PAT and IPEELL

At this stage, the first mnemonic can be introduced:

PAT

P

Purpose

Why are you writing? What do you want to achieve?

A

T

Audience

Who will read your writing? How might you need to change your content for different audiences?

Type

What text type and form of writing would be best for your purpose and audience? For example, are you writing a report, leaflet, narrative, article etc?

Present different examples of the chosen text type and ask the students to decide what is the purpose, audience and type of presentation being used. The main mnemonic can now be introduced:

IPEELL

IIntroduction

PPoints – three or more E Examples / elaboration / evidence E Ending L Links – openers and conjunctions L Language – specific language features

The IPEELL mnemonic should be linked to a model text, as shown, and to further examples to illustrate how it can be used to provide a clear structure for writing.

Introduction: a general opening statement making it clear what the writing is about

Paragraphs provide the main points with further elaboration

Ending – a general conclusion but also referring back to the opening statement

Penguins

Penguins are seabirds that cannot fly. There are 16 different types, or species, but they all have common features and habitats.

All penguins have short, thick feathers. They have white fronts and black, dark blue or grey backs. Some penguins have crests of long feathers on the sides of their heads and patches of brightly coloured feathers on their short, thick necks. Like most seabirds, they have webbed feet.

Penguins spend most of their lives at sea. They swim and dive with speed and skill. Penguins catch and eat fish, squid and krill. They come ashore at certain times of the year to mate and raise their young.

Most penguins make nests on the ground or in grass; some lay their eggs in tunnels. The female Emperor Penguin lays only one egg, and the male keeps it warm by holding it on his feet under folds of skin.

Some penguins are endangered. Pollution is damaging their environment and fishing fleets are catching their food. It is likely that there will be fewer species in the future if we don’t protect their ecosystem.

Third person Generic, so 'penguins' not 'Percy the Penguin'

Precise vocabulary - facts and figures

Collective pronoun 'we'