victim of the Holocaust in the Second World War (1939–1945). Before she was captured and taken to a concentration camp by the Nazis, she kept a diary that detailed her experiences of the war. The diary entries are all addressed to ‘Kitty’, a fictional friend that Anne invented.

The Extract:

MONDAY 26TH JULY 1943

Dearest Kitty,

Yesterday was a very tumultuous day, and we’re still all wound up. Actually, you may wonder if there’s ever a day that passes without some kind of excitement.

The first warning siren went off in the morning while we were at breakfast, but we paid no attention because it only meant that the planes were crossing the coast. I had a terrible headache, so I lay down for an hour after breakfast and then went to the office at about two. At two-thirty Margot had finished her office work and was just gathering her things together when the sirens began wailing again. So she and I trooped back upstairs. None too soon, it seems, for less than five minutes later the guns were booming so loudly that we went and stood in the passage. The house shook and the bombs kept falling. I was clutching my ‘escape bag’, more because I wanted to have something to hold on to than because I wanted to run away. I know we can’t leave here, but if we had to, being seen on the streets would be just as dangerous as getting caught in an air raid. After half an hour the drone of engines faded and the house began to hum with activity again. Peter emerged from his lookout post in the front attic, Dussel remained in the front office, Mrs van D. felt safest in the private office, Mr van Daan had been watching from the loft, and those of us on the landing spread out to watch the columns of smoke rising from the harbor. Before long the smell of fire was everywhere, and outside it looked as if the city were enveloped in a thick fog.

A big fire like that is not a pleasant sight, but fortunately for us, it was all over, and we went back to our various jobs. Just as we were starting dinner: another air-raid alarm. The food was good, but I lost my appetite the moment I heard the siren. Nothing happened, however, and forty-five minutes later the all-clear was sounded. After the washing-up: another air-raid warning, gunfire, and swarms of planes. ‘Oh gosh, twice in one day,’ we thought, ‘that’s twice too many.’ Little good that did us, because once again the bombs rained down, this time on the other side of the city. According to British reports, Schiphol Airport was bombed. The planes dived and climbed, the air was abuzz with the drone of engines. It was very scary, and the whole time I kept thinking, ‘Here it comes, this is it.’

I can assure you that when I went to bed at nine, my legs were still shaking. At the stroke of midnight, I woke up again: more planes! Dussel was undressing, but I took no notice and leaped up, wide awake, at the sound of the first shot. I stayed in Father’s bed until one, in my own bed until one-thirty, and was back in Father’s bed at two. But the planes kept on coming.

Vocabulary list:

Warning siren — a loud alarm that sounds when there is a potential threat or danger

Drone — a constant sound

Abuzz — buzzing

• What happens to Anne Frank on the day before she makes this diary entry? (1 mark)
• Find three verbs that Anne Frank uses to convey the dramatic intensity of her day. Explain with each verb why it is so dramatic. (6 marks)
• Re-read the second paragraph of the extract, beginning ‘The first warning siren went off…’. Select four powerful words or phrases, and analyze their effects. You should write in full PEE paragraphs and include an analysis of imagery in your answer. (10 marks)
• “Anne Frank must have had a very unhappy life.” To what extent do you agree with this statement? Write an argumentative essay with an Introduction, middle paragraphs, and a conclusion that explores your opinion on this question. (25 marks)
• Write your own diary entry in which you explain a difficult experience. Use first-person pronouns (I/me/my/we/our) and speak in the past tense, as if you are describing the event just after it has happened. Try to use a range of punctuation and language devices. (40 marks)

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iGCSE English 0500 Journal Writing

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Lesson (complete)

Last updated

23 September 2023

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This is an engaging lesson to teach and learn how to approach Journal Entry writing for the iGCSE English 0500 specification. This lesson has been prepared in adherance to the current CIE syllabus for the exams starting 2020.

The resource contents include: -What a journal is -What makes a good journal -Features of a journal -A sample of a journal based on a CIE Past paper.

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Cambridge igcse 0500 first language english model answers for past papers.

