First Language English IGCSE: Interview Writing

Summary

Highlights

• Master the art of interview writing for IGCSE English with Taughtly's comprehensive lesson! 📚
• Explore how to maintain a balance between formal and semiformal tones in interviews. 🎙️
• Get tips on capturing a character's voice effectively in scripted interviews. 🗣️
• Learn why the interviewee should dominate the conversation in exam settings. 🏆
• See how filler words and punctuation can add realism to your interview writing. 💬

Key Takeaways

• Understand the importance of V (Voice, Audience, Register, Purpose, Format) for writing interviews in IGCSE exams. 🎤
• Ensure the interviewee talks 95% of the time to capture more reading marks. 🎯
• Use a semiformal tone with a mix of formal and casual elements to make interviews relatable. 🎧
• Layout your interview like a script and include realistic spoken elements like fillers and thoughtful pauses. ✍️
• Each interview should reflect a conversation, so use personal pronouns and direct address. 👥

Overview

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction and Overview The chapter provides an introduction to a broader lesson on writing the six main text types for IGCSE English. It mentions that the full video lesson is over an hour and a half long and is available for viewing online. Additional resources such as worksheets, PowerPoint presentations, and quizzes are also available on the website to support both teachers and students in exam preparation. The chapter hints that all the discussed text types share certain foundational concepts.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Understanding the Interview Prompt In this chapter, the focus is on understanding an interview prompt related to a radio station scenario. It introduces the concept of 'V' which stands for Voice, Audience, Register, Purpose, and Format. The scenario involves the interviewer as a presenter at a local radio station, tasked with interviewing the Headmaster of Elmwood High about the events of the day. The chapter encourages the reader to consider these elements while writing the words of the interview.
• 01:00 - 02:00: Considering Voice, Audience, and Register This chapter discusses the importance of understanding voice, audience, and register in effective communication. It emphasizes that while you may act as a presenter or narrator, you are not the presenter in this context. Instead, the focus is on the questions provided by Cambridge. The primary audience is the local radio show listeners, which determines the register to be used. The presence of a headmaster, the medium of radio, and the local audience are key considerations in selecting the appropriate tone and style for the communication.
• 02:00 - 02:30: Purpose and Format of the Interview The chapter discusses the purpose and format of an interview. It emphasizes that the style of an interview can range from formal to semi-formal, depending on factors such as the participants and the desired tone. The example given involves creating a character for a Headmaster in a narrative, suggesting flexibility in depicting how characters use interviews to convey information. The underlying purpose is to inform about the events of a particular day. The passage reflects on the balance between structured communication and the natural flow of a conversation.
• 02:30 - 03:30: The Nature of Interview Writing The chapter discusses the nature of interview writing, specifically in an academic context such as the Cambridge examinations. It highlights the informal yet structured tone typical of spoken interviews, which can include playful exchanges between the interviewer and interviewee. The focus is primarily on writing radio or TV interviews rather than job interviews. It emphasizes the importance of paying attention to which character, often a secondary rather than the main one, needs to be interviewed based on the given text.
• 03:30 - 04:30: Layout and Language Tips for Scripts The chapter 'Layout and Language Tips for Scripts' emphasizes the tone and language style appropriate for scriptwriting, particularly in the context of podcasts and interviews. It discusses the semi-formal nature of spoken interviews, which often involve dialogues between two people on various topics. When it comes to interview writing, as per Cambridge guidelines, there are typically three main questions provided that the interviewer will ask, and the writer's task is to script the responses. These questions serve as key points in the interview structure.
• 04:30 - 05:30: Using Punctuation and Personal Pronouns The chapter emphasizes the importance of accurately copying down questions in reading exercises without altering them to avoid deviating off-topic, which could lead to lower marks. During interviews, the interviewee should dominate the conversation, speaking 95% of the time, as this will enhance reading scores. The chapter also advises presenting the interview as a script, where the speaker's name is followed by a colon and their dialogue, similar to: 'Andy: so Kayla'.
• 05:30 - 07:00: Useful Phrases for Interviews The chapter titled 'Useful Phrases for Interviews' presumably focuses on providing strategies and tips for crafting effective interviews. The transcript snippet revolves around Kayla expressing her love for English due to the influence of Miss Rook. It suggests that the written transcript should resemble a speech, with the optional inclusion of stage directions to enhance realism. Emphasis is placed on maintaining a realistic tone by using spoken language characteristics like filler words.
• 07:00 - 10:00: Example Interview This chapter, titled 'Example Interview', discusses techniques for making written language sound more conversational. It highlights the use of filler words such as 'well', 'I guess', and 'huh' to mimic spoken language patterns. The chapter advises against overusing these to avoid sounding strange. Additionally, it explains how punctuation marks, like ellipses and dashes, can indicate pauses or shifts in topic, enhancing the spoken quality of written text. An example given is using a dash in a sentence to show a change in topic or direction, such as in the phrase 'Mark drank was accused - well let's not bother with that'. Exclamation marks are also mentioned as a tool to express strong emotions or emphasis.
• 10:00 - 13:00: Analyzing the Example The chapter discusses the nuances of writing an interview transcript in a way that sounds natural and conversational. It emphasizes avoiding excessive punctuation to maintain a normal tone. It stresses the importance of using personal pronouns to make the conversation sound realistic and direct, as if two people are genuinely speaking with each other. The chapter also provides an example of how the interviewee should directly address the interviewer, making the conversation dynamic and engaging.
• 13:00 - 15:00: Conclusion and Additional Resources The chapter 'Conclusion and Additional Resources' provides useful phrases that can be used for writing interview scripts. It encourages listeners to actively engage with the content by asking them to imagine or consider scenarios. The chapter positions these phrases as tools for making interviews relatable and intriguing to an audience, prompting them to reflect on their own experiences or expectations. There is an emphasis on creating a connection with the audience, suggesting lines that can invite audience involvement and curiosity.

