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How to Write an Information Report: Structure and Language Features — Answers

Answer sheet with model answers and success criteria for the Year 7 informative writing worksheet.

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Success TutoringWorksheetsAnswer sheetYear 7 · English · Informative Writing

How to Write an Information Report: Structure and Language Features — Answers

Part A: Structure

An information report has: a title, a general statement, paragraphs under subheadings and a concluding statement.

1.What is the job of paragraph (A)?
  1. AIt tells a story about an octopus
  2. BIt is the general statement: it classifies the subject and gives an overview
  3. CIt gives the writer's opinion
  4. DIt is the concluding statement

Answer: It is the general statement: it classifies the subject and gives an overview

An information report opens by saying what the subject is (a cephalopod, a sea animal) and giving a broad overview (number of species, where they live).

2.What is the job of paragraph (E)?
  1. AIt introduces a new fact
  2. BIt is the concluding statement: it sums up the main ideas
  3. CIt is a subheading
  4. DIt lists sources

Answer: It is the concluding statement: it sums up the main ideas

The final statement draws together the main ideas (bodies, hunting, camouflage) without adding new information.

3.Why does the report use subheadings?

Answer: Subheadings group related facts together and help readers find information quickly. Each subheading tells the reader what the section is about.

4.The subheading before paragraph (D) is confusing. Write a better subheading.

Answer: Staying safe

  1. Any short, clear subheading about how octopuses avoid predators is correct, for example Escaping predators or Staying safe.
5.Paragraph (C) is the shortest. Suggest one more fact that would fit under Hunting and diet, and explain why it belongs there.

Answer: Model: Some octopuses use venom to stun their prey. It belongs there because it describes how octopuses catch their food. (Any relevant fact about hunting or feeding is correct.)

Part B: Language features

Circle True or False.

6.The report is written mostly in the present tense (live, hunt, have).

Answer: True

Reports describe things as they generally are, so they use the present tense.

7.The report uses first person (I, my) to share the writer's experiences.

Answer: False

Reports are written in the third person (they, octopuses) to sound objective.

8.The words cephalopods, camouflage and species are examples of technical vocabulary.

Answer: True

Technical words are precise subject-specific terms. Good reports explain or show their meaning in context.

9.The sentence "Octopuses are the coolest animals ever" would suit this report.

Answer: False

That is an opinion and uses informal language. Reports stick to facts.

10.The report is about octopuses in general, not one particular octopus.

Answer: True

Reports use general nouns (octopuses, most species) rather than describing an individual animal.

Part C: Sort the notes

Write a suitable subheading for each group of notes.

11.Facts: can live for more than 60 years in the wild; can weigh more than 5000 kg. Subheading: (answer space)

Answer: Size and lifespan

Any subheading about size, growth or how long the animal lives is correct.

12.Facts: eats mostly plants; spends many hours each day feeding. Subheading: (answer space)

Answer: Diet

Any subheading about food or feeding (Diet, What it eats, Feeding) is correct.

13.Facts: lives in grasslands and forests; moves long distances in search of water. Subheading: (answer space)

Answer: Habitat

Any subheading about where the animal lives (Habitat, Where it lives) is correct.

14.These three sets of notes are all about the African elephant. Write a general statement (1–2 sentences) to open a report about it.

Answer: Model: The African elephant is the largest land animal on Earth. It is a plant-eating mammal found in many parts of Africa, from open grasslands to thick forests.

Part D: Your turn

15.Your turn: write a short information report (about 200 words) on an animal, a planet, a sport or an invention you know well. Include a title, a general statement, at least two paragraphs under subheadings, and a concluding statement. Use present tense, third person and at least three technical words.

Model answer: Jupiter: The Giant Planet — Jupiter is the fifth planet from the sun and the largest planet in our solar system. It is a gas giant, which means it is made mostly of hydrogen and helium and has no solid surface. Size and structure — Jupiter is so large that more than 1000 Earths could fit inside it. Thick bands of cloud swirl around the planet, and beneath them the pressure is so great that hydrogen behaves like a liquid metal. Weather — Jupiter has the most violent weather of any planet. The Great Red Spot is a giant storm, wider than Earth, that has been observed for well over 150 years. Winds in the cloud bands are far stronger than ordinary winds on Earth. Moons — Jupiter has dozens of known moons. The four largest, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, were discovered by Galileo in 1610. With its enormous size, wild storms and family of moons, Jupiter is truly the giant of the solar system.

Success criteria:

  • Title and general statement that classifies the subject
  • At least two paragraphs, each under a clear subheading
  • Concluding statement sums up without adding new facts
  • Present tense and third person used consistently
  • At least three technical words used accurately
  • Facts only, with no personal opinions
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Marking tips

  • Give credit for correct method even when the final answer slips — the working shows where the thinking went right.
  • For open-ended tasks, use the success criteria as a checklist rather than looking for one "right" answer.
  • Celebrate what went well first, then pick one thing to work on next.

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