By the end of this lesson you should be able to
- Select the relevant notes and leave out the irrelevant ones
- Group notes into logical paragraphs
- Write with the tone, structure and devices of a speech
- Stay within a word limit of 250 to 350 words
What this task asks
In a “speech from notes” task you are given a situation and a list of notes, and you are told to write a speech for a particular speaker and audience. Two things make it different from an ordinary essay:
- Some notes are irrelevant or do not belong to the situation. You are usually told to use relevant notes only, so choosing well is part of the marks.
- The writing must sound like a speech: it is meant to be spoken aloud to a live audience.
You must also stay within the word limit, which in this examination is 250 to 350 words.
Key ideas
Structure of a speech
- Greeting: address the audience by their role, for example Fellow residents, ladies and gentlemen.
- Introduction: say who you are speaking for and why you are speaking.
- Body: explain the problem, its causes and what should be done. Group related notes into paragraphs.
- Conclusion: summarise, call for action, and thank the audience.
Choosing the notes. Read the situation first. Decide who is speaking, who is listening, and what the purpose is. Then test each note:
- Does it help the purpose of this speech?
- Does it match the situation, or does it belong to another topic?
- Does it contradict the main message?
Cross out the notes that fail the test, and group the rest by idea (for example: the problem, the causes, the solutions).
Style of a speech
- Direct address: you, we, our community.
- Formal but warm tone, in complete sentences.
- Short, clear sentences and some rhetorical questions.
- Persuasive devices: repetition, the rule of three, appeals such as Let us, and clear commands.
- Do not copy the notes. Turn each note into a full sentence and join related ideas.
- Do not write stage directions, headings or bullet points inside the speech.
Worked example: an original task
Situation. Your township has had a water shortage for two weeks. The Ward Councillor has asked the Residents’ Committee to write a speech that he will deliver to residents. You are the Secretary and have made these notes:
- boreholes have broken down
- long queues at the few working taps
- women and children walk long distances
- council has promised to repair the pumps
- a new shopping mall opened last month
- boil drinking water
- store water in clean, covered containers
- unsafe water causes diarrhoea
- football tournament next month
- do not waste water, no washing of cars
- community should protect pumps from vandals
- report leaking pipes to the council
Step 1: Purpose. To explain the water problem, calm residents, and tell them what to do.
Step 2: Irrelevant notes. A new shopping mall opened last month and football tournament next month do not help the purpose, so they are left out.
Step 3: Grouping.
- Problem: broken boreholes, queues, long distances.
- Council’s action: repair promised.
- Health advice: unsafe water causes diarrhoea, boil drinking water, store water safely.
- What residents can do: save water, protect pumps, report leaks.
Model speech (284 words):
Fellow residents, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.
I stand before you on behalf of the Ward Councillor to speak about the water shortage that has troubled our township for the past two weeks.
We all know the problem. Several boreholes have broken down, and the few taps that still work are surrounded by long queues. Women and children walk long distances every day to find water. I understand how tiring and frustrating this has been.
Let me assure you that the council has promised to repair the pumps, and we will keep pressing until the work is done. Until then, we must look after our own health. Unsafe water causes diarrhoea, which can be dangerous, especially for children. Therefore, boil all drinking water, and store it in clean, covered containers so that it does not become contaminated again.
There is also much that we can do together. First, let us not waste water. Please do not use it to wash cars, and turn off taps when you are not using them. Second, let us protect the pumps and taps that we have, because vandals only make our suffering worse. Third, if you see a leaking pipe, report it to the council at once, since every drop that leaks is a drop that we cannot drink.
Fellow residents, this shortage will not last forever if we work together. A community that cooperates is a community that overcomes its problems. Our health, our children and our daily lives depend on the water we save today. Let us be patient, careful and united. Let us look after one another and protect our water.
Thank you for listening, and may we soon enjoy clean water in every home.
(The speech above has 284 words, which is inside the limit of 250 to 350.)
Why this works
- It greets the audience and states its purpose in the first two paragraphs.
- Only relevant notes are used, and the two irrelevant ones are ignored.
- Related notes are grouped into paragraphs.
- It uses direct address, repetition (let us), the rule of three and a positive ending.
- The notes have become full, connected sentences.
Common mistakes
Using every note. The task says to use relevant notes only. Irrelevant notes lose marks.
Writing an essay, not a speech. A speech greets the audience, speaks to you and we, and ends with thanks.
Copying the notes word for word. Turn them into your own connected sentences.
Ignoring the word limit. Stay between the stated minimum and maximum. Extra words may not be marked.
Mixing up the speaker. If the Councillor is speaking, write in his voice, not as the Secretary who wrote the notes.
Practice questions
Situation: The head teacher of a school will speak at the morning assembly about littering on the school grounds. The notes are:
- litter blocks drains and causes flooding
- learners throw sweet wrappers on the ground
- new library books arrived
- flies and rats are attracted to rubbish
- provide more bins at classrooms
- each class to be responsible for its own area
- the school choir won a prize
- reward the cleanest class each month
- litter spoils the appearance of the school
- Which two notes are irrelevant?
- Group the remaining notes into three paragraph themes.
- Write a suitable greeting and one-sentence introduction for the head teacher.
- Turn these notes into one connected sentence: litter blocks drains and causes flooding; flies and rats are attracted to rubbish.
- Write a closing paragraph of two or three sentences.
- Write one rhetorical question that the head teacher could use.
Show answers
- New library books arrived and the school choir won a prize.
- Effects of littering: blocked drains and flooding, flies and rats, spoils appearance. Cause: learners throw wrappers on the ground. Solutions: more bins, each class responsible for its area, reward the cleanest class.
- Example: “Good morning, fellow teachers and dear learners. I would like to speak to you about the litter that is spoiling our school grounds.”
- Example: “Litter blocks our drains and causes flooding, and it also attracts flies and rats.”
- Example: “Our school belongs to all of us. Let us use the bins, look after our classroom areas, and work together to make it clean. Thank you.”
- Example: “Would you like to study in a place that is dirty and full of flies?”
Summary
- Use relevant notes only, and group them by idea.
- Follow the structure: greeting, introduction, body, conclusion, thanks.
- Sound like a speech: direct address, persuasion and a clear call to action.
- Write full sentences, and stay within the word limit.
Now practise this topic
Real questions show you what still needs work. Try a past paper under timed conditions, or take a short quiz.