Report Files: Writing About the World Out of Order

Read these two short pieces of writing. **Piece A:** 'First, the volcano erupted. Then, lava poured down the hill. Finally, the village was covered in ash.' **Piece B:** 'Volcanoes are openings in the Earth's surface. They are found on every continent. Hot liquid rock, called lava, shoots out during an eruption.' Both are about volcanoes — but they are very different types of writing. Piece A tells you what happened in order, step by step. Piece B tells you facts. It doesn't follow a time order at all.

A **non-chronological report** is a piece of writing that gives facts about a topic. 'Non-chronological' means it does NOT follow time order — you can read the sections in almost any order and still understand them. You find non-chronological reports in encyclopaedias, information books, and fact websites. They are written to inform the reader, not to tell a story. **Key features to spot and use:** 1. **A clear title** — tells the reader exactly what the report is about. Example: *The Blue Whale*. 2. **An opening paragraph** — introduces the topic in general. Example: 'The blue whale is the largest animal on Earth.' 3. **Headings and subheadings** — split the report into sections. Each section covers one aspect of the topic. Example: *What Do Blue Whales Eat?* or *Where Do Blue Whales Live?* 4. **Facts and information** — every sentence shares real information. Opinions and feelings are left out. 5. **Present tense** — reports describe how things ARE, not how they were. Example: 'Blue whales live in every ocean.' (Not 'Blue whales lived…') 6. **Technical vocabulary** — special words linked to the topic, often explained in the text. Example: 'Krill — tiny shrimp-like creatures — are the whale's main food.' 7. **No time-order connectives** — words like 'first', 'then', and 'finally' do NOT belong here. Instead, use topic connectives like 'also', 'however', and 'in addition'. Remember: a non-chronological report is organised by **topic sections**, not by time.