How to Write Instructions and How-To Guides for Junior Cycle English

Junior Cycle English · Functional Writing

Instructions are writing that someone can actually follow. If your reader cannot do the task by reading your words, the instructions have failed. This page shows you how to write them so they work every time.

When This Comes Up

Section B of your exam often asks for functional writing, and instructions are one of the most common forms. You might be asked to explain how to make something, how to get somewhere, how to play a game, or how to stay safe online. The task is always practical. The examiner wants to see that a stranger could pick up your page and complete the job.

That is the test to keep in your head. Could someone follow this? If the answer is yes, you are organised and clear. If the answer is no, you have work to do.

What Good Instructions Do

Good instructions are built, not written. They have a shape, and the shape does most of the work for you.

• A clear title that says exactly what the person following it will achieve.
• Sometimes a short intro that says what the task does and what they need.
• Numbered steps in the correct order.
• One action per step, so nothing gets lost or skipped.

Keep it plain. This is not the place for description or feelings. Your job is to be useful.

List What Is Needed First

If the task needs things, say so before the steps begin. For a recipe, list the ingredients. For a craft, list the materials and tools. For a journey, name the bus number or the road. A reader who knows what to gather first will not get halfway through and stop.

Put this list near the top, under the title. It tells people to prepare before they start, which is exactly how real instructions work.

Writing Clear Numbered Steps

Number every step. Numbers show order, and order is everything here. Each step should depend on the one before it, like rungs on a ladder. If a reader could do step three before step one, your order is wrong.

Keep one action in each step. If you find yourself writing “and then” in the middle of a step, split it into two. Short, single steps are easier to follow and harder to get wrong.

Using Command Verbs

Start each step with an imperative verb. That is a command verb, the kind that tells whoever is reading to do something directly: “Take”, “Add”, “Press”, “Turn”, “Pour”, “Click”. These verbs are the engine of instruction writing.

Be precise. “Heat the pan” is fine, but “Heat the pan on a medium hob for two minutes” is better. Avoid vague words like “properly” or “a bit”. Give the amount, the time, or the direction. Precise verbs and precise detail leave no room for guessing.

A Worked Example

Here is a tiny set of instructions for making a cup of tea, just three steps to show the pattern.

How to Make a Cup of Tea Sample steps

1. Boil the kettle, then pour the hot water over a teabag in a mug.
2. Leave the teabag for three minutes, then remove it with a spoon.
3. Add milk to taste and stir once.

Look at how each step opens with a command verb: “Boil”, “Leave”, “Add”. Notice the order too. You cannot remove the teabag before you pour the water, and you cannot add milk before the tea has brewed. The steps lock together. That is what you are aiming for.

Pitch It to Your Audience

Read the question and ask who your reader is. Instructions for a young child sound different from instructions for an adult. For a child you would use very simple words, short steps, and a friendly tone. For an adult you can assume more knowledge and move faster. Match the language to the person who will use it.

The Mistakes That Cost Marks

• Vague steps. “Do the thing properly” gives them nothing to act on. Say what to do and how.
• Wrong or jumbled order. If the steps are out of sequence, the task cannot be done.
• A missing step. Read back through and check nothing has been skipped.
• No command verbs. “You should maybe add some water” is weak. Write “Add 200ml of water”.
• Forgetting the list of what is needed. Put the materials first so nobody is caught short.

Using This in the Exam

How to use it: Before you write a single step, spend one minute planning. Write the title. Jot the list of what the task needs. Then number your steps in rough order and check the sequence makes sense. Now write it out properly, one command verb per step, and finish by reading it back as if you were the one following along. If you can complete the task in your head, so can the examiner.

In Short

Instructions are judged by one question: could a stranger follow them? Give a clear title, list what is needed, write numbered steps in the right order, and start each step with a command verb. Be precise, never vague. Write for your audience, check nothing is missing, and read it back before you stop. Get the order right and the marks follow.