Module 5 · Mock Exam 1 & Writing Genres I · Lesson 19
Writing Part 2 The Proposal
Persuasion, structure and formal register
Warm-up · Section 1
4 minGet talking
Imagine the issue is 'student wellbeing in our school'. In 30 seconds: how would an ESSAY differ from a PROPOSAL from a REPORT on this topic? Name one difference for each pair.
A proposal is written for someone who can SAY YES. Name the decision-maker for: (a) extending the library hours, (b) a new bike-share scheme on campus, (c) a four-day school week pilot.
Write the FIRST sentence of a proposal called 'A four-day school week pilot'. It must (1) name the proposal, (2) name the audience, (3) name the action wanted. Go.
Grammar focus · Section 2
8 minNominalisation + calibrated modality — the formal persuasive voice
Quick rule
Proposals USE nouns where essays use verbs ('the introduction of…' beats 'we should introduce…'). Modality is CALIBRATED: 'would', 'could', 'is likely to' — not 'will'.
Examples
Nominalised: 'The introduction of a staggered start would address both…' (vs 'We should introduce a staggered start, which would…').
Calibrated: 'A six-week pilot is likely to produce…' (vs 'A pilot will produce…').
Confident hedge: 'There is a strong case for prioritising…' (vs 'I think we should prioritise…').
Recommendation: 'It is therefore recommended that…' (the proposal's signature move).
Quick check
Question 1.Pick the most proposal-grade sentence:
Question 2.Best calibration for a proposal recommendation:
Question 3.Which sentence belongs in the RECOMMENDATION section?
Question 4.Spot the over-claim:
Vocabulary · Section 3
6 minWords & phrases to own
to address (a concern)
to deal with or respond to an issue
e.g. This proposal addresses the two most frequently raised parental concerns.
Use it now
Name one concern YOUR proposal would address.
↻ Recycled in writing · pitch
to draw on (evidence)
to use as a source
e.g. The proposal draws on feedback from 64 parents and 12 staff members.
Use it now
Finish: 'The proposal draws on ______.'
↻ Recycled in writing
to mitigate (a risk)
to reduce the impact of something negative
e.g. A staggered start would mitigate the morning-traffic risk.
Use it now
Name one risk YOUR proposal mitigates — and how.
↻ Recycled in writing · pitch
a measurable outcome
a result you can actually count or observe
e.g. Define one measurable outcome before the pilot begins.
Use it now
Name one measurable outcome for your proposal.
↻ Recycled in writing · pitch
with reference to
drawing the reader's attention to a specific source / point
e.g. With reference to the parent survey, three priorities emerged.
Use it now
Use 'with reference to' to open the second paragraph of YOUR proposal.
↻ Recycled in writing
it is therefore recommended that…
the signature recommendation move of a proposal
e.g. It is therefore recommended that the committee approve a six-week pilot.
Use it now
Write the recommendation sentence of YOUR proposal in this exact frame.
↻ Recycled in writing · pitch
Pair / group discussion
- Which of today's items make the difference between a SCHOOL essay and a real proposal?
- Pick three items and use them in your pitch later in the lesson.
Complete each stem about yourself
- This proposal addresses ______.…
- It draws on ______.…
- It is therefore recommended that ______.…
Rank & justify
Rank by how much each signals 'this is a proposal, not an essay'.
- It is therefore recommended that…
- with reference to
- measurable outcome
- mitigate
- I think
Quick write (60 seconds)
Write the recommendation sentence of your proposal. One sentence. Use the exact frame from item 6.
Pronunciation · Section 4
3 minReading formal prose aloud without sounding stiff
Proposals are written, but they're often READ ALOUD in committee. The voice keeps formality through pace, not volume. Drop pitch slightly on hedges ('would', 'is likely to'); lift slightly on the recommendation. Pause at section breaks.
- The introduction of a STAGGERED START || would address BOTH concerns.
- A SIX-WEEK PILOT || is LIKELY to produce MEASURABLE outcomes.
- With REFERENCE to the parent SURVEY || THREE priorities emerged.
