Attempt ANY ONE of the two, (A) or (B) in 120-150 words: (A) You are Aanya/Ankit. You are deeply disturbed by how moments of silence and relaxed living are vanishing from today's fast-paced lives. You decide to write an article for the newspaper on 'The Vanishing Art of Slowing Down'. You may use the following cues along with your own ideas: [impact of hustle culture and technology on mental well-being; losing connection with nature, people and self; importance of mindful celebrations and slow/relaxed living; role of schools, communities, and media; need for digital boundaries, reflection, and simple joys]. OR (B) Your school organised a 'Tastes of India' Week to educate students on the diversity of Indian cuisine. Write a comprehensive report detailing the activities conducted during the week. Describe the events, participation details, chief guest, and the overall impact of the programme on the school. You are Arti/Aryan a student of Std. XII and the Secretary of the School Magazine Editorial Board. You may organise your report on the basis of What - When - Where - Who - Why - How.
Attempt ANY ONE of the two, (A) or (B) in 120-150 words: (A) You are Aanya/Ankit. You are deeply disturbed by how moments of silence and relaxed living are vanishing from today's fast-paced lives. You decide to write an article for the newspaper on 'The Vanishing Art of Slowing Down'. You may use the following cues along with your own ideas: [impact of hustle culture and technology on mental well-being; losing connection with nature, people and self; importance of mindful celebrations and slow/relaxed living; role of schools, communities, and media; need for digital boundaries, reflection, and simple joys]. OR (B) Your school organised a 'Tastes of India' Week to educate students on the diversity of Indian cuisine. Write a comprehensive report detailing the activities conducted during the week. Describe the events, participation details, chief guest, and the overall impact of the programme on the school. You are Arti/Aryan a student of Std. XII and the Secretary of the School Magazine Editorial Board. You may organise your report on the basis of What - When - Where - Who - Why - How.
An article needs a catchy title, byline, and a structured argument (introduction, body developing the given cues, conclusion); a report needs a title, byline, dateline and factual, chronological coverage of the 5W1H.
Model Answer (Option A — Article):
> THE VANISHING ART OF SLOWING DOWN
> By Aanya/Ankit
>
> In today's hyper-connected world, silence and slow living have become rare luxuries. Hustle culture, constant notifications and the pressure to be 'productive' every waking hour are eroding our mental well-being, leaving little room for reflection.
>
> Amid endless scrolling and back-to-back schedules, we are losing genuine connection — with nature, with people, and most importantly, with ourselves. Even celebrations have become rushed, photograph-driven events rather than mindful, joyful experiences.
>
> Reviving slow living requires conscious effort. Schools must encourage unstructured free time and mindfulness practices; communities must create quiet, tech-free spaces; and media must normalise rest rather than glorify busyness. Individually, setting digital boundaries — screen-free meals, device-free evenings — can restore simple joys like a quiet walk or an unhurried conversation.
>
> Slowing down is not laziness; it is essential for a balanced, meaningful life. It is time we reclaimed the art of simply being.
Model Answer (Option B — Report):
> A COLOURFUL CELEBRATION OF INDIAN CUISINE
> By Arti/Aryan, Secretary, School Magazine Editorial Board
>
> Our school organised 'Tastes of India' Week from 7 to 11 July 2026 in the school auditorium and grounds, to educate students about the rich diversity of Indian cuisine.
>
> Each day showcased a different region's food through stalls, cooking demonstrations, and quiz competitions, with active participation from students of Classes VI to XII. Renowned chef Mr./Ms. [Name] graced the valedictory function as Chief Guest and appreciated the students' enthusiasm and creativity.
>
> Activities included regional food stalls, a 'best traditional dish' competition, and a cultural performance highlighting food-related folk traditions. Over 300 students and staff participated across the week.
>
> The programme successfully deepened students' appreciation for India's culinary heritage, promoted teamwork, and left a lasting impression on the school community, inspiring similar cultural events in future.
Marking Scheme
- 11 mark: Format — title and byline (article); title, byline and organised 5W1H structure (report).
- 22 marks: Content — cues developed coherently with a clear stance (article); all event details, chief guest and impact covered (report).
- 31 mark: Expression — appropriate tone (reflective for article, factual/formal for report), correct grammar.
- 41 mark: Word limit (120-150 words) observed.
Hint
For the article, build a reflective argument around the given cues ending in a call to action; for the report, follow What-When-Where-Who-Why-How strictly in factual, past-tense prose.
Quick Oral Answer
An article develops a reflective argument around given cues with a title and byline; a report factually narrates an event using the What-When-Where-Who-Why-How structure, including participation and impact.
Analysis & Explanation
Article and report are the two most-tested long-format writing tasks, and examiners specifically penalise conflating the two, since an article is opinion/reflection-driven while a report is fact/event-driven.
Article (A) essentials:
- Title + byline (writer's name) at the top.
- An argumentative structure: state the concern, develop it using the given cues (hustle culture, disconnection, mindful living, institutional roles, digital boundaries), and end with a reflective or call-to-action conclusion.
- Personal, reflective tone is acceptable and even expected, unlike a report.
Report (B) essentials:
- Title + byline + (often) a dateline.
- Strictly factual, third-person, past-tense narration organised by What (the event), When (dates), Where (venue), Who (participants/chief guest), Why (purpose) and How (activities/format) — the question explicitly recommends this structure.
- Must mention participation numbers/scale and the overall impact, as explicitly demanded.
Exam trap: for (A), students often list the cues mechanically as bullet points instead of weaving them into flowing paragraphs; for (B), a common error is writing in first person present tense ('I feel...') instead of a neutral, factual past-tense report register, or omitting the chief guest/impact details the question explicitly requires.
Common Mistakes
- 1Writing the article as a bulleted list of the given cues instead of a flowing, argumentative piece with introduction and conclusion.
- 2Writing the report in first-person, present-tense, opinion-based style instead of factual, past-tense, third-person narration.
- 3Omitting the chief guest and overall impact details in the report, both of which are explicitly demanded by the question.
Interesting Facts
The global 'slow living' movement traces back to the 'Slow Food' movement founded in Italy in 1986 by Carlo Petrini, in protest against fast food and hurried eating habits.
India's cuisine varies dramatically by region — over 30 distinct regional culinary traditions are recognised, from Kashmiri Wazwan to Chettinad cooking, making a week-long showcase pedagogically rich.
Digital wellness research shows the average urban Indian smartphone user checks their phone over 80 times a day, directly supporting the article's concern about vanishing slow living.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the key difference between an article and a report in CBSE writing tasks?
An article is opinion/reflection-driven, built around a personal stance and argument on a theme (using given cues), while a report is fact/event-driven, requiring neutral, past-tense narration of what actually happened, organised by What-When-Where-Who-Why-How.
Do I have to use the exact given cues word-for-word in the article?
No — cues should be paraphrased and woven naturally into the argument; CBSE rewards original expression that still covers the key ideas (hustle culture, disconnection, mindful living, institutional role, digital boundaries) rather than verbatim copying.