Writing for Audience, Purpose and Form

    OCR
    GCSE

    Candidates must demonstrate the ability to adapt tone, style, and register to specific audiences and purposes, ranging from transactional argumentation to creative narration. Assessment focuses on the conscious manipulation of vocabulary, sentence structure, and structural devices to achieve a deliberate effect (AO5). Success requires the crafting of a convincing persona and the sustained maintenance of a specific register, underpinned by high-level technical accuracy (AO6) in spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

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    Objectives
    4
    Exam Tips
    4
    Pitfalls
    3
    Key Terms
    4
    Mark Points

    What You Need to Demonstrate

    Key skills and knowledge for this topic

    • Award marks for sustained adaptation of tone and register that perfectly matches the intended audience and purpose
    • Credit the use of sophisticated vocabulary and rhetorical devices (e.g., direct address, hypophora) chosen specifically to manipulate or persuade the target reader
    • Assess the structural development of ideas; paragraphs must be linked fluently to guide the specific audience through the argument or narrative
    • Reward high-level technical accuracy (AO6) including ambitious punctuation and varied sentence structures used to create specific effects for the reader

    Marking Points

    Key points examiners look for in your answers

    • Award marks for sustained adaptation of tone and register that perfectly matches the intended audience and purpose
    • Credit the use of sophisticated vocabulary and rhetorical devices (e.g., direct address, hypophora) chosen specifically to manipulate or persuade the target reader
    • Assess the structural development of ideas; paragraphs must be linked fluently to guide the specific audience through the argument or narrative
    • Reward high-level technical accuracy (AO6) including ambitious punctuation and varied sentence structures used to create specific effects for the reader

    Examiner Tips

    Expert advice for maximising your marks

    • 💡Identify the 'TAP' (Type, Audience, Purpose) immediately upon reading the prompt and annotate the question paper
    • 💡Use the first paragraph to establish a strong, audience-appropriate voice; if writing to peers, use inclusive pronouns ('we', 'us') immediately
    • 💡Vary sentence openings to maintain the specific audience's engagement; avoid repetitive 'I think' or 'It is' constructions
    • 💡Reserve 5 minutes for proofreading, specifically checking that the tone remains consistent from the salutation to the sign-off

    Common Mistakes

    Pitfalls to avoid in your exam answers

    • Adopting a generic 'exam essay' tone rather than the specific voice required by the form (e.g., sounding like a student essay instead of a newspaper article)
    • Inconsistent register, such as drifting into colloquial slang within a formal letter to a headteacher
    • Failing to explicitly acknowledge the audience, lacking direct address or awareness of the reader's perspective
    • Neglecting the conventions of the specified form (e.g., omitting the date and recipient address in a formal letter)

    Key Terminology

    Essential terms to know

    Transactional Writing: Persuade, Argue, Advise (Non-fiction)
    Creative Writing: Narrate, Describe (Fiction)
    Register and Tone: Adaptation to Audience and Form (PAF)

    Likely Command Words

    How questions on this topic are typically asked

    Write a speech...
    Write a letter...
    Write an article...
    Write the text for a leaflet...
    Write a review...
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