- It is THEREFORE recommended || that the committee APPROVE a six-week PILOT.
Reading · Section 5
8 minThree short opinions on a school four-day week (Reading P6, spiral)
School magazine · The Forum · 3-opinion feature
Three short opinions on a school four-day week (Reading P6, spiral)
Three brief opinions on the same proposal — the kind of input that often feeds a CPE proposal task.
Editorial · Module 5 input
OPINION A (Head of Year 12) — 'Compressed weeks aren't new. The evidence from pilots elsewhere is mixed, but tends to favour wellbeing over attainment. If we're honest, our timetable already wastes Friday afternoons.'
OPINION B (Parent representative) — 'A four-day week shifts childcare back onto families. Working parents — particularly single parents — would lose hours of work to absorb the change. Wellbeing for whom?'
OPINION C (Sixth-form student) — 'We're tired. We're not asking for less learning — we're asking for the same learning in four longer days. Most of us work part-time on Fridays anyway.'
A proposal responding to these opinions would need to: take each seriously, propose a structure that pilots the idea without dismissing the parent concern, and recommend a measurable next step.
Question 1.Opinion A's stance on a four-day week is:
Question 2.Opinion B's core objection is:
Question 3.Opinion C's position is best summarised as:
Question 4.A strong proposal in response would:
Listening · Section 6
8 minListening: a 60-second brief from the Principal (Writing input)
Notes
The decision-maker speaks
- ▸You will hear the Principal addressing the proposal team.
- ▸Listen for (1) what she wants the proposal to do, (2) what she'll NOT approve, (3) the timeline.
- ▸These three points constrain your draft. Take them seriously.
Listening audio
Tap play to listen. Scrub the bar or use ± 5 s to jump.
Show transcript
Principal (Sarah, br-south, f):Thanks for taking this on. I've read the three opinions from the magazine. What I want from this proposal is honest. Don't tell me what I want to hear. If a four-day week is a bad idea, say so. If it's a good idea with conditions, propose those conditions — specifically. I will not approve anything that ignores the childcare point in Opinion B; that's the live political risk. And I want a pilot proposal, not a permanent change — six weeks, measurable outcomes, review in November. Keep it short. Headings. Recommendation. Thank you.
Question 1.What is the Principal's overall request?
Question 2.What will the Principal NOT approve?
Question 3.What is the timeline she sets?
Question 4.How does she want the proposal structured?
Visual stimulus · Section 7
3 minAnnotated model proposal — what each section does
Notice the SHAPE: four headed sections, ~55–65 words each, total ~240. The recommendation is the last sentence and the most important one.
Notes
Proposal layout — 4 sections, 220–260 words
- ▸1. INTRODUCTION (~50w) — what the proposal does, for whom, in response to what.
- ▸2. CURRENT SITUATION (~65w) — what's true today, drawing on input opinions / evidence.
- ▸3. PROPOSED ACTION (~80w) — the pilot/scheme itself, addressing the live concerns.
- ▸4. RECOMMENDATION (~50w) — 'It is therefore recommended that…' + measurable next step + review date.
Discuss in pairs
Read the model layout. Identify the one feature you find hardest to imitate — that is your target for today's draft.
Exam skills · Section 8
3 minCPE Writing Part 2 — The Proposal (220–260 words)
Strategy
- 1.Name the decision-maker FIRST. Write to them — not to the marker.
- 2.Use 4 headings: Introduction · Current Situation · Proposed Action · Recommendation.
- 3.Address EVERY live concern from the input. Ignored concern = lost mark.
- 4.Use 'would', 'could', 'is likely to' — never 'will'. Avoid 'I think'.
- 5.End with 'It is therefore recommended that…' + a measurable, time-bound next step.
- 6.Check word count BEFORE you submit. 220–260 is firm.
Example
RECOMMENDATION model: 'It is therefore recommended that the committee approve a six-week pilot of a staggered start (Years 7–9 at 08:30; Years 10–13 at 09:30), with childcare provision available from 08:00, and a structured review of attendance, grades and parental impact in November.'
