Explains how Year 7 students structure and write an information report: the classification statement, description paragraphs with subheadings and topic sentences, and an optional conclusion and glossary. Covers the language features of formal, factual writing, with a kiwi model text, a formal-versus-informal table and a self-check.
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Curriculum: New Zealand Curriculum. We show specific outcome codes only where they have been verified against the official curriculum document.
Completed: Informative Writing: Information Reports
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Year 7 students (typically ages 11–12) working on informative writing. It is pitched at level 2 · standard.
This is a study guide, so there is no separate answer sheet; the 'Check yourself' questions include answers.
About 15 minutes. Short, regular sessions work best: two or three a week beats one long one.
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Year 7 · English · Informative Writing
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An information report gives facts about a topic. It describes a whole class of things (sharks, volcanoes, the water cycle) rather than telling one story about one event. Its purpose is to inform, not to persuade or entertain, so it is written in the present tense, in the third person, and in a formal, objective voice with no "I think" or "I reckon".
| Section | Purpose | Example (topic: the kiwi) |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Names the topic | The Kiwi |
| General statement (classification) | Says what the subject is and which group it belongs to | The kiwi is a flightless, nocturnal bird found only in New Zealand. |
| Description paragraphs with subheadings | Each paragraph covers one aspect: appearance, habitat, diet, behaviour, threats | Habitat: Kiwi live in native forest, scrub and tussock grassland… |
| Conclusion (optional) | Sums up or ends with a memorable fact | Although rarely seen, the kiwi remains one of the most unusual birds in the world. |
| Glossary and diagram | Explains technical terms; labels key features | nocturnal: active at night |
Language features. Use technical vocabulary (nocturnal, habitat, predator) and explain it in a glossary. Use the timeless present tense: "Kiwi hunt by smell", not "hunted". Use general nouns (kiwi as a species, not my kiwi) and factual adjectives (flightless, nocturnal, native) rather than opinion adjectives (cute, gross, amazing). Start each paragraph with a topic sentence that announces what the paragraph is about.
Build a paragraph from a topic sentence
Fix an informal sentence
Planning. Research first and jot facts in your own words under subheadings. Order the sections from general to specific: classification, then appearance, then habitat, diet and so on. Write, then edit for tense and tone. Finally, check every fact against your source.
| Opinion or informal (avoid) | Factual and formal (use) |
|---|---|
| Sharks are really scary. | Sharks are apex predators at the top of the ocean food chain. |
| Kiwi have a weird nose. | Kiwi are the only birds with nostrils at the tip of the beak. |
| I think Aoraki is amazing. | Aoraki / Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand. |
| Volcanoes were erupting. | Volcanoes erupt when magma rises through cracks in the Earth's crust. |
Answers: 1. The present tense 2. It says what the subject is and which group or class it belongs to 3. Model answer: Tuatara are reptiles whose relatives lived alongside the dinosaurs, and individuals can live for more than 100 years. 4. nocturnal 5. For example: Appearance, Habitat, Diet, Behaviour, Threats (any three) 6. Model answer: Today most kākāpō live on predator-free islands such as Whenua Hou, where they are closely monitored by rangers.
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Students write an explanation text that describes how a natural process or system works, such as the water cycle, how bees make honey or…
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