Writing to argue, persuade and advise Successful writers usually write about something that is important to them, so they have to choose the best way to express it. Your exam grade depends on what you write, so make it your business to be interested in the topic you get asked about. You may feel confident reading a text, but can you write one? In the exam, you will be asked to write one or two non-fiction texts for yourself. There are essentially four steps to writing any piece of non-fiction: the question, planning, composing and checking.
The question a) Read it and understand it
This may sound obvious, but it's probably the single most important piece of advice we can give you. •
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Read the question twice. Underline key words to reinforce your grasp of the task and to make sure you understand exactly what you are being asked to do. Whatever you do, make sure you answer the question. More marks are lost by writing off the point than anything else.
b) Answer it
Think about what you are being asked to do. To do this, all you need to do is apply the same checklist we have mentioned elsewhere - remember genre, audience and purpose? Once you've read the question, work out: • • •
Genre: what format or layout is being asked for. Audience: who you're writing for. Purpose: what you are being asked to write - what's the purpose of the text.
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A professional writer works through the same checklist. Kitty Melrose edits and writes for a newspaper supplement aimed at young teenagers called the 'Young Telegraph': At the moment, I'm working on an article about zoos - we're looking at for and against. It's quite a controversial issue, obviously, so there's a lot of research involved. Kitty assesses her genre (or format), audience and purpose before starting any piece. This is how she broke down the purpose, audience and genre of her article:
Genre • •
Magazine article - double page spread "I also have to think about format as well - how best to present the information in the piece."
Audience • •
8- to 14-year-olds "[The audience for the paper] ranges from 8- to 14-year-olds, which means that I have to keep my writing really clear, really concise and to the point. But my main aim is to be informative as well as entertaining."
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Zoos - for and against "The first thing I have to do when I'm starting an article is think about the purpose. In the case of zoos, it's quite simple - a for and against piece. I want to present a balanced viewpoint and let [the readers] make their own minds up."
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Planning Ask any examiner and they'll tell you a plan is vital. If you have an hour for the question, you should spend about 15 minutes on the plan.
Why make a plan?
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To keep to the point - planning stops you rambling off the point. To keep it well-structured - this makes sure you keep the right points in the right order. To keep track of time - planning allows you to organise your time effectively and takes the pressure off - once it's done, you know where you're going.
So, before you start, make a plan! Basically, it's no good having a bright idea five minutes before the end of the exam. It's too late then - your thinking time needs to be at the start.
What's in my plan?
Your plan is based on what you've decided about genre, audience and purpose. That allows you to plan for the main points of content. So, make notes first about these points and get them in the right order by planning how you're going to begin, what's going to come in the middle, and keep on planning right through to the end. A decisive ending makes an impact. • • • •
Main points Beginning Middle End
Planning the end is particularly important because not knowing when to stop writing will lose you marks. It shows you don't understand what you're trying to do. Also, nothing will be gained from restating your arguments. So make your points, back them up if necessary, and then shut up.
Professional Planning Now, if you still think planning isn't important, take it from a professional writer. It's Kitty again! [Writing an article]... is 90% research and planning and 10% writing. And to prove her point, here's one she did earlier: www.bbc.co.uk/revision
Kitty's Plan 1. 2. 3.
Introduction to zoos History of zoos Cons Cruelty - small enclosures/restricts animals/behaviour. Education - limited value as not natural environment. Conservation - doesn't always help and where are the animals taken from? Danger to public - there have been accidents involving animals.
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Pros Not cruel - many animals bred in captivity, well looked after. Conservation - has saved some animals. Education - allows people unique access to wild animals and raises awareness of conservation.
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Conclusion Bring the two arguments together.
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Composing What to think about when you start writing: You've worked out what the question is about and made your plan, so this is where you start composing. You are writing your answer against the clock, so you probably need a couple of reminders to keep you thinking straight.
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Paragraphs: Once you've got a plan, your writing will already be organised into chunks, providing a kind of structure or way through the information. When you write, organise these chunks into paragraphs. As a rule of thumb, each paragraph should contain one main point or argument. Layout: You may be asked for a particular type of layout (eg letter, report, article), so make sure you take this into account. Language: Finally, just a note about the type of language you're going to use. Look back at the points you made about audience. That will tell you how you need to tailor your language: whether you're writing something formal or casual, to an older or younger audience for example.
Here are some tips from Kitty: "I think the first sentence and the first paragraph are the most important. That's what draws the reader in to the feature as a whole. It has to set the scene."
The first sentence: • • •
Draws the reader in Is punchy, short, entertaining Sets the scene
"The way that I end a feature is equally as important as the way I begin it."
The final sentence: • •
Is just as important as the beginning Concludes the piece
Paying attention to the opening and closing sentences can help your writing a lot. You need to make an impact and get the examiner's attention.
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Golden rules to remember when composing Stick to the structure you planned Once you've started writing - stick to the structure, but try to make your writing flow easily from one point to the next. •
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Make your writing fluent Fluency means leading your reader smoothly through your writing, controlling the pace and linking points together.
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Lead the reader through the text It's no good having brilliant thoughts if they come out in an unconnected jumble. Keeping it fluent is down to handling a few simple, but very important, linking words: but... and... therefore... so... although... moreover... consequently... thus... but... however... whilst... which... that... also... though... yet.
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Keep your tone consistent Keep in the forefront of your mind the audience for whom you are writing your tone must be consistent throughout, so watch the language that you use.
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Know when to stop If you've organised that final paragraph, you'll leave your audience KNOWING your main ideas or your opinion. The final sentence is vital here - it might be open-ended and balanced, or it might be a passionate point of view.
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Come to a conclusion. The ending says a lot about how well you have put your writing together and it stays longest in the reader's memory.
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Practise checking written work It is important that you leave a few minutes at the end of your exam to check through what you have written. Spelling mistakes and grammatical errors can lose you vital points and are easily spotted with careful checking. Also, when you read through what you have written, you can check that it flows properly and that your tone is consistent.
Can you spot the mistakes? Some boys are writing a letter to the local council about building a skateboard park:
Dear Sir/Madam, We, the skateboarders of Chiswick need a ramp or other skateboard fascility near or in the Chiswick area where all the skaters can skate safely free from hassle and crime or vandalism. People think skateboarders cause trouble and are a niusance but that is not true, we should be taken seriously because we take an interest in our sport and need somewhere to practise if we got this ramp we would take care of it and make sure it was maintained properly. Yours sincerely, Chiswick skaters
We're looking at a first draft - there are lots of mistakes, and in order to be taken seriously, they've got to be eliminated.
Question Give yourself a minute to check through the letter and look for errors. Remember to check the opening sentence and tidy up the mark losers.
Make a note of any errors, then checkout the answer on the next page.
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Answer How did you do? Here's what you should have spotted: • • •
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Spelling mistakes - nuisance and facility. Use of slang, which would be inappropriate for a formal letter - hassle. Punctuation mistakes - there should be a full stop after 'practise' and a capital letter to start the next sentence. Letter conventions - when you don't know the name of the person you are writing to, use Yours faithfully.
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