The task
- Paper 2 Question 5 (40 marks) asks you to present your viewpoint on a statement, in a given form: an article, a letter, a speech, an essay or a leaflet. 24 marks are for content and organisation, and 16 for technical accuracy. Spend about 45 minutes.
- Other boards: Edexcel Paper 2 Section B and OCR Component 1 Section B are also 40-mark non-fiction writing tasks with a choice of two. Eduqas Component 2 has two shorter tasks that you must both answer, worth 20 marks each.
Audience, purpose and form
- Match your tone and register to the audience: formal for a headteacher or council, lively but still controlled for teenagers.
- Use the conventions of the form. Letter: 'Dear…' and a sign-off ('Yours sincerely' if you know the name, 'Yours faithfully' after 'Dear Sir or Madam'). Article: a headline, and perhaps subheadings. Speech: address the audience directly and end memorably. Leaflet: headings, but still write in full, well-developed paragraphs. Essay: formal and well argued.
Persuasive techniques
- Anecdotes, facts, opinions, rhetorical questions, emotive language, statistics and the rule of three.
- Also direct address, imperatives, hyperbole, and a counter-argument followed by a rebuttal.
Structure
- Open with a hook, such as an anecdote, a bold statement or a rhetorical question.
- Make one main point per paragraph, linked by discourse markers (firstly, furthermore, however, ultimately). Include a counter-argument and rebut it. End with a powerful conclusion that links back to your opening.
Key terms
- Audience
- The people a piece of writing is aimed at.
- Purpose
- What a piece of writing is trying to do, such as persuade.
- Form
- The type of text, such as a letter or speech.
- Register
- How formal or informal language is.
- Rhetorical question
- A question asked for effect, not for an answer.
- Counter-argument
- An opposing view that you raise in order to challenge it.
- Rebuttal
- Showing why an opposing view is wrong.
- Discourse marker
- A word or phrase that links ideas, such as 'furthermore'.
- Rule of three
- Grouping three words or ideas for impact.
- Direct address
- Speaking directly to the reader, using 'you'.