Cambridge IGCSE 0500 First Language English Past Paper Sample Answers and Model Answers, Tips and Techniques, Answer Structure and Organisation, Summary Writing, Directed Writing, Writer's Effect, Journals, Reports, Interviews

CIE 0500 Journal Writing First Language English Techniques

  Hello, there all IGCSE students taking their exams soon😃

In yesterday's blog post, I put a to-do list for journals for that quick last-minute revision before the exam. But I realised that wasn't enough and students might need exemplary answers for Cambridge IGCSE FLE Paper 1 journal writing. 

So this post comes to the rescue when you need the perfect response to a journal writing question. Read on

This blog post will cover:

1. What is Journal Writing?

2. What are the steps taken to attempt the question?

3. What are the techniques for journal writing?

4. How do we take care of GAPSS in writing a journal?

What is Journal Writing? 

Ever written a diary in bed after that fight with a friend, after that nagging by mom or perhaps after that A* at school? If yes, journal writing should be a cakewalk for you🎂. No, trust me, it would be. Just keep reading!

Journals are just more sophisticated ways of writing a diary, albeit with more facts, information, opinions, emotions, feelings and thoughts. Also, journals discuss the order of events that happened in a person's life over some time, along with their reactions to those happenings.

What are the steps taken to attempt the question?

Step 1: Open the Question paper, and read the question for journal writing in Paper 1 Reading.

Step 2: Underline the keywords asked in the question from A1, A2  and A3. 

Step 3: Colour Code or Highlight them with three different colours.

Step 4: Now head to the Reading Booklet Insert and look for the corresponding passage.

Step 5: Highlight the content points with three distinct colours for A1, A2 and A3. 

Step 6: Now, come back to the Question paper (which is also the answer sheet) and start writing the content points in the order of events using journal techniques and style. 

The above process can be summarised into the following sub-steps:

I call this mnemonic   AAESA, for a holistic response to Directed Writing Questions of Paper 1 Reading. 

A nnotate the content points in the insert.

A ccumulate the content points in a cohesively and concise 

E valuate the passage for implicit/hidden meanings and ideas.

S ynthesise the content points using journal style, reflective tone and other journal techniques.

A dd opinions and beliefs putting yourself into the writer's shoes and develop your content points, 

What are the techniques for journal writing?

How do we take care of GAPSS in writing a journal?

GAPSS is another mnemonic to remember for a top-scoring answer for any genre, from reports and interviews to journals and letters. It stands for :

Genre:           The kind of writing, such as journal, interview, and reports.

Audience:     The one person or people the text is written or spoken for.

Purpose:        The reason for writing the text. 

Style:             The register and tone of the text.

Speaker:         The person who is writing or speaking the text. 

Take the following example from the May-June series of 0990 Cambridge IGCSE First Language English Paper 2:

Look out for the colour code of the GAPS 

Style 

Question: 

Read Passage A in the insert and answer this question

Imagine you are a zookeeper. Later that evening you write in your journal reflecting on your thoughts and feelings about your life now and how things have changed.

Write your journal

In your journal you should include:

describe what you have to do each day , why you do it and how that makes you feel

explain what you have noticed about the boy and his father and your feelings about each of them

consider how things have changed for you and the world around you since you first started working at the zoo and suggest what you think the future may hold for you.

Base your passage on what you have read in Passage A, but be careful to use your own words. Address each of the three bullet points.

Begin your journal, ‘Today was…’

Write about 250 to 350 words.

In tomorrow's post, I shall be taking a Cambridge IGCSE 0500 FLE past paper for journal writing and writing a sample answer for it. Do not forget to have a quick look at the revision to-do list for journals.

Keep in touch here!

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All you need to know about IGCSE Journal writing: IGCSE English Leaflet Writing

• Created on March 18, 2022
• Blog , Exam Tips , IGCSE

One of the easiest ways to score for the IGCSE English Language is tackling Paper 1 which is also known as IGCSE English Journal. The IGCSE English Journal can require students to write a leaflet to convey a message. Hence, today, Tutopiya will run through all you need to know to perfect the IGCSE English Leaflet Writing.

Read also: IGCSE English – Tips for Reading and Writing + Exam Resources

What is IGCSE English Journal?

The IGCSE Journal is an entry that is written by a writer that recounts the events that happened in their life. It also includes their thoughts, emotions, ideas, and beliefs. The IGCSE Journal Writing is part of the IGCSE English Language. 

