Recounts are written to retell events with the purpose of either informing or entertaining their audience (or with both purposes).

A recount usually consists of the following:

• a "scene setting" opening (orientation), "I went on a visit to the museum;"
• a retelling of the events as they occurred (events), "I sat with Sarah on the bus"; and
• A closing statement (reorientation), "When we got back from the trip we wrote about it."

It is usually written

• in the past tense,
• in chronological order, and
• focusing on individual participants using doing or action clauses.