Rewriting a text in a new form

Welcome to the Art of the "Remix": Rewriting Texts

In Paper 1, Section A of your Cambridge AS Level English Language exam, you aren't just asked to read a text—you are asked to transform it. Think of this like taking a long, detailed documentary and turning it into a 2-minute "TikTok" style script, or taking a private diary entry and turning it into a formal news report. The facts stay the same, but the form changes completely.

This chapter focuses on Question 1(a), where you will take a source text (550–750 words) and rewrite a specific part of it into a new form (150–200 words). It’s about being a linguistic chameleon!

What Does "Form" Actually Mean?

In this subject, form refers to the "shape" or "type" of the writing. Every form has its own "unspoken rules" or conventions. For example, you wouldn't start a news article with "Dear Diary," and you wouldn't end a formal letter with "Don't forget to like and subscribe!"

According to the syllabus, you might be asked to write in forms such as:
• Blogs (personal, engaging, often uses direct address like "you")
• Podcasts or Scripted Speeches (conversational, uses fillers or rhetorical questions)
• News Stories or Investigative Journalism (factual, objective, uses headlines)
• Letters (formal or informal depending on the recipient)
• Brochures or Leaflets (informative, uses subheadings and persuasive language)
• Reviews (evaluative, uses descriptive and opinionated lexis)

Note: For more details on picking the right words for these forms, see the chapter on "Choosing vocabulary, style and structure for a given brief."

The Golden Rule: Re-using Content, Changing Style

The exam instructions will often tell you to re-use the material from the original text. This is crucial! You are not being asked to invent new stories. You are being asked to filter the information through a new lens.

The "What" vs. The "How":
• The WHAT (the facts, the people, the events) comes from the source text.
• The HOW (the tone, the sentence structure, the layout) comes from the new form required by the prompt.

A Simple Analogy

Imagine the source text is a thick block of clay. The exam prompt tells you what to sculpt. If the prompt asks for a "vase," you use the same clay but shape it to be tall and hollow. If it asks for a "bowl," you use the same clay but shape it to be wide and shallow. The material is the same; the form is different.

Step-by-Step: How to Rewrite Successfully

1. Identify the Target Form and Audience

Before you write a single word, ask yourself: Who am I writing for, and what is the format?
• If it's a letter to a friend, your tone will be informal and "chatty."
• If it's an editorial for a newspaper, your tone will be authoritative and persuasive.

2. Select the "Relevant" Information

Since your response is only 150–200 words, you cannot include everything from a 750-word text. You must pick the points that fit your new purpose.
• Example: If you are rewriting a travel article as a complaint letter, you should ignore the beautiful descriptions of the sunset and focus only on the parts about the bad service or the dirty hotel room.

3. Adopt the "Conventions"

Make your text look and sound like the real thing.
• For a Blog: Use a catchy title and perhaps a "call to action" at the end (e.g., "What do you think? Let me know in the comments!").
• For a News Story: Put the most important "Who, What, Where, When" in the very first sentence.

4. Watch Your Voice and Tense

The original text might be written in the third person (e.g., "The explorer reached the summit"), but your task might ask for a diary entry. You must switch to the first person (e.g., "I finally reached the summit today!"). Always check if you need to change the tense (past, present, or future) to match the new context.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Don't worry if this seems tricky at first! Many students make these common errors, but you can avoid them by staying focused:
• Copying word-for-word: This is a big "no-no." You must paraphrase and use your own vocabulary while keeping the original meaning.
• Ignoring the word count: Writing 300 words when the limit is 200 will cost you marks for "control." Be concise!
• Losing the "Purpose": If you are asked to write a persuasive leaflet but you just write a boring list of facts, you haven't met the purpose of the task.

Quick Review: The Rewrite Checklist

Before you finish your practice answers, ask yourself:
1. Did I use information only from the text provided?
2. Does this look like the form requested (e.g., does my letter have a greeting)?
3. Is my tone appropriate for the audience (e.g., not too slangy for a formal report)?
4. Am I within the 150–200 word range?

Key Takeaway: Rewriting is about selection and adaptation. You are showing the examiner that you understand the original text so well that you can dress it up in an entirely new outfit!

Next Step: Once you have written your response, you will need to compare it to the original. For help with that, check out the chapter "Comparing your own text with the original."