Practical Writing
AdvancedFormat matters most.
- In practical writing, format decides: title, To, From, Date — miss none.
- Findings speak in numbers: sample size, percentages, daily counts.
- Name the obstacle (inconvenience, cost) so the recommendations look targeted.
文體小知識：Letters, emails, articles.
§Text Passage
1Proposal for a Green Campus Scheme To: Miss Lam, Student Affairs Office. From: Chris Wong, Chairperson of the Environmental Club. Date: 12 May 2026. Introduction: This proposal outlines measures to reduce waste in our school canteen and invites the Student Affairs Office to adopt a Green Campus Scheme this semester.
2Findings: Our survey of 400 students shows that 68 per cent use disposable lunch boxes daily, while the canteen discards roughly 900 plastic items every school day. Interviews with canteen staff confirm that most of the waste comes from takeaway boxes and plastic cutlery. Students told us they want to help but find reusable boxes inconvenient to carry and wash. The problem is serious, growing, and entirely within our power to solve.
3Recommendations: We suggest two measures. First, install water refill stations on each floor so that bottled drinks become unnecessary. Second, launch a bring-your-own-container reward scheme under which students who bring reusable boxes receive a stamp, and ten stamps earn a free drink. We also propose that the tuck shop phase out plastic straws by the end of the term. Both measures are cheap, visible and easy to monitor.
4Benefits: These measures would cut canteen waste by half within a year, save the canteen money on disposables, and nurture environmentally responsible citizens. They would also give our school a practical example of the green values we already teach in class. A greener canteen would also strengthen our application for the Green School Award. Conclusion: We sincerely hope the Student Affairs Office will consider adopting the scheme this semester. The Environmental Club is ready to assist with promotion and monitoring, and further details are available on request.
§Sentence-by-sentence translation Sentence-by-sentence translation
Proposal for a Green Campus Scheme
校園綠化計劃建議書
To: Miss Lam, Student Affairs Office. From: Chris Wong, Chairperson of the Environmental Club. Date: 12 May 2026.
致：學生事務處林老師。由：環境學會主席Chris Wong。日期：2026年5月12日。
Introduction: This proposal outlines measures to reduce waste in our school canteen and invites the Student Affairs Office to adopt a Green Campus Scheme this semester.
引言：本建議書提出減少學校食堂浪費的措施，並邀請學生事務處於本學期推行「校園綠化計劃」。
Findings: Our survey of 400 students shows that 68 per cent use disposable lunch boxes daily, while the canteen discards roughly 900 plastic items every school day.
調查結果：我們訪問了400名學生，顯示68%每日使用即棄飯盒，而食堂每個上學日約棄置900件塑膠製品。
Interviews with canteen staff confirm that most of the waste comes from takeaway boxes and plastic cutlery.
與食堂職員的訪談證實，大部分廢物來自外賣盒和塑膠餐具。
Students told us they want to help but find reusable boxes inconvenient to carry and wash.
受訪學生表示樂意幫忙，卻覺得攜帶和清洗可重用餐盒不便。
The problem is serious, growing, and entirely within our power to solve.
問題嚴重且不斷惡化，但完全在我們能力範圍之內可以解決。
Recommendations: We suggest two measures.
建議：我們提出兩項措施。
First, install water refill stations on each floor so that bottled drinks become unnecessary.
第一，在每層樓安裝斟水站，令樽裝飲品變得不再必要。
Second, launch a bring-your-own-container reward scheme under which students who bring reusable boxes receive a stamp, and ten stamps earn a free drink.
第二，推出「自攜餐盒獎勵計劃」：自攜可重用餐盒的學生可獲蓋章一枚，集滿十個可換取免費飲品一支。
We also propose that the tuck shop phase out plastic straws by the end of the term.
我們亦建議小食部在本學期結束前逐步停用塑膠飲管。
Both measures are cheap, visible and easy to monitor.
兩項措施成本廉宜、效果顯而易見，而且容易監察。
Benefits: These measures would cut canteen waste by half within a year, save the canteen money on disposables, and nurture environmentally responsible citizens.
好處：這些措施一年內可令食堂廢物減半、為食堂節省即棄用品的開支，並培養有環保責任感的公民。
They would also give our school a practical example of the green values we already teach in class.
