Section B – WRITING

(1 hour)

2 writing tasks

(i) Writing to INFORM or EXPLAIN 25 mins

(ii) Writing to PERSUADE or ARGUE 35 mins

Writing for different audiences, purposes in different forms.

Section B – WRITING AOs

Assessment Objective 4 (same as CW/CA)

(i) Communicating clearly & imaginatively, adapting language to suit context

(ii) Organising and structuring texts effectively

(iii)Sentence structures and technical accuracy

WRITING: students’ concerns

1. How much should I write?

2. There’s no time to plan!

3. I don’t have enough time to check it through!

4. I have so much to say once I get started – I just want to get it all down!

WRITING: examiners’ concerns

1. Students wrote too much: 1 – 1 ¼ sides for first writing task, 2 sides for second

2. Little evidence of planning

3. Not enough crafting

4. Key failing: spelling & simple punctuation

EXAM TIP

BEFORE: 5 MINUTES TO PLAN

AFTER: 3 MINUTES TO CHECK IT

1.READ THE TASK x 3

2.WHAT’S THE PURPOSE?

3.WHO’S THE AUDIENCE?

4.WHAT’S THE FORM?

THINK - PLAN - WRITE - CHECK

THINK - PLAN - WRITE - CHECK

AUDIENCE

Basically this is either going to be:

(a) a single person or a group

(b) a person you know well or a stranger

(c) a choice about formality

(d) about what you assume

FORM

• Letters

• Emails

• Advertisements

• Information sheets

• Articles

• Reports

• Advice sheets

• Speeches revise the codes and conventions of these

Sample writing questions for Section B 1. You have been asked to write an informative article about

living a healthier lifestyle for a weekend colour supplement.

2. Write the words for a speech which aims to explain to others how to make the most out of their money.

3. Write an advice leaflet which informs a newcomer to your school about how best to fit in.

4. ‘Society would be better and more stable if we all had a system of arranged marriages.’ How far do you agree with this view?

5. You have been asked to create a part of a tourist information leaflet persuading people to visit somewhere you know well.

6. ‘People talk too much about the dreadful effects of climate change. They should just enjoy its benefits.’ Write an article for a magazine arguing either for or against this view.

THINK - PLAN - WRITE - CHECK

PLAN

IDEA

IDEA

IDEA

IDEA

IDEA

IDEA

THINK - PLAN - WRITE - CHECK

PLAN

IDEA 4

IDEA 5

IDEA 1

IDEA

IDEA 3

IDEA 2

SEQUENCE

SELECT 5 MINS

There’s loads to think about:

• Punctuation

• Sentence structures

• Vocabulary

• Structure

• Opening & closing

• Paragraphs

• Rhetorical devices

• Spelling

• Crafting & shaping

• Presentational devices

• Formality

THINK - PLAN - WRITE - CHECK

1. Punctuation, sentence structures & vocabulary – it’s all about being accurate & varied

2. Structure – BME (beginning, middle with several stages, an ending)

3. Paragraphs – make them helpful; short is good – variety is excellent

4. Presentational devices – rough sketch of layout only

THINK - PLAN - WRITE - CHECK

THINK - PLAN - WRITE - CHECK

opening In this article I am going to write about how you can be more healthy by losing weight.

OR

Banish the lard and get fit.

closing Blueberries and tofu it is, then, rather than pizza and chips.

OR

Eating healthy food will do

you a lot more good than

eating a lot of fatty foods.

4 main sentence types:

1. simple

2. compound

3. complex

4. minor

simple compound complex complex compound simple

complex simple compound complex simple compound

simple complex compound simple compound minor

THINK - PLAN - WRITE - CHECK

THINK - PLAN - WRITE - CHECK

When writing your pieces, you should attempt to use all of the techniques that you have been looking for and writing about in Section A.

Here’s a recap:

THINK - PLAN - WRITE - CHECK

Poetic Devices Glossary This is a very basic list of the rhetorical devices you need to be able use in your work to show your strengths with language. • Alliteration – repetition of the sound at a beginning of a word (Peter’s perfect

pens) • Contrast – a strong difference between two things (rich/poor) • Imagery – words so descriptive they create a picture in the reader’s mind • Metaphor – an image created by referring to something as something else (He is a

pig) • Onomatopoeia – words that sound like their meaning (crash/bang/pop) • Oxymoron – two words positioned together with contrasting ideas (beautiful

death) • Personification – giving an object human qualities (the wind whistled) • Repetition – words/phrases/sentences and structures repeated • Rhyme/Rhythm – the use of rhyming words to give the poem a beat • Simile – a comparison of two things using ‘like’ and ‘as’ (as cold as ice) • Symbolism – symbol that represents an idea (cross = religion)

THINK - PLAN - WRITE - CHECK

Can you also use facts and opinions (yours, or the opinions of others) in your work?

You might have to make them up, but your writing style will suit the purpose if you use them

Just do it!

Allow a few minutes at the end of each Students often leave words out of sentences, get the wrong there / they’re / their, or leave out capitals. You can loose marks for these things! So go through, and check that it reads ok.

THINK - PLAN - WRITE - CHECK