DSE English Paper 2 | Proposal and Letter to the Editor — Tutor Prep Guide (45-minute lesson, format check, four common errors)

2026-11-05

Tutor lesson-prep guides · Secondary English

This lesson fixes one habit: the moment a student sees “Write a proposal”, they add “Dear Sir” out of habit, lose the format marks, and no amount of good content wins them back.

Objectives — 1) Tell a proposal from a letter to the editor in 30 seconds and produce the correct title, salutation and closing. 2) Build a problem-measure-effect skeleton where every paragraph has one topic sentence and at least one concrete action. 3) Budget 400 words as 50 for the opening, 270 for the body, 50 for the close and 30 for the title and subheadings, and finish inside 40 minutes.

01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)

If any of these fails, fix it before the lesson starts.

Skill	Quick check	Pass mark
Command words	Read “Write a proposal to the Principal about the new tuck shop” and say who receives it	If the student cannot name the Principal, drill the recipient first
Topic sentences	Write one topic sentence with a subject and a stance about cutting single-use cutlery on campus	Sentences like “It is very bad” have no subject — fix that first
Linkers	Write one sentence each with however, therefore and in addition	If only “and” is available, teach two linkers before the lesson

02 Lesson flow (45 minutes)

Time	Stage	Tutor does	Student does
5 min	Opening check	Write two command prompts on the board and ask what opening and closing each one needs	Answer aloud, books closed
10 min	Format and register	Show both skeletons side by side and circle what each one has and lacks	Copy the differences into a two-column table
12 min	Skeleton demo	Write the problem paragraph and one measure paragraph on campus cutlery, counting words aloud	Write along and report a word count after each paragraph
10 min	Guided writing	Give a new prompt; students write only a 50-word opening and one 90-word measure	Write alone; the tutor watches and does not prompt
5 min	Peer check	Tick four checkpoints and fix one sentence on the spot	Read the corrected sentence aloud
3 min	Exit check	Ask three quick format and word-budget questions	Answer aloud

03 Teaching script (read it out)

Scene 1: Act 1: read the command words before planning content

When a student reads “Write a proposal to the Principal”, the first move is not to plan ideas but to circle three things: proposal, Principal and 400 words. “Proposal” tells them it is a document with a title and a “To:” line. “Principal” tells them the reader is the head, so the whole text addresses the head, not classmates. “400 words” tells them three measures rather than one. With “Write a letter to the editor”, the three things are letter, editor and the closing “Yours faithfully”. Circle those three and the format marks are safe before a single idea is written.

Have the student say it back: circle the command words first, then plan the content.

Scene 2: Act 2: the problem-measure-effect skeleton

The three paragraphs are not three arguments but three layers. Paragraph one makes the problem concrete, for example the campus throws away about 1,200 disposable forks a day. Paragraph two gives a measure: one topic sentence plus two actions, such as a return point at the canteen entrance and points for students who bring their own cutlery. Paragraph three gives the effect and a date, for example a 30% cut in one term with a review after two months. The most common misconception is that each paragraph needs a new argument. A proposal persuades because the measures are workable, not because the list of arguments is long.

Have the student repeat: three paragraphs equal problem, measure, effect.

Scene 3: Act 3: register and forms of address

A proposal needs no salutation but must have a title and a “To:” line. A letter to the editor needs “Dear Editor” and “Yours faithfully”, never “Hi” or “Bye”. Both are formal, but formal does not mean long: “Students throw away 1,200 forks a day” beats a two-line complex sentence. Tape the two skeletons to the desk and check them before every piece of writing.

Have the student repeat: proposal has “To:”, letter has “Dear” and “Yours faithfully”.

04 Question types and worked steps

Type	Example	Steps	Answer
Proposal format	Write a proposal to the Principal suggesting how to reduce plastic waste on campus (about 400 words)	Title, then To: The Principal, then a problem paragraph, three measure paragraphs (topic sentence, two actions, effect) and one closing appeal	400 words as 50 opening, 270 body, 50 close, 30 title and subheadings
Letter to the Editor	Write a letter to the editor of the school magazine about the new morning reading scheme (about 200 words)	Dear Editor, one framing sentence, two points of about 70 words each, one concession sentence, Yours faithfully	200 words as 20 framing, 140 points, 20 concession, 20 closing
Formal email extension	Write an email to the Sports Club convenor applying for the post of captain	Dear Mr Chan, purpose sentence, two credentials, one expectation sentence, Yours sincerely	200 words, three paragraphs, no title line
Data paragraph	Class survey: 68% support bringing their own cutlery, 24% do not, 8% no view	One sentence on the trend, then the largest and smallest figures, then one sentence linking to the proposal	Three sentences; do not copy all three numbers in a row

Sanity check (teach this): The word budget must add up: 400 equals 50 plus 270 plus 50 plus 30. A student who finishes at 280 words has almost always dropped the effect sentence. The checkpoints differ by text type: a proposal is checked on its title and “To:” line, a letter on “Dear” and “Yours faithfully”, and the two sets are not interchangeable. Every topic sentence should answer “what am I asking the reader to believe here”; if it does not, rewrite it.

05 Independent practice (3 questions)

Question	Answer	What to watch
Write a 90-word measure paragraph on promoting reusable bottles at school	Topic sentence, two concrete actions and one effect sentence, 80 to 100 words	Check whether the writer is named and a review date is given
Rewrite “I think plastic is bad and we should stop it” as a formal topic sentence	One sentence of 12 to 18 words with a subject and a stance, e.g. The school should phase out single-use cutlery by January.	Check that “I think” is gone and a date is present
Write the last two sentences of a 200-word letter to the editor	One sentence restating the stance, then Yours faithfully	Check that Yours sincerely has not been used by mistake

06 Common mistakes and what to say

Mistake	Student writes	Say this
Adding “Dear Sir” to a proposal	The student opens “Dear Sir, I am writing to suggest …” under a proposal prompt	Say: “A proposal has no Dear. You need a title and a To: The Principal line.”
Measures that are only ideals	“We should protect the environment more.”	Say: “My mother could write that sentence. Tell me who does what, and by when.”
Two paragraphs, one idea	Both paragraphs recommend “educating students”	Say: “Both paragraphs are the same measure, so you really have one. Give me a second, different action.”
Word count far over or far under	620 words for a 400-word task, or only 210 words	Say: “Over the limit loses organisation marks. Count each paragraph before you finish.”

07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)

Paper 4 group discussion chapter, section 05 (three questions) — Section 05, questions 1 to 3
Secondary English prep index: pick a second text type — From the index, open the writing chapter and preview the long-task word budget

08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)

Question	Answer	Decision
Three required format elements of a proposal	A title, a To: line, and paragraph-based measures, with no Dear and no Yours	All three must be named
How 400 words are budgeted	50 opening, 270 body, 50 close, 30 title and subheadings	The parts must add to 400
Closing of a letter to the editor	Yours faithfully when the name is unknown, Yours sincerely when it is known	Both cases must be explained

09 Tutor FAQ

The student says “enough words is enough”

Both DSE writing tasks reward organisation. Correct format and clear paragraphing carry the content marks; fix format and paragraphing before chasing length.

Should students memorise model essays

Three skeletons are enough: problem-measure-effect, stance-point-concession, and purpose-credentials-expectation. Memorised sentences stop working the moment the prompt changes.

Is the school paper the same as DSE

Time limits and word counts follow what the class teacher sets. This page is a 45-minute training target, not an exam regulation.

Find a tutor — free Tutor Registration →

A TutorZone lesson-prep guide. Written by the TutorZone team; questions and lesson flow are original and are not taken from any school or publisher material.