Your audience for this task will be the intended recipients or audience for your piece of writing. Part of what you are being assessed on is your ability to adapt your language and tone to suit this intended audience.
For example:
- A parent will have different concerns and values to a student
- A local MP would need convincing using facts and evidence to be persuaded by your arguments
- Readers of a local newspaper would be more persuaded by emotive language
- A letter to a headteacher or someone in authority requires formal, respectful language which is not aggressive or inappropriate
- Teenagers would need something to relate to, so personal anecdotes would work well
Addressing your audience or reader specifically is a convincing technique to persuade people to agree with your point of view, or at least to acknowledge its validity; you can also use inclusive language, such as “we” and “us”, or “fellow students” or “parents”. You should always write using Standard English, but the level of formality you should employ will be dictated by the task itself.
For example:
Target audience
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Example of how to adapt language
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Teenagers
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I’m sure we’ve all had our parents or guardians moan at us for how long we spend on our gaming machines. However, gaming can help us develop important skills, such as teamwork, as well as being an awesome way of connecting with friends from all over the world!
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The use of inclusive pronouns and colloquial language, such as “awesome”, demonstrates that this example is aimed at teenagers or younger people
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Adults
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Using animals for sports, such as fox-hunting, has been debated for many years, and it is an issue which elicits strong emotions from both sides.
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The use of more sophisticated vocabulary, such as “elicits”, as well as complex sentences, demonstrate that this is aimed at adults reading about a serious topic
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Older people
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The purpose of wearable technology, such as smart-watches and fitness trackers, is to make staying connected as easy and hands-free as possible. In addition, wearable technology can have important health benefits, as they can monitor your blood sugars, heart rate, blood pressure and quality of sleep.
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The simple explanations and examples show that this is written for people who might not know much about wearable technology
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Question 1 will also ask you to write for a specific purpose. You will be asked to create a discursive, argumentative or persuasive response, using your own words. This means that you will be rewarded for your ability to select relevant language techniques and employ them in a sophisticated way. A useful acronym to remember some of the key language techniques for this type of writing is DAN FOREST PIE:
Device
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Definition
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Example
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Direct address
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Addressing your audience directly to build rapport
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When it comes to the issue of animal cruelty, you cannot stand back and not take a stand. This is your fight as well.
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Audience
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Acknowledging the whole of your audience in your writing
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Parents, you must surely agree that banning mobile phones in classrooms will improve concentration and enable your children to make better progress in their studies.
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Not only, but also
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Used as part of your sentence to add to an argument
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Not only does this issue affect local communities, but it also has wider implications for the whole of the country.
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Facts
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Something that can be proven to be true
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London Zoo is the oldest zoo in the UK.
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Opinions
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What you believe or think, often presented as fact
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In my view, banning fox hunting with hounds is the best thing to have happened for a long time.
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Rhetorical questions
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A question which does not require an answer
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Is it right that reality TV stars are paid vast amounts of money while not actually having any skills?
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Emotive language
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Language deliberately chosen to make the audience or reader feel a particular emotion or have an emotional response
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The horribly cruel, brutal and violent manner in which hunting hounds murder a fox when caught, ripping them apart, is completely wrong.
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Statistics
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Factual data used in a persuasive way
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80% of commuters agree that rail fares currently do not represent good value for money.
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Triplets
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Three ideas or examples in a sentence used to emphasise a point
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Nutritious, delicious and environmentally conscious, plant-based eating is the only way to reduce our impact on the environment.
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Personal and inclusive pronouns
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“I”, “you”, “we”, “us”
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We must act now on climate change, as it matters not only to us, but to our children and children’s children.
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Imperatives
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Command verbs
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Act now, as further delay could be catastrophic.
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Exaggeration
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Also known as hyperbole - exaggerated language or examples used for effect
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If we do nothing, we will regret our inaction for the rest of eternity.
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You could also consider using:
Flattery
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Complimenting your readers or audience
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As well-educated and intelligent people, I am sure you will agree that this situation must not continue.
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Alliteration
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Two or more words that begin with the same consonant sounds - the words do not have to be consecutive
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Is fast food making us fatter, or is this idea just a fad?
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Antithesis
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Opposing words or ideas presented together to show a contrast
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Just a small act of defiance could have a huge effect.
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Double adjectives
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Starting your sentence with two adjectives
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Smart and exciting, new wearable technology is the latest craze.
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It is also important to carefully consider the purpose of the task. “Giving your views” about a subject can mean to explain what you think, to argue your point or to persuade your audience to agree with you. Most importantly, your language and tone needs to match your intended audience and purpose.
Purpose
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Devices and techniques to demonstrate you understand the purpose of the task
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Write to explain:
- “Explain your point of view about…”
- “Explain your attitude to…”
- “Explain your thoughts on…”
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- Provide reasons for your ideas
- Offer examples and anecdotes:
- Use imagery to describe experiences
- Provide facts and statistics:
- In the exam you can use those provided in the reading texts
- Use present-tense verbs:
- Usually you are explaining about something that is currently the case
- Use either first or third person consistently
Use appropriate connectives:
- Words like “Moreover”, “Furthermore”, “However” and “On the other hand” provide cohesion and fluency
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Write to argue:
- “Argue your point of view about…”
- “Give your views on…”
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- Write in the first person as you are putting forward your thoughts and opinions
- Use personal and inclusive pronouns:
- Using words like “we” and “us” builds rapport between you and your reader and makes them feel involved
- Present your opinions as facts - as a truth that shouldn’t be challenged
- Be persuasive and passionate about your argument, but not aggressive:
- Readers do not respond well to an aggressive tone
- Use emotive language and rhetorical questions to persuade your reader of the validity of your argument
- You can present both sides of an argument, but decide on your position and maintain it throughout:
- This means that you can start your counter-argument with phrases such as “While I acknowledge that some people might think…”
- Then circle back to your original position
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Write to persuade:
- “Persuade the audience of your point of view about…”
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- Write in the first person as you are putting forward your thoughts and opinions
- Use personal and inclusive pronouns:
- Using words like “we” and “us” builds rapport between you and your reader and makes them feel involved
- Present your opinions as facts - as a truth that shouldn’t be challenged
- Be persuasive and passionate about your argument, but not aggressive:
- Readers do not respond well to an aggressive tone
- Use emotive language and rhetorical questions to persuade your reader of the validity of your argument
- Use imperatives to call your audience to action
- Use rhetorical techniques such as the rule of three to convince the reader of your argument
- Decide on your position or opinion and stick to it throughout
- Avoid sounding like an advertisement
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Above all, remember: your arguments and point of view must be based on the reading passages you are given. If you just write without establishing a clear summary of the main points in the text(s), you will not score high marks.