A comprehensive foundation unit for locating, understanding, selecting and accurately communicating information stated directly in a text.
Unit 9 builds on R5 by teaching learners how to organise, combine, transform and develop selected information for a specific purpose, audience and form. The emphasis is on accurate use of source material rather than copying.
After selecting relevant information, a strong writer must decide how to organise it and how to express it appropriately. This unit develops the next stage of source-based writing: turning selected points into a clear, purposeful response.
Selection answers “What information do I need?” Transformation answers “How should I use and present that information?” The second question is controlled by the task.
Selected points should not necessarily appear in the same order as the source. Organise them according to the logic of your response.
A source may discuss benefits, preparation, problems and recommendations in mixed order. A guide for new participants could organise these as Before you begin → What to expect → Benefits → Important precautions.
Related points can be combined into a single paragraph or section. Grouping reduces repetition and makes relationships between ideas clearer.
| Separate source points | Organised response |
|---|---|
| Training is provided; volunteers receive guidance; beginners can ask questions. | Support: beginners receive training, guidance and opportunities to ask questions. |
| Water is recommended; suitable clothing is advised. | Preparation: participants should bring water and wear suitable clothing. |
An accurate paraphrase changes expression while keeping the original idea, degree of certainty and important relationships intact.
Source: “The programme may help students become more confident when speaking to groups.”
Accurate transformation: The programme may help students gain confidence when speaking before groups.
Notice that may remains. The writer has not turned a possibility into a certainty.
Transformation means changing the presentation to suit the task. A factual passage might become a notice, guide, report, speech, article, set of recommendations or information note.
| Task form | Useful presentation |
|---|---|
| Guide | Clear steps and practical advice |
| Report | Organised findings and measured language |
| Speech | Audience awareness and direct engagement |
| Notice | Concise, accessible key information |
The information may remain the same while the wording changes. A message for younger students should be accessible; a formal report may require more restrained and precise language.
Changing register does not mean changing facts.
Development adds useful explanation, consequence, implication or practical guidance. It should strengthen the selected information rather than introduce unrelated material.
Selected point: Participants should arrive early.
Developed: Participants should arrive early so that they have time to register, prepare their materials and be ready when the session begins.
Source-based writing requires careful control of what the source actually supports. Do not strengthen, weaken or reverse the source's meaning.
When several selected points belong together, combine them into coherent sentences rather than presenting a list of disconnected fragments.
Fragmented: Volunteers provide training. Volunteers provide guidance. Volunteers answer questions.
Combined: Volunteers provide training and guidance and are available to answer questions.
Copying large sections may reproduce information, but it does not demonstrate controlled selection and transformation. Use the source to understand the information, then construct a response that meets the task.
Use logical ordering and clear connections between points. Signposting words such as first, in addition, however, as a result and finally can help when the relationship genuinely needs to be made explicit.
Sometimes a task requires two or more source points to be brought together. Identify what they share and where they differ before writing.
| Source A | Source B | Combined use |
|---|---|---|
| Emphasises practical preparation. | Emphasises participant support. | A response can explain both preparation and support. |
Not every selected point needs equal development. Give more space to information that is central to the task and less space to minor supporting details.
A weekend science club provides practical experiments, short demonstrations and group discussions. Members are advised to bring a notebook and arrive early. The organisers say that the club has become popular because students enjoy working together.
Task: Write a short welcome note for a new member.
Selection: activities, preparation and collaborative aspect are relevant.
Transformation: turn those points into a welcoming, practical note rather than reproducing the source.
Development: explain why arriving early and bringing a notebook will help the new member participate effectively.
A local museum has introduced a Saturday discovery programme for teenagers. Each session begins with a short introduction to one part of the museum's collection. Participants then work in small groups to examine selected objects and record observations. Museum staff are available to answer questions, and each group presents one finding at the end of the session. Participants should bring a notebook and arrive fifteen minutes before the advertised start time. The organisers recommend that students read the short background notes sent before the first visit.
Using the passage above, write a short information guide for a first-time participant. Select the most useful information and transform it into a clear guide. Do not copy the passage sentence by sentence.
Foundation: arrange six selected points under three headings.
Developing: paraphrase four points without changing their meaning.
Secure: combine related points into coherent paragraphs.
Advanced: transform the source into a purposeful response for a specified audience and form.
| Level | Descriptor |
|---|---|
| Mastery | Transforms selected information accurately, logically and purposefully, with strong control of audience, form and development. |
| Secure | Uses selected information accurately and organises it clearly for the task. |
| Developing | Shows useful transformation but may repeat, copy, omit or unevenly develop information. |
| Not yet secure | Relies heavily on copying, changes source meaning or loses the task purpose. |
Unit 9 develops the ability to transform selected information accurately and purposefully. The next stage will require increasingly controlled handling of source information, including more demanding inference, comparison and examination-style tasks.
Unit 7: Analyse and evaluate → Unit 8: Select information → Unit 9: Transform and develop selected information → Unit 10: Apply advanced source-based reading skills.