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A short class with Sarah and her students. The other ways are under More.
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Imagine the Principal has twenty proposals on her desk. Which part of each will she read first?
The title, because it is right at the top.
So what should the title tell her?
What is being proposed, and maybe where or for whom.
Good. How should it look on the page?
In capital letters, centred, on one line, with no full stop.
Exactly. A clear title also shows the examiner that you understood the question.
Here is the question: as Secretary of the Eco Club, write a proposal to reduce the use of plastic on the school campus. What is the action?
To reduce.
What is being reduced, and where?
The use of plastic, on the school campus.
Now join them into a title.
PROPOSAL TO REDUCE THE USE OF PLASTIC ON THE SCHOOL CAMPUS.
Perfect. It is specific, formal and matches what the question asks for.
A student wrote the title Save Our Trees!!! What is wrong with it?
It sounds like a slogan. It has exclamation marks and a first-person word, and it is not all in capital letters.
How would you fix it?
PROPOSAL FOR A TREE PLANTATION DRIVE IN THE SCHOOL.
Good. Another student wrote PROPOSAL FOR A SCIENCE EXHIBITION, but the proposal describes a whole Science Week. Is that title right?
No, it is too narrow. It should be PROPOSAL FOR A SCIENCE WEEK IN THE SCHOOL.
Exactly. The title must cover everything the objective promises.
it tells the reader at a glance what is being proposed.
one line, in capital letters, centred, with no full stop.
name the project and the place or people it concerns.
no slogans, questions, exclamation marks or personal pronouns.
the title and the objective in Paragraph 1 must match.
Question on reducing food waste in the hostel mess: PROPOSAL TO REDUCE FOOD WASTE IN THE HOSTEL MESS.
Question on a free coaching programme run by senior students: PROPOSAL FOR A FREE EVENING TUTORIAL PROGRAMME FOR CHILDREN OF THE LOCALITY.
Weak to strong: the slogan Save Trees! becomes PROPOSAL FOR A TREE PLANTATION DRIVE ALONG THE SCHOOL BOUNDARY.
Short and clear and centred high, capital letters catch the eye.
A principal had fifty proposals on her desk and time to read only five. She picked the ones whose titles told her exactly what they offered, and the one simply titled PROPOSAL stayed at the bottom of the pile.
What, Where, Who: a good title says what is proposed, where it will happen and who it is for.
C.A.P.S. - Centred, All capitals, Precise, Short.
Term
Where is the title of a proposal written?
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Term
In what letters is the title usually written?
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Two reliable title patterns
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Why is PROPOSAL alone a weak title?
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Which paragraph must the title agree with?
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The single line at the top of a proposal that states what is being proposed.
An important word in the question that tells you the task, topic, place or audience.
A group of words built around a noun, such as a book bank for the school library.
The serious, impersonal style used in official writing, without slang, slogans or contractions.
The aim of the proposal, stated in Paragraph 1; the title must agree with it.
Expressing an idea in as few words as clarity allows.
The title, or heading, is the first line of a proposal: a short, centred line in capital letters that tells the reader exactly what is being proposed. This lesson shows how to write a title that is clear, specific and formal.
In the proposal format taught for ISC English Language, the title comes before the three paragraphs of objective, steps and justification. A good title names the action or project, the place or group it concerns and, where useful, its purpose, in one concise line written in capital letters and centred. This lesson explains how to build the title from the keywords of the question, two reliable patterns ("PROPOSAL FOR..." and "PROPOSAL TO..."), and the mistakes that weaken a title: vagueness, length, informality and a mismatch with the content.
A proposal in this course follows a fixed order: the Title/Heading, then Paragraph 1 (Introduction/Objectives), Paragraph 2 (Steps/Measures) and Paragraph 3 (Justification), with an optional closing remark about the expected outcome. The title is the only part the reader sees before reading a single sentence, so it frames everything that follows.
Worked example. Question: "As the Head Student, write a proposal to the Principal on setting up a book bank for students who cannot afford textbooks." The action is setting up, the project is a book bank, and the people are students who cannot afford textbooks. Title: PROPOSAL FOR SETTING UP A BOOK BANK FOR STUDENTS IN NEED.
Both patterns announce the document type and the plan in one line. Choose whichever fits the wording of the question more naturally.
A strong title works like a promise to the reader: it states in a single line what the proposal will deliver, and the three paragraphs that follow keep that promise.