Writing Skills · Class 10 English · Words and Expressions: quick revision, 24 bites

Why the Letter Is Worth Planning

Five marks with no surprises.

Takeaway. Know the format, read the question, collect the marks.

The Formal Letter Top to Bottom

Eight parts, one order.

Takeaway. Same order, every letter.

Send Dad's Reply Soon

A sentence that remembers for you.

**S**end **D**ad's **R**eply **S**oon, **S**ister; **B**ring **C**ake **S**aturday.

Takeaway. Eight words, eight parts.

The Subject Line

One line that does the sorting.

Takeaway. If the subject could fit any letter, rewrite it.

Salutation and Close

Openings and closings come in pairs.

Takeaway. Match the pair; never mix formal and friendly.

Shaping the Body

Three jobs, three paragraphs.

Takeaway. One job per paragraph earns the organisation mark.

Five Kinds of Letter

Same format, different middles.

Takeaway. Name the purpose before you write.

Register Slips

Friendly is not formal.

Takeaway. Polite and firm beats angry and loud.

Plan Before You Write

Two minutes that save a mark.

Takeaway. Read, underline, note, then write.

Use the Details Given

The name is not yours to choose.

If the question says 'You are the Sports Secretary', add that designation under the name.

Takeaway. Copy the given details exactly.

The Board's Marking Split

Where the five marks go.

Takeaway. Format is the easiest mark to secure.

Particulars Make a Complaint

Vague against exact.

Vague: "The water supply in our area is very bad and nobody cares."

Takeaway. Give the reader facts to act on.

The Analytical Paragraph

Five marks for reading data well.

Takeaway. Read the data, then shape the paragraph.

The Five-Part Shape

Big picture first, detail second.

Takeaway. This order earns the organisation marks.

What, Who, When, Wow

Four questions before you write.

Takeaway. Circle the wow figures; build on them.

List Against Analysis

Describing is not analysing.

Takeaway. Relate the figures; do not recite them.

Language of Trends

Words that carry the movement.

Takeaway. Pick the verb that matches the size of the change.

Per Cent or Percentage Points?

Two numbers that look alike.

A share rising from **20%** to **30%** has risen by **10 percentage points**.

Takeaway. Points for the gap; per cent for the proportion.

What Not to Do

Four quick ways to lose marks.

Takeaway. Select, compare, check.

Club Data, Analysed

A model in five moves.

*The table compares how many students of a Pune school joined four clubs in 2022 and 2025. The clearest change is the rise of coding, from 20 to 70. Music fell by a quarter, from 60 to 45, while sports stayed on top at 95.*

Takeaway. Every sentence does a job.

Deciding From Cues

When the cues describe people or plans.

Takeaway. Any choice can score if the reasoning uses the cues.

The Board's Marking Split

Where the five marks go.

There is **no format mark**, and no title.

Takeaway. Organisation is worth as much as content here.

Numbers Are Content

Check the maths you write.

Takeaway. One wrong figure undoes a good sentence.

Where You Will Use It

The skill outside the exam.

Takeaway. Reading data and deciding from it is a life skill.