By the end of this exercise, you can recognise the register and structure of a blog post, and write the opening of your own blog post for a real audience.
Free Year 10 English practice: an original teen blog post about being taken seriously online, blog register vs. formal writing, structuring a blog post, and writing your own blog opening. Gymnasium B2/C1.
Read the blog post carefully, then answer the questions below. Some ask about content, others ask about how the post is written.
Have you ever tried to explain something you really cared about, only to be told you were “too young to understand”? I have — more times than I can count, and I doubt I’m the only one.
Adults love calling teenagers “the future”, but somehow our opinions about the present rarely seem to count. When a journalist writes an article about climate change, gaming or mental health, who actually gets interviewed? Usually not us — usually a teacher, a psychologist, or a worried parent instead. You’d think the people actually living through these issues might have something useful to say about them, but we’re rarely asked directly.
That’s exactly why blogs matter to me. Nobody edits my opinion before it reaches you, and nobody cuts my sentence short because it doesn’t fit into a five-second video clip. There’s no editor deciding my opinion isn’t “balanced” enough to publish. You’re reading my words exactly as I wrote them — unfiltered, and mine.
So here’s my challenge: next time you scroll past a post written by someone under eighteen, don’t assume it matters less just because of the author’s age. Read it properly first, all the way to the end. You might be surprised by what you find — and by how much a teenager can actually have to say.
1 According to the writer, what usually happens to teenagers’ opinions about the present?
2 When journalists write about topics like climate change or mental health, who does the writer say usually gets interviewed instead of teenagers?
3 Why does the writer say blogs matter to them?
4 What challenge does the writer set for the reader at the end of the post?
5 Why does the writer open with the question “Have you ever tried to explain something you really cared about…?” instead of a plain statement?
6 Phrases like “you’d” and “you’re” address the reader directly throughout the post. What effect does this create?
A blog post is informal but still clear and well organised — not as distant as an essay, and not as casual as a text to a friend. Choose the option that actually sounds like a blog post.
1 Introducing an opinion about a new school policy:
2 Introducing an opinion about phones in class:
3 Inviting the reader to think about an idea:
4 Giving a personal example about peer pressure:
5 Ending with a call to action:
6 Making a claim with evidence:
7 Expressing disagreement:
8 Review — which sentence correctly begins with a participle construction?
Every part of a blog post does a job. Decide what role each sentence plays: is it the opening hook, the main opinion (thesis), a supporting point, or the call-to-action closing?
1 “Ever wondered why nobody at school ever asks what students actually want?”
2 “I believe students should have a real vote in decisions that affect their own school day.”
3 “Have you ever felt like your opinion didn’t matter, just because of your age?”
4 “For example, my school changed the lunch menu last term without asking a single student what they thought.”
5 “So next time there’s a school survey, don’t skip it — your answer could actually change something.”
6 “In my view, teenagers understand school life better than most adults realise.”
7 “A recent survey at my school found that 80% of students wanted more say in homework deadlines — but nobody followed up on it.”
8 “Comment below and tell me: should students get a vote on this too?”
Your school newspaper’s website is launching a “Student Voice” blog, and the editor has invited you to write the first post. Write the opening of your post — a hook plus your main opinion (thesis) — and one supporting paragraph, aimed at your fellow students, arguing that students should have a real say in one school policy of your choice (for example the smartphone rules, the homework schedule, or the canteen menu). Use at least one rhetorical question, address your reader directly with “you”, and include one clear supporting point or example. Aim for 80–120 words.
Review your answers below, then send them to your teacher.
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