Year 6 · SPaG · Spring: Formal and informal writing
Year 6 formal and informal writing worksheet and PowerPoint
To recognise formal and informal language and to choose the level of formality that suits the reader and purpose.
Formal or informal?
We choose our words to suit our reader and our purpose. Informal language is for friends and family. Formal language is for letters, reports and people we do not know well.
| informal | contractions (don’t), slang (awesome), short words (kids, get), exclamations, chatty phrases |
|---|---|
| formal | full words (do not), serious vocabulary (children, obtain), polite phrases, longer sentences |
| examples | informal: Can you give me a hand? / formal: Could you please assist me? |
Examples
- Kids aren’t allowed in here. (informal)
- Children are not permitted in this area. (formal)
Key words
- formal
- serious, careful language for letters and reports
- informal
- relaxed, chatty language for friends and family
- audience
- the people who will read or hear your writing
- slang
- very informal words used in everyday talk
What is on the worksheet
Every sheet for this lesson has a short teaching box and 12 questions that get gradually harder: 8 fluency questions, then 4 reasoning questions that ask pupils to explain or choose. A writing challenge follows. The questions use the same styles as the key stage 2 grammar and punctuation test (circle, underline, tick, fill the gap, add punctuation, rewrite, explain). They are written for this website, not copied from past papers.
All the answers are on the last page of the same editable Word file. New questions are made every time, so you can print a different sheet for every group or for homework. The same sheet code always gives the same sheet.
Writing challenge: Write the same invitation twice: once as a text to a friend, and once as a letter to the headteacher. Underline the words you changed.
Pupil target: I can tell formal from informal writing.
The PowerPoint
A 20-slide lesson deck for the same lesson: a starter that revisits earlier learning, key words, an I do and a You do question on each slide with a countdown timer, answers that appear one click at a time, and a challenge. Download the formal and informal writing PowerPoint.
Where this lesson fits
This is lesson 42 of 72 in the Year 6 SPaG scheme, in the Spring term, block “Formal and informal writing”. It is taught before the SATs grammar test in May.
Other lessons in this block
- The subjunctive in formal writing
- Question tags
- Formal vocabulary
- Writing in a formal style
- Standard English
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