About IGCSE English Leaflet Writing

IGCSE English Leaflet Writing can be present in IGCSE English Language Paper 1 which is a written paper consisting of 20% of the total grade. Paper 1 is a one-hour paper and requires students to complete 2 written tasks. Candidates will be asked to write any two of the following text types:

• Speech/Talk 

Tackling the IGCSE English Leaflet Writing

Since there are several types of writing that a student may be tasked to write, we will zoom in on Leaflet Writing in this piece today. 

Tips to ace your IGCSE English Leaflet Writing 

Here are a couple of useful tips for candidates to take away and note with regards to leaflet writing! 

1 – Plan out what you intend to write 

Use clear headings to separate each section or point and include a topic sentence to allow readers to understand what you are going to convey in this section. Spice up your piece using different sentence structures and tones to convey your message. Leaflets may also contain bullet points and slogans! 

2 – Make sure you are answering the question. (What is the purpose?)

Be clear about what you need to write, always refer back to the questions and the purpose of your leaflet. 

3 – Ensure that your language and tone fit the genre of writing you are going for. 

Are you writing a report or saying a speech? Be sure to take into account how many formalities you need to include when working on different types of writing genres. 

4 – Include a variety of sentence structures, types, and starters. 

This will show your examiner that you are able to deliver a variety of sentences with the intended effect. This intended effect should evoke a certain emotion, fitting to what you are tasked to write about. 

5 – Appropriate and accurate use of complex punctuation.

This will display your skills and ability in writing, showing the examiners that you are capable of using complex punctuation to enhance your writing and make it meaningful for readers. 

6 – Read and ensure that your sentences are structured to get your point across. 

At the end of your writing, be sure to read through over and over and ensure that your sentences are structured meaningfully. Your sentences should make sense and flow logically and smoothly for readers to understand easily. 

7 – Check through and try not to misspell any words 

Be sure to check for spelling and grammar errors which can result in unnecessary loss of marks. 

8 – Strong call to action 

Make sure you finish your leaflet strong with a call to action. Are you convincing your readers to read, attend or buy? What is your intended outcome? 

Let’s run through an example together! 

Q: Write a persuasive leaflet to educate teenagers to get fit (20 marks) 

To start, let’s have a plan. There are several pointers when it comes to writing for examinations and you may be aware of one or two. Let’s use the PAC and  PEEL methods to tackle this leaflet! 

What is PAC?

PAC stands for, Purpose, Audience, and Context. PAC is usually used at the beginning before writing. Students should identify the PAC of text to have an idea of where to begin. Let’s give it a go!

Purpose: What is the purpose of the leaflet? To persuade. 

Audience: Who is the target audience? Teenagers. 

Context: Promoting exercises to get teenagers fit and healthy 

What is the PEEL method?

PEEL stands for, Point, Explanation, Evidence, and Link. PEEL is usually used to convey one section of the essay or give a rough idea of the essay. (in this case, the leaflet). PEEL helps to organize ideas and thoughts into 4 simple and digestible parts. Let’s give it a shot!

Leaflet structure

I am currently a full-time student studying at a local university in Singapore while freelancing as a writer. I enjoy writing and sharing useful education-related tips with my fellow studying peers. During my leisure time, I enjoy doing creative arts and volunteering work. I am passionate about sharing my experience as a student! ☺

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IGCSE Writing Skills

Topic outline.

This resource has been developed to support your teaching of writing skills, including teaching learners how to create and compose a variety of text types. 

The text types focused on in this resource are: article, email, report, letter, speech and essay. 

 As the resource focuses on the text type rather than the assessment no marks are given for example texts included.

Please note: It is very important to check which of the writing skills and text types are covered in the syllabus you are teaching. Not all text types are assessed for every syllabus. 

Writing: Exercise 6 (Writing an article)

This is the final exercise of Paper 1 and 2. It can be an article, a report or a review writing. We’ll look at articles here.

You will be given a topic (more like a question to ponder up on) on which you have to write your views and opinions. This can either be a two-sided article (for and against) or a one-sided article (just your opinion). It is up to you to decide.

