Notice, Report and Article Writing
Notice, Report and Article Writing
These three short forms give 1 to 2 questions and each has a fixed format the paper can test unambiguously. A notice on a school board and a report of a school function are documents a middle-school teacher produces regularly.
The Notice
A notice is a short formal announcement displayed publicly. It is written in a box, in the third person, and never exceeds about fifty words.
- Name of the issuing body, at the top.
- The word NOTICE in capitals.
- Date of issue.
- A short heading stating the subject.
- Body — what, when, where and who it concerns.
- Signature, name and designation of the writer.
A notice must answer what, when, where and who in as few words as possible. It carries no salutation and no complimentary close, which is the fault candidates commit most often by treating it as a letter.
✗ Beginning a notice with Dear Students | ✓ A notice has no salutation; it is impersonal and written in the third person
The Report
| Element | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Headline | Short and factual |
| By-line | By and the writer's name and role |
| Place and date | At the start of the first paragraph |
| Opening | What happened, where and when |
| Body | Details in order of importance, then chronology |
| Closing | Outcome, or a quoted remark |
A report is written in the third person and the past tense, and it reports rather than comments. Personal opinion is a fault, however favourable. The passive voice is common in reports for exactly this reason — it keeps the writer out of the account, which links back to the voice topic in the grammar chapter.
The reports actually set are school occasions: a sports day, a science exhibition, a prize distribution, a tree-plantation drive, or an inspection visit.
The Article
An article is a piece of considered writing for a newspaper or magazine on a subject of general interest. Unlike a report, it may and should carry a viewpoint.
- Title — short and interesting.
- By-line — the writer's name.
- Opening — states the issue and why it matters now.
- Body — two or three paragraphs developing the argument with examples.
- Conclusion — a suggestion or a call to act.
The distinction the paper tests is straightforward: a report tells what happened and a notice tells what will happen, while an article argues what should happen. Three forms, three purposes, and the format follows from the purpose in each case.
Typical article subjects are the ones a teacher would be asked to write on: the value of reading, plastic waste, road safety near a school, screen time among children, or girls' education. Each needs a position, not merely a description — and that requirement is what separates it from a report in the marking.
Notice — क्या होगा; Report — क्या हुआ; Article — क्या होना चाहिए।
TRE pointer: Format questions are the whole of this topic, and the three faults tested are a salutation in a notice, opinion in a report, and no viewpoint in an article. The fifty-word limit for a notice is asked directly. Since a teacher writes notices and reports as part of the job, expect a school setting. With five options and −1/3 negative marking, format rules are answerable with certainty.
60-Second Recap
- A notice is boxed, impersonal, third person, about fifty words, with no salutation.
- It must answer what, when, where and who.
- A report is third person and past tense, factual, with no personal opinion.
- Reports commonly use the passive voice to keep the writer out.
- An article carries a viewpoint and ends with a suggestion or call to act.
- Notice tells what will happen, report what happened, article what should happen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the word limit for a notice?
About fifty words. A notice must answer what, when, where and who as briefly as possible, since it is displayed on a board and read at a glance. Exceeding the limit is penalised even when the content is otherwise correct and complete.
Should a notice begin with a salutation?
No. A notice is impersonal and written in the third person, so it carries no salutation and no complimentary close. Beginning with Dear Students is the most common error, and it comes from treating a notice as a kind of letter.
What is the difference between a report and an article?
A report states what happened, factually and in the past tense, without the writer's opinion. An article argues what should happen and is expected to carry a viewpoint, ending with a suggestion. Supplying opinion in a report, or omitting it from an article, is a fault.
Why are reports often written in the passive voice?
Because the passive keeps the writer out of the account and puts the focus on the event rather than on who is describing it. A report is meant to be impersonal, and the passive voice is the grammatical tool that achieves that impersonality.