這亦為學校提供一個實際例子，示範我們課堂上一直教授的綠色價值觀。
A greener canteen would also strengthen our application for the Green School Award.
更綠色的食堂亦能有助學校申請「綠色學校獎」。
Conclusion: We sincerely hope the Student Affairs Office will consider adopting the scheme this semester.
結語：我們衷心希望學生事務處考慮於本學期採納此計劃。
The Environmental Club is ready to assist with promotion and monitoring, and further details are available on request.
環境學會樂意協助宣傳和監察；如需進一步資料，歡迎隨時查詢。
1Summary 重點摘要
Format matters most.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
Practical.
Letter.
Email.
Article.
Report.
Proposal.
Format.
語氣。
3Step by step Steps
- LetterFormal letters live by format: Dear + title, clear paragraphs, Yours sincerely (name known) or Yours faithfully (name unknown) — follow exactly whoever the question names; format marks are the easiest marks to collect.
- EmailEmails need a Subject line: one line stating the purpose; then Dear + title, the request, thanks and signature — as polite as a letter but shorter and more direct.
- ArticleArticles need a title and paragraphs: catchy headline, an opening hook, points in the middle, a call at the end — know your target audience and the tone follows (friendly for peers, formal for the principal).
- ReportReports and proposals put format first: title (Proposal for a Green Campus Scheme), To (Miss Lam, Student Affairs Office), From (Chris Wong, Chairperson), Date — miss one item and the format marks vanish; get them all and they are yours.
- Let data speakLet findings speak in numbers: a survey of 400 students, 68 per cent using disposable lunch boxes daily, the canteen discarding roughly 900 plastic items every school day — sample size, percentage, daily count; the more specific, the more credible. “Lots of waste” convinces nobody.
- Name the obstaclesName the obstacles so the plan lands: students want to help but find reusable boxes inconvenient to carry and wash — problem and obstacle together make your recommendations hit the mark.
- Suggestions plus benefitsKeep suggestions cheap, visible and easy to monitor: water refill stations on each floor; a stamp reward scheme (ten stamps, one free drink); benefits in three layers — half the waste, money saved, a stronger Green School Award bid — and offer to help at the close.
5Worked example Example
The model is the Environmental Club's Green Campus Scheme proposal. Examine its format, its use of data, and how the recommendations answer the obstacle it names.
- Step 1: The format is complete: title, To, From, Date, then Introduction, Findings, Recommendations, Benefits, Conclusion.
- Step 2: The findings speak in numbers: 400 students surveyed, 68 per cent using disposable boxes daily, roughly 900 plastic items binned each school day.
- Step 3: The obstacle is named honestly: students want to help but find reusable boxes inconvenient to carry and wash.
- Step 4: Recommendations answer that obstacle: refill stations on every floor, and a stamp scheme — ten stamps earn a free drink — plus phasing out straws.
- Step 5: Benefits stack three ways — half the waste in a year, money saved, a stronger Green School Award application — with the club offering to help.
- Answer: The proposal models practical writing at its cleanest. The header is complete — title, To, From, Date — and the body follows Introduction, Findings, Recommendations, Benefits, Conclusion. Persuasion comes from evidence: a survey of 400 students showing 68 per cent daily use of disposable boxes, canteen figures of roughly 900 plastic items a day, and staff interviews confirming takeaway boxes as the source. Crucially, the proposal names the obstacle — reusable boxes are inconvenient — so its two recommendations answer it directly: water refill stations on every floor and a bring-your-own-container stamp scheme where ten stamps earn a free drink, with straws phased out by term's end. Everything is 'cheap, visible and easy to monitor'. Benefits multiply — halved waste, saved money, a stronger award bid — and the club offers to help with promotion and monitoring.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1Types?
Q2Format?
Q3Tone?
Q4Formal letter?
Q5Email?
Q6Tip?
8Recap Recap
- In practical writing, format decides: title, To, From, Date — miss none.
- Findings speak in numbers: sample size, percentages, daily counts.
- Name the obstacle (inconvenience, cost) so the recommendations look targeted.
- Good proposals are cheap, visible and easy to monitor.
- Stack the benefits — waste, money, school image — and offer to help at the close.