G Fireworks lighting up the night sky during the grand finale of the National Day Parade at the Marina Bay floating platform.

F It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a Red Lion... The army's Red Lions were greeted with thunderous applause as they whizzed through the air past the Merlion before landing on the floating platform.

WRITE AN INFORMAL E-MAIL

You are advised to write between 250 and 350 words for this section.

You should look at the news clippings on these pages, study the information carefully and plan your answer before beginning to write.

You attended the National Day Parade (NDP) this year and were captivated by the various show segments, such as the pre-parade aerial displays and the main act, which celebrated everyday heroes among Singaporeans. You have an elder brother who is studying in Australia.

Both of you have always wanted to watch the NDP together, but have not had a chance to do so. This year, he watched the online webcast of the NDP from Australia. You have decided to write an e-mail to him to share your experience as a spectator and to tell him about your favourite segment.

In your e-mail to your elder brother, you should:

ask him how he is doing in Australia;

recount which segment of NDP 2018 you enjoyed the most;

explain why you think NDP 2018 was the most meaningful ever;

seek his thoughts on NDP 2018.

Write your e-mail in clear, accurate English and in a warm and enthusiastic tone to show your brother how inspired you were by this year's NDP.

You should use your own words as much as possible.

TIPS FOR WRITING AN INFORMAL E-MAIL

TASK FULFILMENT Ensure that:

Your response shows a good understanding of the purpose of the task.

The format is entirely appropriate for the task

All the required points of the task are addressed in detail, fully developed and well organised

The given information is well-used to support personal interpretation

The tone and register are entirely appropriate for the topic

E-MAIL FORMAT

USEFUL PHRASES TO BEGIN AN INFORMAL E-MAIL

I hope this finds you well

I hope you are doing well

I hope you had a great week so far

Greetings from Singapore (when writing to an overseas friend or family member)

Greetings from everyone in Singapore (when writing to an overseas friend or family member)

Avoid starting your e-mail with "good morning/afternoon/evening". You never know what time it will be read, so it is best to leave out time-based greetings.

USEFUL PHRASES TO CLOSE AN INFORMAL E-MAIL

That's all for now

I can't wait to hear from you

Write me when you can

I hope to hear from you soon

I hope to speak to you again soon

I hope to see you again soon

Send my love to _______

USEFUL PHRASES TO SIGN OFF AN INFORMAL E-MAIL

Take care

Cheers

Hugs and kisses

Missing you

With love

Lots of love

Lesson activity by David Tay

F Madam Mary Klass, 83, was featured in a short film that showed various Singaporeans overcoming adversity.

F Mr Julai Tan at home with his wife, Madam Ng Siew Lan. Mr Tan had performed a Bach piece, Air On The G String, accompanied on the organ by jazz musician Jeremy Monteiro. At 93, Mr Tan was the oldest performer at NDP 2018.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS Return of the combined schools choir The choir comprises 220 students from East Spring, Riverside, Unity and Yuhua secondary schools.

Short film celebrating Singaporeans who overcame adversity

A 10-minute film telling the stories of five Singaporeans who overcame hardship was shown. Among those featured was Madam Mary Klass, 83, who represented Singapore in athletics at the 1956 Olympics. Her father was opposed to her joining the sport.

Singapore mascots on show

Singa the Courtesy Lion and Sharity the Elephant spread their messages of care, compassion and kindness.

Joining them were Teamy the Bee, who called for a more efficient workforce; Water Wally, who urged Singaporeans to save water; and Captain Green, the frog encouraging Singaporeans to adopt a clean and green lifestyle.

Charlie Lim's rendition of "We Are Singapore"

The theme song for NDP 2018 by local singer, Charlie Lim, is a modern take on the 1987 classic "We Are Singapore".

To come up with the song, Lim spent a week watching YouTube videos of old NDP songs to figure out what worked.

220 students from four schools formed the combined schools choir 26 aircraft performed in the fly-past and aerial display segment

25,000 spectators watched the parade from The Float @ Marina Bay 3,000 fireworks lit the sky for the grand finale for 12 minutes 560 participants for the military tattoo, the largest ever for an NDP

3,800mThe height which the army's parachutists, the Red Lions, jumped from

600 Institute of Technical Education students performed in a dance that showed Singaporeans from all walks of life