Practice · Section 9
7 minFill in the blank
Question 1.The proposal ____ on feedback from 64 parents and 12 staff.
Question 2.A staggered start would ____ the morning-traffic risk.
Question 3.There is a strong ____ for piloting the scheme before full rollout.
Question 4.The introduction of a six-week pilot would ____ both concerns.
Question 5.It is therefore ____ that the committee approve a six-week pilot.
Question 6.With ____ to the parent survey, three priorities emerged.
Writing · Section 10
4 minPut it in writing
Four-day week proposal — brief
Principal · Module 5
Honest proposal — pilot only, six weeks, measurable outcomes, review in November.
Must address the childcare concern in Opinion B; that's the political risk.
Short. Headings. Recommendation.
Your task
Draft (in 10 minutes) the INTRODUCTION + the four section headings + the RECOMMENDATION sentence of a proposal responding to the Forum opinions and the Principal's brief. Full proposal (220–260 words) is homework. Use today's lexis.
- • Decision-maker: the Principal.
- • Four headings — write them now.
- • Recommendation must be measurable and time-bound.
Before you submit
- ☐ Introduction names what · for whom · responding to what.
- ☐ All 4 headings present.
- ☐ Recommendation uses 'It is therefore recommended that…' and includes a measurable next step + review date.
- ☐ Modality is calibrated (would / could / is likely to). No 'I think'.
Show model answer
INTRODUCTION — This proposal responds to the recent Forum feature on a compressed school week and is submitted to the Principal for consideration. It draws on the three published opinions and on the Principal's own brief of 14 October, and sets out a six-week pilot that could be reviewed in November. CURRENT SITUATION — [headings only today; full text in homework] PROPOSED ACTION — [headings only today; full text in homework] RECOMMENDATION — It is therefore recommended that the committee approve a six-week pilot of a STAGGERED start (Years 7–9 at 08:30; Years 10–13 at 09:30), with on-site childcare available from 08:00, and a structured review of attendance, grades and parental impact at the end of November.
Speaking · Section 11
6 minMake it a real conversation
Speaking P3 — pitch in pairs (or to the teacher) for 2 minutes per speaker. Use your draft headings and recommendation sentence. The listener responds for 30 seconds with ONE concern that they think the proposal still doesn't address. Swap.
Pick the ONE concern from the listener's response that you'll integrate into your full homework draft.
Which live concern from the input most needs FURTHER mitigation in your proposal?
Childcare burden
Opinion B — the political risk.
Academic compression
Same content, longer days — sustainable?
Friday work for students
Opinion C — protect or formalise?
Pilot measurability
What exactly will be measured?
Useful phrases
- The proposal addresses…
- It draws on…
- It is likely to / has the potential to…
- What it would NOT do is…
- It is therefore recommended that…
- The measurable outcome would be…
Optional · Teacher-led
Teacher Activities
Stretches if the slot is longer than 60 min. All work 1:1. ~18 min total
Homework · Section 12
Take-homeTake it home
Finish the full 220–260 word proposal you drafted in class. Four headed sections, calibrated modality, measurable time-bound recommendation. Self-check against today's checklist before submitting.
Find one real-world proposal online (school, council, NGO). Identify its 4-section structure, its decision-maker and its recommendation sentence. Write 3 sentences comparing it to your CPE draft.
Rewrite 5 essay-style sentences into proposal-style. (a) 'I think we should pilot it.' (b) 'The school will start later.' (c) 'Parents won't like it.' (d) 'Maybe it could work.' (e) 'Let's give it a try.'
Build a 10-item personal 'proposal phrase bank' for use in the real exam. Include the 6 from today + 4 more you find in your reading homework.
Recap · Section 13
Wrap-upWhat you've learned
- A proposal is written for a NAMED decision-maker who can say yes.
- Use FOUR headed sections: Introduction · Current Situation · Proposed Action · Recommendation.
- Modality is calibrated — 'would', 'could', 'is likely to', never 'will' and never 'I think'.
- Address EVERY live concern in the input. Ignored concern = lost content mark.
- End with 'It is therefore recommended that…' + a measurable, time-bound next step.