First Language English IGCSE: Interview Writing Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 this is an excerpt from a longer video Lesson about how to write the six main text types for IGCSE English if you would like to watch the full video Lesson which is 1 hour and 1550 minutes long you'll find it linked below get the worksheet PowerPoint and even take a review quiz as well as find more exclusive content to help you with your exams on my website whether you're a teacher or a student you'll find something over there that can help you now all of the text types are based on
• 00:30 - 01:00 this story right here I'll flash it up on the screen if you're not familiar feel free to pause and read but otherwise let's get into it moving on to interviews now here is our interview prompt think about the V that's voice audience register purpose and format imagine you are a presenter at a local radio station you interview the Headmaster of Elmwood High about the events of that day write the words of the interview take a look at this prompt what is the
• 01:00 - 01:30 V the voice on is Headmaster this is the main thing that you're going to have to write as yes that there's a presenter but Cambridge will give you those questions so you are not the presenter who is the audience well the audience is people who listen to the local radio show so local listeners is your audience therefore the register well we've got a Headmaster we've got radio and we've got local audience well
• 01:30 - 02:00 together I would say that's more formal more polite but then there's also this spoken element right of two people having a conversation which might make it slightly more semi-formal it depends on what kind of voice you want to create for the Headmaster like what sort of character he would appear to be in the extract now obviously for this one we haven't got an extract so you can make that up the purpose is you're talking about the events of the day so the purpose is to inform and the format is an interview so overall we have got like
• 02:00 - 02:30 a slightly more formal tone but it is spoken so we can have a little bit of ban back and forth between the interviewer and the interviewee now for Cambridge when they ask you to write an interview that is nine times out of 10 a radio interview or a TV interview that's what you're going to be asked to write they won't ask you to write a job interview so it tends to be that you will interview a character in the text that you've been given and often that isn't the main character so make sure you check carefully who you're writing up
• 02:30 - 03:00 essentially you're thinking about a podcast tone it's a talk between two people on a given topic and so the formality will vary it will depend on the text the characters that you're being asked to write about and the topic that you've been given but because it's spoken interviews do tend to be more often than not a semiformal type of text for interview writing Cambridge will give you three questions so they will give you the questions that the interviewer will ask and then your job is to write the responses those three questions are your bullet points so
• 03:00 - 03:30 they're very important for your reading marks therefore you should copy down those questions exactly don't change them right don't add in your own questions because then you're going to go off topic and you're going to get a lower reading Mark and your interviewee should do 95% of the talking because that's where you're going to pick up your reading marks how should you actually write it well you should lay it out like a script like this so you'll put the person's name and colons leave a little bit of a space and then write down what they say example Andy so Kayla
• 03:30 - 04:00 tell me why do you love English so much Kayla well because of Miss Rook of course so this is how it should look like this like a speech if you want to you can also add in stage directions but it's not needed if you don't want do this by using brackets like laughs nods claps something like that again you don't have to do it but it does sound quite nice it does sound quite realistic for an interview tone now because it's spoken you should use spok broken language so you can use filler words or
• 04:00 - 04:30 thinking words like well I guess huh I hadn't thought of that before but don't do that too much or it will start to sound weird and you can also use punctuation to make your writing sound more spoken for example you can use a lipes to show a pause or a dash to show that the speakers changed the direction in their sentence for example Mark drank was accused well let's not bother with that and you put the dash in between to show his changing the topic you can also use an exclamation mark to place
• 04:30 - 05:00 emphasis or show excitement but again don't use these punctuation marks too much or it will start to sound a little bit strange as with speech writing don't forget to use personal pronouns because the interview and interviewer they're speaking to each other right it's two people in conversation so you should try to make it sound like a real conversation by using you your and yours have your interviewee speak directly to the interviewer for example you really can't imagine don't look so surprised surprised right so two people talking to