The topics usually given for this exercise are easy enough that you can come up with points right there in the exam, but it is good if you read upon various issues from around the word (obesity, technological influences, environmental issues, animal welfare, teenager issues etc).

So here’s how to attempt this question:

• Before you start it is a good idea that you come up with a plan . Use the blank space below the question to make your plan, in pencil. In your plan write down the answers to these questions:
• The audience : this will be specified in the question (it is almost always a school magazine). So when you write, keep in mind that you need to write to that audience. Your language, tone and vocabulary should reflect this.
• Is my article going to be two-sided or one-sided?  If you know a lot about the topic and can weigh up the pros and cons, then go for two-sided. If you’re not too knowledgeable about it, stick to one-sided.
• How do I introduce the topic? Start off by saying what the topic is and how important the topic is in today’s world. Why it is such a problem? Or is it a problem?
• What’s in the body ? Write down three points . (If it’s two-sided write two pros and two cons) . You will develop your body based on these points. A few points will be given in your question paper, and you can use those!
• How will I conclude the article? You need to sum up your points and give your final opinion (even if it’s two-sided, give your final opinion on the matter).
• Organise . By now, you’ve pretty much come up with the contents of your article. Now organise your points into paragraphs.
• One-sided Article: Paragraph 1: Introduction
• Paragraph 2: First point with justification (or counter-argument)
• Paragraph 3: Second point with justification (or counter-argument)
• Paragraph 4: Opposing point which you contradict (here, you state a point said by people who have a different opinion from yours and explain why they are wrong. This is called argument and   counter-argument )
• Paragraph 5: Conclusion- summary, (solution?), repeat your opinion
• Two-sided Article: Paragraph 1: Introduction
• Paragraph 2: Advantages/’For’
• Paragraph 3: Disadvantages/’Against’
• Paragraph 4: Conclusion- Summary and final opinion
• Write . Use a variety of connecting words and argumentative phrases . Examples:
• Expressing opinions: I agree/ disagree with the above statement that
• In my opinion
• I believe that
• I am in favour of
• I am against the idea of
• It seems to me that
• I sympathize with
• Presenting and contrasting opinions: The main argument in favour/ against is
• It is often said that
• First of all I should like to consider
• Apart from that
• Even though
• Furthermore
• In addition
• Nevertheless
• Despite the fact that/ In spite of
• On the other hand
• On the contrary
• What is more
• What matters most in this case is
• It is a fact that
• There is no doubt that
• Reasoning: Because of
• As a result of
• Consequently
• On account of
• Concluding: To sum up
• To conclude
• It can be concluded that
• Thus, I am of the opinion that
• Argumentative verbs (use these instead of say/tell ):

Here’s an example of a  one-sided article . This is one-sided because, even though it weighs up both ‘for’ and ‘against’ points, in each paragraph it contradicts the ‘for’ points and alludes to the same conclusion that zoos should be abolished. This is called the argument/counter-argument format.

• Use your own points , words and phrases as far as possible. The more original your content is, the better.
• Give a suitable title
• Keep to the word limit 150-200 words. Exceeding a little over 200 is not a problem.
• Always have an introduction and conclusion
• Always organise your points into paragraphs . One para for each point (one-sided) or all advantages in one para and disadvantages in another para (two-sided) is the ideal format.
• A final opinion has to be given.
• Punctuation, spelling and grammar is very important. Check your writing once you’re done.

Time Management

For the core paper 1 take 20 minutes for this exercise

For the extended paper 2, 30 minutes should suffice to answer this question. Spend 10 minutes to come up with a plan, 15 minutes to organise and write your article. Use the 5 minutes left to read over your article, make changes and correct spelling, grammar and punctuation errors.

Notes submitted by Lintha

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46 thoughts on “ Writing: Exercise 6 (Writing an article) ”

wonderful! hope you keep updating with the new Syllabus

OMGGGG this information in awesome, thanks a lottt. Tomorrow im having a test on this!!!!!!!!

Like Liked by 1 person

Hi, this post was really helpful, but I have a question. Is it ok to take a stand (for or against) in magazine article writing? It is not a persuasive writing.

It’s preferable to remain neutral when it comes to magazine articles unless the specific topic you are addressing in the article expects you to take a stand for something, then go for it.

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