Layout and Formatting in Informational Writing
Use layout devices including headings, sub-headings, columns, bullets, and tables to structure text and guide the reader through informational and explanatory writing
What a learner can do afterwards
- Organise an informational text using headings and sub-headings to separate sections
- Present comparative information using a table with clear row and column headers
- Choose or repair an arrangement using page columns and bullet points so related information stays together and list entries are easy to scan
1 · Read
You have grouped related ideas into paragraphs. Headings name main sections. Sub-headings name smaller parts within a section. In a volcano guide, 'Volcano types' could contain 'Shield volcanoes' and 'Composite volcanoes'. The outline below names those levels; it is not a formatted page.
A table compares the same kinds of facts about several things. Give each thing a row and each kind of fact a column. Headers name the rows and columns. Include units in measurement headers, such as 'Length (cm)'. Put each value under its matching header. Changing paragraphs into a table rearranges the facts; it does not remove facts that repeat.
A header tells readers what kind of fact belongs below it. Each row keeps one club's facts together.
| Club | Day | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Art | Monday | 4 |
| Chess | Tuesday | 7 |
'Day' names the weekday column. 'Art' and 'Chess' name the rows. A missing header should describe the entries in its column.
Put each supply on its own marked line so readers can scan the list. A heading names the list; it is not an entry. Number actions when order matters. For page columns, keep each topic's paragraph or list together under its heading. Avoid mixing lines from different topics. In a standard two-column English leaflet, read down the left column, then the right. Table columns instead align matching facts.
Headings, sub-headings, tables, bullets and columns all help your reader scan and find information fast.
Lesson, practice questions and flashcards on informational layout written for this dataset.
Original readings on headings, tables, lists and page columns written for this dataset.
More to read
Find a section in a fair guide
A school fair guide needs to help visitors locate information. Its title could be 'School Fair Guide'. Main sections might be 'Getting Here', 'Activities' and 'Food'. Within Activities, smaller sections could cover games and performances.
The main heading Activities groups those smaller sections. The sub-heading Games tells readers where to find the game information. A visitor looking for lunch should be able to find Food without reading the games section.
Try covering the paragraphs and reading only the section names. Do they describe what each part contains? If a heading says 'Other Things', replace it with a name that gives the reader a clearer clue.
Keep matching facts together
Imagine a classroom loan record. One pupil borrows a ruler on Tuesday. Another borrows a dictionary on Wednesday. The record needs to keep each person's name, borrowed object and loan day together.
A table can use the headers Pupil, Object and Loan day. Give each loan its own row. Reading across that row connects the person with the object and day. Reading down Object lets you check what has been borrowed.
Before finishing, check each entry against its header. A weekday belongs under Loan day, not under Object. A table can contain all the right facts and still confuse readers if those facts occupy the wrong columns.
Does the list need an order?
A materials list for a paper model might contain card, glue and a pencil. Bullet points let each material occupy a separate marked line. Readers can scan the entries while gathering supplies.
The building directions have a different job. If a piece must be folded before it is glued, the order matters. Numbering the actions makes that sequence clear. Each numbered entry should tell the reader what to do at that point.
A list heading names the whole list. It is not another material or action to count. Check both the heading and the entries: can a reader tell what the list contains and whether its order matters?
Choose a layout before finding the buttons
Suppose you are preparing a digital guide to a class exhibition. Decide how the information belongs together before choosing formatting controls. Opening times need a clear place. A list of exhibits may need several named sections. A comparison of room capacities may suit a table.
Different writing apps arrange their controls differently. Look in the app's help when you cannot find a heading, list or table tool. Your plan should describe the result you need, rather than depend on a particular button position.
Check the finished guide by asking someone to find an opening time and an exhibit. If they struggle, revise the organisation or section names.
Two meanings of column
A page column is a block of text beside another block. In a standard two-column English article, read down the left block before moving to the top of the right block. Follow another reading order if the design marks one. Alternating between the blocks after every line can join unrelated sentence parts.
A table column has a different purpose. It contains one kind of fact across several rows. In a timetable, a Start time column contains starting times. Reading across a row connects an event with its time and place.
Check which kind of column you are using. Side-by-side text blocks do not automatically form a comparison table.
2 · Watch
به انگلیسیTake it off screen
Where it sits
Learn first
Optional connections
This opens up
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.