• 05:00 - 05:30 each other here are some useful phrases that you can use for interview writing for those tuning in I want you to consider listeners keep this in mind as we discuss to all of you out there I encourage you to think about if you're listening right now I want you to imagine to everyone joining us I'm sure you'll find this interesting I'm sure many of you can relate to as you're listening you might be wondering I want to share a perspective with you that could resonate with some of you you
• 05:30 - 06:00 might be surprised to learn that consider this a takeaway for each and every one of you that's an excellent question here's my take on it to answer your question let me explain your question really touches on something I'm very passionate about funny you should ask because the idea actually came to me when now let's take a look at an example interview interviewer good afternoon ladies and gentlemen we have a rather intriguing story for you today fresh
• 06:00 - 06:30 from the halls of Elwood High School joining us is the school's head teacher Mr Reginald Wellington welcome Mr Wellington so remember for Cambridge you just copy out their questions but I couldn't resist I I had to create my own voice Mr Wellington thank you thank you my dear it's always such a pleasure to share my wisdom and insights with the public Mr Wellington the incident that unfolded at your school has everyone talking could you shed some light on the events that transpired during the fight alarm incident ah yes the fiery Escape
• 06:30 - 07:00 as they're calling it you see my dear it all started with our darling Miss sammon a teacher who seemed to have lost her way in the Labyrinth of classroom management she was facing a rather daunting observation and well I suppose she thought pulling the fire alarm was the best way to avoid the impending scrutiny quite the audacious move I must say it certainly was a dramatic turn of events speaking of which the blame initially fell on a year n student Mark
• 07:00 - 07:30 Jang how did that happen and what does this incident tell us about the school's disciplinary measures Mark J poor lad it was a classic case of misunderstanding I assure you in the chaos that ensued the poor boy found himself in the spotlight not for his own doing mind you it's a reminder that we must always be thorough in our investigations a lesson we should take to our heart in our ongoing efforts to maintain discipline and Order within our beloved institution of course of of course and who was it that accused Mark
• 07:30 - 08:00 then never mind that now all water under the bridge as they say it was him and finally Mr Wellington the resignation of Miss sumon was a surprising development how do you see this incident affecting the future of Elwood High School well my dear I believe that every cloud has a silver lining and Miss Salmon's resignation while abrupt may offer an opportunity for fresh ideas and A Renewed sense of dedication within our staff it's crucial that we strive for excellence and this instant has
• 08:00 - 08:30 certainly provided us with a moment for reflection the future of Elmwood High School rest assured will continue to shine brighter than ever before thank you Mr Wellington for your insights into this fascinating tale from Elwood High School it seems the dramatic world of Education always keeps us on our toes now if we take a look and have a think about it who's the local audience well is probably going to be parents or potential parents so obviously Mr Wellington has to make the instant seem less serious than it was and reassure
• 08:30 - 09:00 the local listeners our school is still great still send your kids here right so we've got kind of like an ulterior motive from the head teacher and so over here he doesn't want to admit blame right that he was him that unjustly accused a student and he's saying the future of Elwood High School is going to shine brighter than ever before so we've got this kind of reassurance to the audience I wanted to create like a slightly patronizing tone like for the head
• 09:00 - 09:30 teacher um so we can see the whole way through he's referring to the interviewer as my dear which is quite patronizing and a bit sexist and we've also got these filler words like well well he thinks of what to say we can see that the interviewer is referring to Mr wellon by name which creates a sense of relationship between the two speakers and again this spoken tone here in of course of course and ah Mark Jang poor lad and again here we've also got the ah
• 09:30 - 10:00 the thinking word ah yes the fire escapers they're calling it here talking to the interviewer directly again you see my dear another thinking word here with the well um she was facing a rather daunting observation and well I suppose as he thinks and again we've got an exclamation mark here to add a more spoken tone to it as well if you liked this video Lesson and you want more content like this if you want PowerPoints worksheets quizzes and lots of different resources to help you with your studies heading over to
• 10:00 - 10:30 to.co where you'll find more materials like this for teachers and students thank you so much for your attention today and I'll see you there