NOTICE (Question 3): the boxed format with every element, and a complete worked example.
Topic: Notice — format and marking
Answer
THE SKELETON — draw a BOX around the whole notice
- NAME OF THE INSTITUTION — at the top, centred.
- The word NOTICE.
- DATE.
- HEADING — a short title for the event, in capitals or underlined.
- BODY — about 50 words, answering WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHO and HOW.
- NAME AND DESIGNATION of the writer — both. A name without an office has no authority.
MARKS DIVISION (5 marks) Format — about 2 marks, including the box. Content — about 2 marks: the five Ws must all be answerable from your notice. Expression — about 1 mark: formal, impersonal and BRIEF.
THE THREE MISTAKES THAT COST MARKS EVERY YEAR Writing in the FIRST PERSON. A notice is never "I am happy to inform you"; it is impersonal throughout. Omitting the DESIGNATION under the name. Writing a PARAGRAPH OF PROSE. A notice is a set of facts; numbered points are clearer and faster.
There are no extra marks for length. The time belongs to Questions 4 and 5.
WORKED MODEL
============================================ ST. XAVIER’S HIGH SCHOOL, KOLKATA ============================================
NOTICE
12 March 2025
INTER-SCHOOL STORY WRITING COMPETITION
The school will host an Inter-School Story Writing Competition on Saturday, 5 April 2025, in the Assembly Hall from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Students of Classes IX and X who wish to participate may note the following:
- Entries must be original and between 500 and 700 words.
- The theme will be announced on the spot.
- Prizes will be awarded for the first three places.
- Names may be submitted to the undersigned in the Staff Room by 28 March 2025.
Ananya Sen Head Girl ============================================
THE FIVE Ws CHECKLIST — run through it before you stop writing WHAT is happening (the event, named) WHEN (day, date AND time) WHERE (the venue) WHO may take part (which classes, who is eligible) HOW to respond (where to register, and by when)
If any one of these is missing, a content mark goes with it.
DRAW THE BOX. It takes four seconds, it is part of the format mark, and examiners look for it.
Keep the body to about 50 words. A notice that runs to 150 words is not a better notice — it is a worse one, and it costs you time in a paper where Questions 4 and 5 carry forty marks between them.